Campaign celebrates 10 years, 22,000 child adoptions

“As a mom, I know personally the joy of parenthood. My husband and I adopted our son internationally, and he, like our daughter, is a blessing in our lives,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell. “There are nearly 102,000 children in foster care who are currently waiting for the stability, love and protection of a permanent adoptive family. That’s why HHS is joining AdoptUSKids and the Ad Council to launch a new series of public service announcements designed to encourage prospective parents to consider adopting from foster care.”

The new PSAs will be unveiled at an event celebrating the 10^th anniversary of the National Adoption Campaign and will be distributed to media outlets nationwide this week.

“The bond between brothers and sisters is critically important, particularly for children in foster care. Being with their siblings can enhance their sense of safety and well-being and provide natural, mutual support,” said JooYeun Chang, associate commissioner of HHS’ Children’s Bureau. “The message of this new round of PSAs is essential, and I look forward to the continued success of the campaign.”

Since the launch of the original campaign in 2004, more than 22,000 children who were once photo-listed on the AdoptUSKids website now live with their adoptive families, and over 35,000 families have registered to adopt through AdoptUSKids.

“Adopting Deanta and Ranija is the most important thing that I have done in my life,” said Raenell Crenshaw, an adoptive parent who adopted her two children out of foster care. “I am so glad that my husband and I were able to keep them together. Having a brother or sister is such an influential and life-defining relationship. I want to encourage all prospective parents to think about the importance of keeping siblings together. I am so happy that I welcomed them both into our family.”

The foster care system in the U.S. currently holds 402,000 children, and nearly 102,000 children (under 18 years of age) are waiting for adoption. Approximately 23 percent of children and youth actively photo-listed on the AdoptUSKids website and waiting for placement in adoptive homes were registered with one or more siblings. Sibling relationships are often the longest-lasting relationships for children in foster care.

Created pro bono by advertising agency Kirshenbaum Bond Senecal + Partners (kbs+), and Hinge Digital, the new English and Spanish television, radio, print, outdoor and digital PSAs conclude with the well-known tagline: “You don’t have to be perfect to be a perfect parent.” The PSAs feature parents participating in activities with their children such as a father trying to build a tree house without carpentry skills, a mom roller blading with her sons even though she is not a skilled skater and a mom and dad accidentally burning their daughter’s favorite breakfast. The objective is to reassure potential parents that all kinds of people have the potential to make a positive impact on a child’s life. All of the PSAs direct audiences to visit AdoptUSKids.org or to call 1-888-200-4005 (English) or 1-877-236-7831 (Spanish) to receive the latest information about the foster care system and the adoption process.

“This campaign has one of the hardest asks in a PSA and the results in the last ten years have been truly extraordinary,” said Lisa Sherman, president and CEO of the Ad Council. “Thousands of parents have welcomed children into their homes, their families and their hearts. By reminding parents that they don’t have to be perfect to make a lifelong difference in somebody’s life, we look forward to continuing to see the transformative impact of this campaign on families throughout the country.”

Since its initial launch in 2004, the campaign has received more than $430 million in donated media support across television, radio, print, outdoor and digital media.

“Working on this campaign over the last several years has truly been a rewarding experience for many at KBS,” said Ed Brojerdi, CEO of KBS NY. “We hope the campaign and this new, comical series of PSAs helps bring greater awareness to issues surrounding adoption and draws attention to the importance of keeping siblings together.”

“It was a pleasure to bring this important adoption message to life,” said Roland Gauthier, executive producer and founder of Hinge Digital. “We are seeing clients that want original creative, in part because of the popularity of independent animation on Vimeo, YouTube and other social media platforms. We are very proud to be part of such an important and emotionally touching campaign and want to help spread the word.”

For more information about adoption or about becoming an adoptive parent to a child from foster care, please visit www.AdoptUSKids.org or visit the campaign’s communities on Facebook and Twitter.

Campaign Partners

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families
Within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is the agency that is responsible for federal programs that promote the economic and social well-being of families, children, individuals, and communities. The Children’s Bureau focuses on improving the lives of children and families through programs that reduce child abuse and neglect, increase the number of adoptions, and strengthen foster care. For more information on ACF’s adoption programs, please visit the Children’s Bureau website.

AdoptUSKids
AdoptUSKids is a multi-faceted, federally funded project whose mission is to raise public awareness about the need for families for children in foster care, and assist States, Territories and Tribes to recruit and retain foster and adoptive families and connect them with children. The project is managed through a cooperative agreement with the Children’s Bureau at ACF.

KBS (kirshenbaum bond senecal + partners)
KBS (kirshenbaum bond senecal + partners) is the brand agency for an inventive world. We are an integrated creative, advertising and marketing agency committed to inventing the highest value ideas for our clients and for ourselves. Our team of passionate inventors and creative entrepreneurs is dedicated to doing things that matter and making things that matter. Today KBS serves a diverse roster of clients that includes American Express, BMW, Harman, HomeGoods, Simmons Bedding Company, William Grant & Sons, Boar’s Head, TE Connectivity and Vanguard. For more information on KBS a member of the MDC Partners Network, please visit www.kbsp.com or follow us @kbsp_agency.

Hinge Digital
Hinge Digital (Hinge) is an integrated creative production studio and digital agency, specializing in dynamic visuals for broadcast, film, out-of-home, digital and print. Our work spans from strategy and concept development through live action production, animation and post-production visual effects. Our team of passionate and experienced storytellers is dedicated to bringing your ideas to life. Hinge serves a diverse roster of clients that includes adidas, Intel, UPS Store, Dunkin’ Donuts, Microsoft, Merck, Nike, UPMC, NVIDIA, and EA. For more information on Hinge, please visit http://www.hingedigital.com or follow us @hingedigital.

The Ad Council
The Ad Council is a private, non-profit organization with a rich history of marshalling volunteer talent from the advertising and media industries to deliver critical messages to the American public. Having produced literally thousands of PSA campaigns addressing the most pressing social issues of the day, the Ad Council has affected, and continues to affect, tremendous positive change by raising awareness, inspiring action and saving lives. To learn more about the Ad Council and its campaigns, visit http://www.adcouncil.org/, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or view our PSAs on YouTube.

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PRESS CONTACTS:

Ellyn Fisher, SVP of Public Relations
[email protected]
212.984.1964

[email protected]

Roland Gauthier
[email protected]
503.820.3503

Department of Health and Human Services
Kenneth J. Wolfe
[email protected]
202.401.9215