There are approximately 510,000 foster care children in the United States, and 129,000 are waiting to be adopted. Since 1987, the number of children in foster care nationally has doubled, and the average time a child remains in foster care has lengthened to nearly three years. Approximately 26,000 children in foster care will age out of the system each year without ever being placed with a permanent family.
Nearly 48 million Americans have considered adoption from foster care, according to a recent National Adoption Attitudes Survey commissioned by the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. If just one in 500 of these adults adopt, all the 129,000 children in foster care waiting for adoption would have permanent families.
To promote and celebrate foster care adoptions, Baylor Law has been hosting the McLennan County Adoption Day Celebration since 2008. The event was created by Professor Bridget Fuselier, a faculty member who had personally experienced the joy of Adoption Day during her practice as an attorney. Through her time in Jefferson County, Texas, Professor Fuselier volunteered each year to handle an adoption for a family pro bono. Seeing how giving such a small amount of her time profoundly impacted a family, she developed a great love for the program.
After joining the Baylor Law faculty and volunteering in McLennan County, Texas, Professor Fuselier approached the local Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) about partnering to have an event dedicated to adoption at the law school. Since the beginning of the program in 2008, it continues to grow each year as an event that celebrates community and family. Each year the event is organized around a theme children can relate to. The school is decorated, students are in costume, and the families receive themed cakes and gift baskets.
Adoption Day 2023 | November 17
Contact
For more information on Adoption Day, please contact Professor Bridget Fuselier at bridget_fuselier@baylor.edu.
Past Adoption Day Statistics
(Scroll down for additional information on past Adoption Day Events).
| Year | Theme | Children Adopted | Student Volunteers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Welcome Home for the Holidays | 36 children/26 families | 105 |
| 2021 | Adoptions: A New Beginning | 20 children/14 families | 117 |
| 2020 | Adoptions, Making Wishes Come True | 29 children/21 families | 10 (via Zoom) |
| 2019 | Adoptions are Incredible | 24 children/20 families | 97 |
| 2018 | I'll Be Home for Christmas | 30 children/22 families | 96 |
| 2017 | Adoptions: The Family Awakens | 33 children/20 families | 78 |
| 2016 | Adoptions: Finding Families | 41 children/22 families | 45 |
| 2015 | Adoptions Build Families | 32 children/21 families | 58 |
| 2014 | Adoptable Me | 25 children/14 families | 49 |
| 2013 | There's No Place Like Home | 26 children/17 families | 48 |
| 2012 | Family is King | 17 children/14 families | 37 |
| 2011 | Adoptions Are Awesomeness | 22 children/11 families | 49 |
| 2010 | A Family's Love is To Infinity & Beyond | 26 children/13 families | 32 |
| 2009 | I'm Special, I was Picked | 18 children/11 families | 41 |
| 2008 | Celebrating a Family for Every Child | 15 children/11 families | 33 |
Past Adoption Day Events
