Many of you have likely eaten at a Wendy’s®. Beyond the old-fashioned burgers enjoyed with a thick, cold Frosty™, Wendy’s, via the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, is dedicated to increasing the number of adoptions from the American foster care system. In July, 2009, Wendy’s Wonderful Kids program was able to report that their organization has contributed to the adoptions of 1000 children! Wow! Congratulations to these children, their families and to Wendy’s Wonderful Kids!
One way the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption encourages adoption is through their annual Best Adoption-Friendly Workplace program. This program encourages employers to offer adoption benefits and then celebrate those who do. Rankings are based on the maximum amount of financial reimbursement and paid leave for employees who adopt.
And the top ten 2009 winners are…
And the winners are...
- Wendy’s International, Dublin, OH
- Citizens Financial Group/RBS America, Providence, RI
- LSI Corporation, Milpitas, CA
- United Business Media, Manhasset, NY
- Liquidnet, New York, NY
- Subaru of America, Cherry Hill, NJ
- Bowen Engineering Corporation, Fishers, IN
- Timberland, Stratham, NH
- Barilla America, Bannockburn, IL
- Time, Inc., New York, NY
Another 90 winners are also honored, making the list a full 100 of Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces. The employers share their thoughts about making adoption benefits available, and the employees talk about how being a part of an adoption-friendly workplace positively contributed to the needs of their adoption-built family.
If you don’t see your company on the list, you may order the Adoption Benefits Toolkit for Employees. This free toolkit has everything you need to propose adoption benefits to your employer. You will get a folder and CD-rom to guide you in preparing a presentation for your employer. You will also receive a folder and CD-rom to give your employer everything needed to establish an adoption benefits policy. The CD-roms include a customizable proposal, sample policy, financial reimbursement form, fact sheet, communication strategies and a sample news release.
While you are on the Dave Thomas Foundation Website, check out the 2007 National Foster Care Adoption Survey.This survey was commissioned to understand Americans’ attitudes about foster care adoption, their beliefs about the children waiting to be adopted, their perceptions of the system caring for these children and their attitudes toward what a healthy living environment is for a child. The survey results make clear that U.S. adults are considering foster care adoption more than any other type of adoption, yet, misperceptions about the children available and the adoption process abound. For example, 45% of Americans believe children enter foster care because they are juvenile delinquents. Additionally, Americans do not understand the diversity of the types of families who are capable of adopting from foster care such as single parents, and there is a still a belief that high costs are associated with foster care adoption.
Wendy’s also puts forth free materials for families and agencies. Prospective families may want to review, A Child is Waiting: A Step-By-Step Guide to Adoption. Agencies may want to order, A Place to Call Home, a new, short film hosted by Henry Winkler. It features four heartwarming stories about families formed through foster care adoption. It is perfect for sharing with potential adoptive parents. Posters (below) and public service announcements for radio and television are offered as well.
The “Readings and Resources”, to the right, help you explore the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption website in detail. Of course, you’ll also want to read about the founder of all of this, Dave Thomas. Although deceased, Wendy’s and the Dave Thomas Foundation carry out his vision—”to ensure that every child in North America has a loving family to call their own.”
