Our History and Dave’s Story

Dave's Commitment to Adoption

Our story began in 1990 when Dave Thomas, founder of Wendy’s®, who was adopted, accepted President George H.W. Bush’s invitation to be the spokesperson for a national adoption awareness campaign. However, Dave knew he could do more. In 1992, he established the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption.

Four adults, two men and two women, are interacting in a formal room. The women are shaking hands while the men are smiling and conversing. All are dressed in formal attire. Framed art and elegant decor are visible in the background.

Spreading the Word

Over the years, Dave’s modest charisma and simple sincerity helped spread the word about adoption. In 1997, he testified before Congress to support an adoption tax credit that aimed to make adoption more affordable. He also appeared in public service announcements, expanded his reach to Canada and led the initiative to create an adoption stamp, which was issued by the U.S. Postal Service in 2000.

Dave Thomas speaks into a microphone at a hearing, gesturing with his hands.

Dave's Legacy Continues Today

On January 8, 2002, Dave passed away and the world lost one of its greatest advocates for children. Dave Thomas was respected for being a talented businessman and a caring philanthropist. His unceasing desire to improve the lives of North America’s most vulnerable children was arguably his greatest contribution to society.

For more than 30 years, the Foundation has continued its pursuit of Dave’s goal of finding forever families for children waiting in foster care.

An older man with white hair and glasses, wearing a dark suit, white shirt, and red patterned tie, is smiling and seated against a plain background.

Hear the Words of Dave Thomas About Why Our Mission Matters

watch the video now
Read more about Dave's legacy

Foundation Timeline and Milestones

  • Blue background with gold confetti and the words celebrating 15,000 adoptions with photos of smiling children and families inside the numbers. Logos for Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption and Wendy’s Wonderful Kids below. A graphic with gold confetti, reading celebrating 15,000 adoptions. The numbers contain diverse children and families. Logos for Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption and Wendy’s Wonderful Kids are at the bottom.
    2025

    The Foundation celebrates finding permanent families for more than 15,000 children in foster care across the U.S. and Canada.

  • Graphic with text: Milestone 14,000 Adoptions. Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. Wendys Wonderful Kids. Blue background with light bokeh effect.
    2024

    The Foundation celebrates finding permanent families for more than 14,000 children in foster care across the U.S. and Canada.

  • A christmas ornament with a red border.
    2023

    The Foundation celebrates finding permanent families for 13,000 children who had lingered in foster care across the United States and Canada. The 25th A Home for the Holidays special airs in December.

  • A white background with text and circles.
    2021

    The Foundation celebrates more than 11,000 adoptions through Wendy’s Wonderful Kids.

  • A smiling family of five, including two adults and three children, sit together on the front steps of a house with a green exterior and white trim. The group appears happy and relaxed.
    2019

    The Foundation celebrates more than 9,500 adoptions through Wendy’s Wonderful Kids, including 1,000 in Ohio which was the first state to fully expand the program.

  • Logos for Blue Meridian Partners and the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. The Blue Meridian Partners logo is above, while the Foundations logo features a black figure inside a white heart on a red background.
    2017

    Supported by a large-scale philanthropic investment from Blue Meridian Partners, the Foundation launches an aggressive, multi-year business plan to scale Wendy’s Wonderful Kids in all 50 states.The Foundation celebrates more than 7,500 adoptions through Wendy’s Wonderful Kids.

  • Logos of The Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, and Wendy’s Wonderful Kids displayed on a light gray patterned background.
    2016

    The Foundation receives a one-year planning grant from the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation to take Wendy’s Wonderful Kids to scale.

  • Red background with light bokeh effect. Text reads: “Milestone 5,000 Adoptions.” Logos for Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption and Wendy’s Wonderful Kids are shown at the bottom.
    2015

    The Foundation celebrates more than 5,000 adoptions through Wendy’s Wonderful Kids.

  • A christmas ornament with a red border.
    2014

    The Foundation, with its partner Children’s Action Network, received an Adoption Excellence Award for A Home for the Holidays from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Children’s Bureau.

  • A confident older woman with short gray hair, wearing a gray blazer and black top, stands with arms crossed in front of a yellow wall with framed black-and-white photos.
    2013

    The Foundation’s President & CEO, Rita Soronen, testifies before Congress in support of increasing adoptions from foster care.

  • A red silhouette of the state of Ohio on a dark, diagonal-striped background, with the abbreviation OH in white text near the center.
    2012

    The state of Ohio commits to an innovative public/private partnership with the Foundation to take Wendy’s Wonderful Kids to scale across the state.

  • A red and white graphic states, 5-Year Study Reveals Children Served by Wendy’s Wonderful Kids Are up to 3x More Likely to be Adopted. Below is the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption and Wendy’s Wonderful Kids logos.
    2011

    The Foundation implements the “Unadoptable is Unacceptable” campaign, with the release of a groundbreaking 5-year, national rigorous evaluation of Wendy’s Wonderful Kids that shows children served by the program are up to three times more likely to be adopted.

