Annual survey of employers reveals increased investment in adoption benefits Columbus, Ohio — The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption released its 13th annual Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces list recognizing organizations with the most robust adoption benefit programs. The list compares financial
The following story was published by Inside Philanthropy in September 2019. By Liz Longley In the resort town of Atlantic City, in the summer of 1932, a young woman gave birth to a baby boy and put him up for adoption. Six weeks later, Rex and Auleva Thomas took him home to Kalamazoo. Auleva died ea
By Dee Marks Dee Marks adopted her son, CJ, through the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption’s Wendy’s Wonderful Kids program in Ohio. My son, CJ, has always been a runner. Sadly, running used to be CJ’s way to escape. He spent almost seven years in foster care. That can be a traumatic experience for
Noah Fredenberg completes his run at Rockaway Beach, New York Noah Fredenberg ran from Los Angeles to New York to raise money for the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption and awareness of the more than 123,000 children waiting to be adopted from foster care in the United States. After 121 days and ne
By John Bel Edwards, Governor of Louisiana Surrounded by former foster youth and other advocates, Governor Edwards (bottom, center) signs Louisiana’s law extending foster care to age 21 As governor, I have many responsibilities, but none more critical or closer to my heart than the safety and
Bruce McKenna is a member of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption®-Canada’s board of trustees. He reflects on his service and the Foundation’s impact on children in foster care. I have been an advocate for foster care adoption for more than 20 years. In the 1990s, I had the pleasure of serving on
After aging out of foster care, Joe Toles has committed his life to ensuring other at-risk youth always have a place to call home. Four of his seven sons were adopted through Wendy’s Wonderful Kids in New York City. This is his story. By Joe Toles Pictured (from left): Jhon, Xavier, Creemel, Joe, Ka
At the 2019 Wendy’s Wonderful Kids Summit, the Foundation recognized the following recruiters and supervisors of the year for their life-changing service on behalf of children in foster care who need our help the most. These individuals are representative of the more than 550 Wendy’s Wonderful
“When a child ages out of foster care at 18, not because they’re bad kids, not because they’re any less capable than any other child, but because they don’t have the safety net of family, they’re at a much higher risk of negative outcomes,” shared Rita Soronen, president & CEO of the Dave Thomas
The Pinson family on adoption day for Elijah and David “I would not be a mother today without New York Life, and the adoption benefits the company provides to its employees,” shared Brooke Pinson, a senior associate at New York Life Insurance Company, which was recognized on the Foundation’s 1
