LINCOLN- During a Monday press conference to designate November as "Adoption Month" in Nebraska, Gov. Pillen choked up momentarily while relaying the story of his own adopted son, Izic, and urged parents around the state to "answer the calling" to adopt children or become foster parents.
"Every child, no matter their circumstance, deserves a loving, safe, and caring home," he said. According to Pillen, 200 children currently await adoption in Nebraska, including 27 under the age of four. During the conference, state Sen. Wendy DeBoer also revealed that she had applied to become a foster parent.
DeBoer noted that the Legislature has worked to update laws over the past few years to make it easier for parents to adopt. "People in Nebraska care about adoption, and I think that's wonderful," she said. According to Laura Opfer, the deputy director of the DHHS' Children and Family Services Division and another speaker at the event, the state's top goal is to reunify children with their parents after temporary placement with other family members.
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