On October 5, 2009 Cyclists Rode More Than 430 Miles to Raise Awareness of Adoption
David LaVelle and Matt Smeltzer
LOCAL CYCLISTS PARTICIPATE IN STATEWIDE RACE TO RAISE ADOPTION AWARENESS
Over 80 riders for adoption awareness
TN ASAP (Adoption Support and Preservation) Program Brings Partners Together for Ride
(Memphis, TN) – The week of October 5, 2009, cyclists participated in the 5th annual Adoption Tour Bike Ride. Over 80 cyclists rode more than 430 miles statewide to raise awareness of the need for loving families to open their hearts and homes to children in need of adoption in Tennessee. Through their efforts, riders reached their goal of over 100 families starting the process to explore the option of adoption.
“There are about 9,000 children in foster care across the State of Tennessee,” says Marry Harris of Shelby County’s Department of Children’s Services. “Over half, around 5,000 are waiting to be reunified with their birth families and 1,700 are waiting to be adopted.”
“Of the hundreds of children in Tennessee are in state custody right now, waiting to be adopted, more than half of those are teenagers,” said Memphian Dr. David LaVelle. “I figure if we get one loving home to consider adoption per mile we ride, we’ll be doing a lot to address the need for adoptive families in Tennessee.” Dr. LaVelle is a physician with Campbell Clinic, and serves on the board of Agape Child & Family Services, one of the key adoption-related organizations involved in the ride. Several members of other Memphis organizations participated in the ride, including representatives from Health Connect and Youth Villages.
“With Adoption Awareness Month being in November, the ride comes at a perfect time of year to encourage people to learn more about adoption,” says David Jordan, Executive Director of Agape Child & Family Services.
The Adoption Tour officially began in Johnson City on Monday, October 5th at 7:00 a.m. As riders and support crew made their way from Johnson City to Nashville, they stopped along the way for celebrations in Maryville, Cleveland, Chattanooga and Columbia to honor adoptive families, pledge their support to those who have adopted and commit themselves to helping those children who still need a permanent home.
The Adoption Tour’s sponsors and partners include the Tennessee Department of Children Services, TN ASAP, Harmony Adoptions, Agape Child & Family Services, Youth Villages, Catholic Charities, Camelot Care Centers, Inc., Helen Ross McNabb, Cumberland Hall, OMNI Visions, TVA, TN Alliance for Children & Families, and Health Connect of America.
With offices in Memphis (111 Racine) and Jackson, TN, Agape Child & Family Services is a Christian-based organization which provides children and families with healthy homes in the regional area through community restoration, homeless services, mentoring, foster care, adoption, maternity services and counseling. Agape will serve more than 30,000 children, adults and families this year through its services. For more information on Agape Child & Family Services or to find out how you can become part of the effort to adopt, foster, mentor and support the children in our community, call 901.323.3600 or visit www.AgapeMeansLove.org.
Partnered with the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services (DCS), ASAP is a collaboration between Harmony Adoptions of East Tennessee, Catholic Charities of Middle Tennessee and Agape Child and Family Services of West Tennessee. The statewide, seamless system supports children and families with pre and post adoption services that support permanency. For more information, visit http://www.tnasap.org/.
Dr. David LaVelle (Physician at Campbell Clinic, and Board Member of Agape Child & Family Services) and Matt Smeltzer, friend of Agape, were among those who rode in the 5th annual Adoption Tour Bike Ride, a statewide ride to raise awareness of the need for loving families to open their homes and hearts to children in need of adoption.
Over 80 cyclists rode over 430 miles to raise awareness of the need for loving families to open their hearts and homes to children in need of adoption in our state. Through their efforts, riders reached their goal of finding 100 families who are planning to explore the option of adoption.