  • Text graphic with a blue bokeh background reads: Milestone 1,000 Adoptions with Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption and Wendys Wonderful Kids logos at the bottom.
    2009

    The Foundation celebrates 1,000 adoptions through Wendy’s Wonderful Kids.

  • A row of clear, etched glass awards shaped like diamonds sits on a table, each with engraved text. Below the awards are certificates or programs, and a dark background contrasts with the bright display.
    2008

    Wendy’s Wonderful Kids wins an Adoption Excellence Award from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Children’s Bureau.

  • Two young women sit on porch steps, smiling and laughing together. One wears a camouflage top and black pants; the other wears a green shirt and blue jeans. The scene is casual and cheerful in front of a white building.
    2007

    In 2007, the Foundation establishes Wendy’s Wonderful Kids’ footprint in all 50 states and D.C. and launches in Canada, with the first grant issued in Ontario. Additionally, Child Trends begins conducting a national evaluation, studying the outcomes for youth in foster care served by Wendy’s Wonderful Kids.

  • Crumpled paper background with Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption logo and text: BEST Adoption-Friendly Workplace™ above a red stripe with EST. 2007.
    2007

    The Foundation launches the Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces list.

  • A woman stands at a clear podium speaking on stage at the 2024 Down Syndrome Associations Wonderful World Summit. The stage backdrop displays the summits logo and branding.
    2005

    The Foundation hosts the first Wendy’s Wonderful Kids Summit, an annual event that convenes adoption recruiters from across North America for professional learning, networking and inspiration to advance their critical work in finding forever families for children in foster care.

  • Logo for the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption and Wendy’s Wonderful Kids, with a red and white background and the text “EST. 2004” on a red stripe at the bottom.
    2004

    The Foundation’s signature program, Wendy’s Wonderful Kids, is created and launched in seven pilot cities.

  • A smiling family of six poses outdoors on a grassy hill with autumn trees in the background. They are dressed warmly in jackets, and the sky is partly cloudy.
    2003

    The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption-Canada is created.

  • An older man sits on outdoor steps surrounded by smiling children and teenagers of diverse backgrounds, suggesting a happy group gathering or family moment in a park.
    2002

    The nation mourns Dave Thomas’ passing, but the work of his Foundation continues.

  • Text reading “2002 Adoption Attitudes Survey” appears above the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption logo, with the tagline “Finding Forever Families for Children in Foster Care” on a patterned blue background.
    2002

    The Foundation commissions the first national foster care adoption attitudes survey to be conducted every five years to inform awareness-building efforts.

  • Text reads National Adoption Day. Celebrating a Family for Every Child. EST. 2000. with a logo of three figures inside a heart on a textured white background.
    2000

    A a coalition of national partners, including the Foundation, which established National Adoption Day in 1999, celebrates this special event for the first time in seven states.

  • An elderly man in a suit speaks at a podium with a microphone. He stands in front of a large illustrated postage stamp and an American flag. The podium displays a USPS logo.
    1999

    Dave Thomas partners with the U.S. Postal Service to create and promote the Adoption Stamp, which is issued nationwide the following year.

  • A festive holiday card with the text “A Home for the Holidays” beside a Christmas ornament showing three children walking in snow, with pine branches and warm lights in the background.
    1998

    A partnership with the Children’s Action Network and CBS Television creates the first A Home for the Holidays, featuring top Hollywood talent and successful adoption stories.

  • An older man in a suit and tie speaks into a microphone at a formal meeting or hearing, with another man in glasses seated beside him.
    1997

    Dave Thomas testifies before Congress in support of an adoption tax credit that aims to make adoption more affordable.

  • Three people in formal attire shake hands and smile in a grand room with flags and greenery, while a woman in the center claps. Others stand in the background.
    1995

    The White House holds an Adoption Month event hosted by Dave Thomas, the Foundation and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton.

  • A group of diverse children surround an older man seated in a white chair outdoors. A child in a wheelchair and a large doll are in front. Colorful cups and a pitcher sit on a table beside them, with a playground in the background.
    1993

    The Foundation partners with Wendy’s to create a foster care adoption public service announcement, featuring Dave Thomas.

  • Logo of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption with a stylized figure in a heart, the tagline Forever Families for Children in Foster Care, and EST. 1992 on a red stripe, all on a crumpled white background.
    1992

    The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is founded on July 31.

  • Four adults in formal attire greet each other indoors; two men smile and converse, while two women shake hands in the foreground. A painting and a ship model are visible in the background.
    1990

    Dave Thomas, founder of Wendy’s and an adoptee, accepts President Bush’s invitation to be spokesperson for a national adoption awareness initiative.

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