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Fla. Pushes Adoption For Roughly 800 Foster Kids

TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami/AP) — November is National Adoption Month, a time to raise awareness about the adoption of children and youth from foster care, and Florida is doing its part.

Florida is launching a statewide initiative to find homes for roughly 800 foster children during National Adoption Month.

The Department of Children and Families Secretary David Wilkins kicked off the movement Tuesday in Tallahassee. He said the majority of foster children waiting for loving parents are teenagers.

Foster kids who do not find a permanent family before turning 18 run a higher risk of being arrested, dropping out of school or becoming homeless.

Wilkins stressed that foster children who are available for adoption have had the legal rights of their biological parents terminated. That means these children will never be returned to their birth parents.

The campaign uses videos and photos to feature different children available for adoption each day. Their stories will be featured on www.adoptflorida.org.

(TM and © Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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