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Finding an Adoptive Family on the Eve of Adulthood

Robert Jackson-Wright, 29, was 14 when he met Chester and Karen Jackson. His adoption by the Jacksons wasn't finalized until he was 18.
Anne Hawke, NPR
Robert Jackson-Wright, 29, was 14 when he met Chester and Karen Jackson. His adoption by the Jacksons wasn't finalized until he was 18.

Roughly 50,000 children are adopted out of foster care each year. One in five of those is a teen. Another 20,000 teens "age out" of the system, leaving without finding a permanent adoptive family. NPR's Anne Hawke tells the story of Robert Jackson-Wright, who met his adoptive family on the eve of adulthood.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Anne Hawke
Anne Hawke traveled throughout the United States and across the globe to produce and report stories for NPR's National Desk, and now travels to NPR, often in the middle of the night, to edit Morning Edition.

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Federal funding is gone.

Congress has eliminated all funding for public media.

That means $2.1 million per year that Connecticut Public relied on to deliver you news, information, and entertainment programs you enjoyed is gone.

The future of public media is in your hands.

All donations are appreciated, but we ask in this moment you consider starting a monthly gift as a Sustainer to help replace what’s been lost.