About 250 families took the first steps toward adoption of the 790 children waiting in the state’s foster-care system after Saturday’s “Wait No More” event at New Life Church in Colorado Springs.
Religious organizations traditionally help with adoptions, state officials said, but the 1,300-person turnout at the one-day event, sponsored by Focus on the Family and New Life, was unprecedented.
It is two to three times the number of people who attend adoption orientations in the seven participating counties in one full year, said Dr. Sharen Ford of the Colorado Division of Child Welfare Services.
“It was phenomenal. It’s never happened before that we had faith-based groups, county governments, the state and other agencies in one place at one time,” Ford said. “People care about Colorado’s kids.”
In Colorado, more than 8,000 children are in foster care, said Denver Department of Human Services spokeswoman Laura Coale. Only 790 of them are available for permanent adoption because parental rights have been terminated in their cases, she said.
Focus on the Family’s Orphan Care Initiative also will help adoptive families find resources after a child’s placement.
“The ultimate goal is to have no children in foster care in Colorado,” said Kelly Rosati, senior director of Focus on the Family’s Sanctity of Human Life division.
The available children range from 7-year-olds to teens, Ford said. The average age of a waiting child is 10.
“People showed up not just for infants, but for the kinds of kids we have in the system — for older kids, sibling sets, kids with behavioral issues and serious health issues,” Ford said. “And they asked really thoughtful questions.”
Rosati has adopted four children over the past eight years.
“My husband and I are more blessed than I could ever describe, and we could never imagine our lives without our kids,” Rosati said.
Officials didn’t sugarcoat the difficulties of adoptions at the conference, Rosati said.
“People can get very scared about the responsibility,” she said, “but once they hear from people how doable it is, they are encouraged. We’re not giving up on any of these kids, even the 17-year-olds. They need families for life, too.”
Focus on the Family president Jim Daly was an orphan and wrote “Finding Home,” a book about his experience.
“The vision is clear from the Lord to take care of the widow and the orphan. I don’t want to turn my back on that,” Daly said Monday in an Internet message to Focus on the Family supporters.
Ford said that despite the urgent need for adoptive families, the process could be long and frustrating.
“We told people, ‘You won’t get a child for Christmas, but you could sure have them in your home by the start of the next school year,’ ” Ford said. “We want this to be a forever thing.”
Participating counties are Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Denver, El Paso, Jefferson and Pueblo.
“We’re very excited about this,” New Life Pastor Brady Boyd said. “We think we can really make a difference.”
For more information, go online to or call 800- AFAMILY (800-232-6459). In Denver County, call 720-810-5139.
Electa Draper: 303-954-1276 or edraper@denverpost.com
