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From The Desk Of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg...
On-Line Service Offers Chance To "Meet" Adoptable Kids As a youngster, I was lucky to be surrounded by affection, encouragement and positive adult role models. I want all of New York City’s children to have the same opportunity that I had to be part of a loving and supportive family, so that they can grow up to live productive and fulfilling lives. That’s why I’m excited about a new on-line service offered by the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) called "Meet Our Kids." It is a searchable database of information about adoption-eligible children residing in ACS-sponsored foster care settings throughout the five boroughs. It uses the latest technology to help connect potential parents with the many remarkable New York City kids who are looking forward to becoming part of a permanent home. "Meet Our Kids" is a kind of interactive family album, complete with photos and biographies. It tells prospective adopters about the child’s age, how many brothers and sisters they have, what their favorite subject is in school, and what hobbies they enjoy in their free time. After looking at the website myself one afternoon, I was impressed by how special each of these children truly is. One 16-year old boy, Fedeli, excels in history and biology and loves playing basketball. He hopes to attend college on an athletic scholarship and, upon graduating, follow in the footsteps of his counselor at ACS and become a social worker. I was impressed by his spirit of hope and thoughtfulness in the face of adversity. Another child, Roseanna, an 11-year old girl, enjoys playing soccer because, in her words, "it is better to work together." This young girl studies hard because she looks up to her two foster brothers who both attend college. Her favorite subjects are science and math, and she hopes to become a marine biologist. Using "Meet our Kids" also provides information about the adoption process, including how to sign up online for an ACS orientation session, the first step in that process. It also lets interested families communicate directly with ACS regarding a particular child whose profile is presented on the website. Last week I announced the launch of "Meet Our Kids" with William C. Bell, our new ACS Commissioner, and the program has already aroused strong public interest. Commissioner Bell expects a dramatic rise in adoption inquiries through the website, based partly on the groundbreaking nature of the program, but primarily because of its finest advertisements - the children of "Meet Our Kids." There are 28,400 youngsters who are currently in temporary City-funded foster care placements in New York City. Although most will eventually be reunited with their parents, nearly one-fourth of them will need adoptive homes. "Meet Our Kids" is an important new resource in making sure that those kids are not forgotten. All of the children whose photos and stories are posted at "Meet Our Kids" are legally eligible for adoption and all of the kids who are ten or older have agreed voluntarily to add their names to the site. Regardless of age, all of the children are eager for a permanent, adoptive family who will love and care for them their whole lives, not just until they turn 18. If you are interested in getting more information about the "Meet Our Kids" program, and would like to get to know some of these special children, go to the ACS adoption website at www.nyc.gov/adopt. You can also call the English/ Spanish ACS Parent Recruitment Hotline during regular business hours Monday through Friday at (212) 676-WISH. Our children are the future of our City. It is the responsibility of every New Yorker to do everything we can to make sure that all of them live and go to school in the most healthy and encouraging environment that we can possible provide. The children of "Meet Our Kids" are no exception to this. By helping them to grow up and flourish, we will be doing something important to ensure that New York City’s best days lie ahead.
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