National Adoption Day, which is Saturday, Nov. 18, is a national effort to raise awareness of more than 110,000 children in foster care waiting for permanent and loving families.

In 2016, about 4,700 youth in foster care were adopted by their forever families over the 17th annual National Adoption Day celebration.

National Adoption Day began in 2000, and over 65,000 children have been adopted since then.

Mrs. Kari Shaw, English teacher, has a touching story of when she adopted her sons, Alec and Ben Molter.

After researching about domestic adoption, Shaw realized that was what she wanted to do. It was about a year-long process for her to get the boys.

Alec and Ben were from Russia and spent three years in an orphanage. Their birth mom had to leave them in the hospital after they were born.

“They both weighed 18 pounds when I brought them home at three years old,” Shaw said. “So that really shows the type of lifestyle they had at the time.”

Shaw found that adopting was a way to make a family, and, to her, family is the most important thing.

“It was a very rewarding experience, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.” Shaw said.

Senior Gavin Etson was also adopted, and he appreciates the good fortune that adoption has brought him.

“I’m blessed to be where I’m at now,” Etson said. “I’ve been here my whole life.”

Etson was so young — 6 months old — when adopted that he doesn’t remember much of what was going on besides what his adopted parents have told him.

He was the 11th child adopted from his biological parents, and he has only met one of his biological siblings.

Etson met a biological brother when Etson was 12.

From Etson’s perspective, adoption is about love.

“Your biological family has issues,” Etson said. “It’s not that they don’t love you. They just want you to have a better life.”