Who is the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption?

Right now, 100,000+ children are waiting to be adopted from foster care in the United States.

Created in 1992 by Wendy’s® founder Dave Thomas who was adopted, the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is a national, nonprofit public charity dedicated to finding forever families for children in foster care who are too often overlooked.

A teenage girl and her mom stand together and look at the camera with neutral expressions. Text below reads: Bridgett (adopted at 16) with Jennifer (mom).
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How do we help children lingering in foster care?

Every year, nearly 20,000 young people age out of the system without a permanent family. With no one to turn to for support, they are much more likely to experience homelessness, unemployment and other negative outcomes. It’s heartbreaking.

That’s why the Foundation is aggressively working to expand its foster care adoption program that serves the longest-waiting children in foster care, including teenagers, children with special needs and siblings.

Stories of Impact
A young boy in a red shirt stands with his arm around a young girl wearing oversized round glasses and a light blue top.

Our Forever Home: ALEX AND ADRIANNA’S STORY

Adrianna and her brother, Alex, spent most of their early years in foster care. They thought they were going to be adopted many times, but something always fell through.

“I went to different houses … like a lot of houses,” Adrianna shared.

They were hesitant to trust another adult after all they had been through, but that all changed when they moved in with Jackie and Olga.

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Room to Grow: SEAN’S STORY

Sean spent more than five years in foster care, most of that time in group homes.

He remembers the chaos of that environment, and how he spent his days waiting for the day he could leave that behind and become part of permanent family.

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A person with long red hair, wearing glasses, a white shirt, and a pink-and-white cardigan, smiling at the camera against a blue-gray circular background.

A Bright Future: MARISOL’S STORY

At 5 years old, Marisol was placed in foster care after enduring physical abuse. For the next 14 years, she lived in and out of group homes, giving up hope of ever being adopted. Today, Marisol is experiencing everything life has to offer with her forever family by her side.

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A Family That Stays: BRIDGETT’S STORY

By the time she was 15, Bridgett had already lived in more foster homes than she could count. Just before Christmas break, she was facing another move, when her high school principal invited her to stay with his family. It was meant to be temporary, but it quickly became obvious that this would be Bridgett’s forever home.

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How You Can Help

If you have room in your home or in your heart, you can help a child, like Maci, Sean, Marisol and Bridgett, waiting for a family right now.

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Smiling young girl with light skin and blue eyes, wearing a light pink shirt, posing with arms forward and head tilted. Text at the bottom reads, Sophia (adopted at 4).
You make our
mission possible.

With help from our caring supporters, the Foundation is working to break down barriers to permanency for families by implementing awareness campaigns informed by research, advocating for adoption and foster care benefits in the workplace, and promoting free educational and financial resources for prospective parents.

We could not do this life-changing work without you.

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