Tennessee Children Seek Adoptive Families

November is National Adoption Month, and Youth Villages of Paris is seeking families to provide loving, forever homes for hundreds of children in state custody who are awaiting adoption.

Youth Villages is a national nonprofit, based in Memphis, that provides help for children and young people across the United States who face a wide range of emotional, mental and behavioral problems.

Youth Villages’ four West Tennessee offices — in Dyersburg, Jackson, Memphis and Paris — currently serve 250 children in foster care. Across Tennessee, there are more than 8,000 children in foster care.

The nonprofit’s primary goal is to match children in the foster care system with a stable, permanent home. It isn’t always possible for foster children to reunite with their family of origin, so Youth Villages prepares foster children and prospective parents for adoption.

“Children of all ages and backgrounds deserve the love and security of a forever family,” said Jeremy Breithaupt, director of in-home services at Youth Villages. “I’ve seen many teenagers and sibling groups who struggled to find hope throughout their time in foster care begin to experience healing through adoption.”

The average age of youth in full guardianship of the state is 14, and many have been in the foster care system for several years. While they receive counseling and support throughout this time, the care of a permanent family will help them reach their full potential.

To adopt a child from the foster care system, couples or single parents must become certified foster parents and welcome the child or sibling group into their home for six months before adoption will be considered.

Youth Villages provides prospective foster and adoptive parents with intensive training, ongoing support and financial assistance to ensure they can meet the needs of the children in their care.

To learn more about becoming a foster parent, attend a free, one-hour virtual information session in November to discover the qualifications and expectations of foster parents, learn more about the training process to become foster parents, understand the ongoing support Youth Villages provides throughout the adoption process, ask questions and meet other families exploring the journey of fostering.

Youth Villages has two virtual sessions remaining in November: Saturday, November 22 at 10 a.m. and Monday, November 24 at 6 p.m.

Additionally, Youth Villages hosts a screening of “Instant Family,” starring Mark Wahlberg, at the Parisian Theatre December 2 at 6 p.m. with free admission and concessions. A foster care and adoption Q&A session will follow.

For more information, visit youthvillages.org/adoption or call 1-888-MY-YV-KID.

As the holidays approach, Youth Villages urges the community to come together to make a difference in a child’s life.