Nov. is Adoption Awareness Month, and the Ill. Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) is celebrating the lifelong commitment of thousands of families across the state who have opened their hearts and homes to 17,159 children in need of loving families over the past decade.

"It is our mission to ensure that every child in Ill. grows up in a safe and loving family," said Ill. DCFS Director Marc D. Smith. "During Adoption Awareness Month, we encourage Illinoisans to get involved and become licensed foster, adoptive or guardianship parents to children who need them and celebrate the...