I asked my friend and adoptee mentor, Laura Christianson to guest blog on adoption.

30 Ways to Celebrate National Adoption Awareness Month

1. Organize a community "adoption walk" and invite local media.
2. Ask your house of worship to sponsor a National Adoption Day celebration. Steve and Sandra Hogue write: "Our church opened their doors to the child welfare system in our district. On National Adoption Day they have LIVE adoptions, food, music, and adoption promotion videos. Our church hosts this glorious day for our entire county. Everyone is invited to come celebrate these unions between foster children and their forever families. My husband and I will bring our four adopted children to the event and afterwards, will celebrate their adoptions with a fun-filled day where they choose the activities and the menu."
3. Throw a shower for a friend who is adopting or has recently adopted.
4. Take a person who has placed a child for adoption out for coffee and just listen.
5. Make a bunch of yard signs or window clings that say "Celebrate Adoption" and hand them out to people who are touched by adoption (thanks to Alison Lowe).
6. Send a handwritten letter to your birth parents, your birth child, or your child's birth parent(s).
7. Donate to an adoption foundation to help financially-strapped families complete their adoption.
8. Cook a meal that reflects your family heritage and invite friends over to share it.
9. Contact your local library or bookstore(s) and volunteer to set up an adoption-themed book display or to lead an adoption story hour. Include books for adopted people of all ages, for adoptive and foster parents (pre-and post-parenthood), and for birth parents (thanks to reader Alison Lowe).
10. Give a copy of The Adoption Decision to someone who's contemplating adopting.
11. Adopt an orphanage or a local group home and donate needed supplies on a regular basis.
12. Volunteer to become a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for a foster child.
13. Write a letter to the editor about a positive adoption story.
14. Organize a toy drive or winter coat drive for foster kids in your area.
15. Get trained and certified to provide respite care for foster parents.

16. Ask your clergyperson to pray for older children in foster care and orphanages during a church service.
17. Send an encouraging note and a gift card to an adoption professional or to a local child welfare social worker.
18. Share your adoption expertise/experiences at a support group, adoption agency, or church.
19. Volunteer at a crisis pregnancy center.
20. Host a yard sale or fundraiser and donate the proceeds to an orphanage.
21. Send a thank you note to someone who helped make your adoption or search dreams a reality.
22. Support a relief organization that provides housing, food, clothing, education, and counseling for AIDS orphans (World Concern is one I recommend).
23. Put a photo of a waiting child on your car's dashboard. Every time you wait at a stop light or drive-thru, pray for that child.
24. Plan a get-together with other adoptive, foster, or birth families.
25. Offer to mentor someone who's considering adoption.
26. Conduct an adoption information meeting at your local library or church.
27. On Thanksgiving Day, share something about adoption for which you're thankful.
28. Offer childcare, meals, house-sitting, or pet-sitting during a friend's adoption travel.
29. Give your child a huge hug.
30. Give your clergyperson a copy of The Adoption Network and encourage them to start an adoption support ministry. The book is FREE this month; you have no excuse not to do this one!

Reprinted from Adoption World (November 2008), a free monthly e-zine from author, Laura Christianson. www.exploringadoptionblog.com