In January 2011, there were 8,046 children in the Oklahoma Foster System. That number rose to 8,308 by January 2012. It grew even higher this year. In January, 9,844 children were in the system.
You may have noticed a popular documentary blowing up your Facebook news feed these past few months.
STUCK is the award-winning documentary produced by Both Ends Burning, an international adoption advocacy non-profit, that uncovers the personal, real-life stories of children and parents navigating a rollercoaster of bureaucracy on their journeys through the international adoption system, each filled with hope, elation – and sometimes heartbreak.If you haven’t taken the time to watch the trailer or see the film, you can do so by going to www.stuckdocumentary.com
I have yet to watch the entire film, but the trailer itself caused raw emotion to well up from the deepest places of my heart. We were on the path towards an international adoption. I know all about the long wait times, the red tape, and governments making it near impossible for these kids to be placed in Forever Families – and don’t forget the whopper of a price tag associated with international adoption.
I agree with everything the STUCK trailer stands for. If I had it my way, every single child would have a family. As I watched the trailer, I couldn’t help but wonder about the many, many, kids in the United States who are also stuck!
Just because they live in shelters or foster homes, instead of filthy orphanges in a Third-World country, doesn’t make them any less important.
These kids are stuck in the foster care system. They get shuffled from foster family to foster family. They live out of a suitcase, and sadly many of them age out of the system without every having a family to call their own.
There’s a rollercoaster of bureaucracy right here in the United States.
There’s no need to ignore the orphan in Africa in order to be more aware of the orphans in America. Lift your voice for each and every one of them, no matter their location.
Support awesome films like Stuck, that shed light on the grueling process of international adoption, but don’t forget the kids in your own community who are just as deserving of a family.For those of you who live in Oklahoma, here’s a great opportunity for you to get involved and be a voice for the kids in Foster Care.
A Foster Care Awareness Walk will be held Saturday, April 27th at the Bricktown Ballpark in downtown Oklahoma City. You can get all the details and register for the walk at www.walkamilefostercareevent.com
****Stats came from www.okfosterwishes.com