Family Fun Day at Staheli Farm celebrates families through adoption

Little girl walking in city autumn park | Photo by Nata Zhekova, Getty Images, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — An event celebrating the families and anyone touched by adoption Saturday will offer an opportunity to see the impact adoption can have on more than 2,500 children living in foster care throughout the state. Adoption can change these children’s lives forever.

The celebration, aptly timed during National Adoption Month, starts at 11 a.m. at Staheli Family Farm, 3400 S. Washington Fields Road, Washington City, and is being sponsored by Utah Foster Care and Premier Adoption Agency.

Festivities include children’s activities, door prizes and the opportunity to meet and mingle with those whose lives have been touched by adoption during lunch that will be hosted by Mountain America and Port of Subs.

Event poster for Celebrating Families Through Adoption event at Staheli Family Farm, Washington City, Utah, Nov. 18, 2017 | Image courtesy of Utah Foster Care, St. George News

Information will also be available for those considering adopting either privately or through foster care, as well as post-adoption support that is available through community agencies and organizations.

“It’s an opportunity to connect with families, birth parents, adoptees and people considering adoption, and to bring awareness to our wonderful community,” said Ben Ashcraft, southwest region representative for Utah Foster Care said.

While most children are in foster care for a short time, with the majority of them returning to their families, a foster home can be an important haven that keeps them safe as well as providing support in coping with grief and loss while helping to prepare them for the eventual return to their family.

If a safe return isn’t possible, the child can be placed for adoption and, just like any other child, they have enormous potential to thrive in a stable environment with a family who loves them.

Last year, 604 children were adopted from foster care in Utah, Ashcraft said. While most of those were adopted by their foster parents, others were adopted into new families.

There are about 2,700 children in foster care in Utah at any given time, living with 1,300 licensed foster care families for an average of 12 months.

Utah Foster Care is a private, nonprofit organization that finds and trains families to provide secure, loving homes for children in foster care throughout the state.

It works with other organizations to form a powerful front in the ongoing effort to find permanent homes for foster children who cannot be reunified with their original families.

Premier Adoption Agency is a full-service, child-placement agency recognized and licensed to operate in Arizona, Nevada and Utah, working with birth parents around the country.

Those planning to attend can RSVP here, and for more information contact Utah Foster Care at  435-216-3294, visiting its Facebook or website.

Event details

  • What: Celebrating Families Through Adoption.
  • When: Saturday, Oct. 18, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  • Where: Staheli Family Farm, 3400 S. Washington Fields Road, Washington City.
  • Cost: Free.

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @STGnews

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2017, all rights reserved.

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