OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Families and organizations are putting a focus on the need for adoptive services in our community. We're looking into adoption trends in our neighborhoods as more people push for support.
- Shannon Bingham, who adopted her son Seth in 2006, has advocated for this month.
- Adoption numbers in Nebraska have fluctuated, peaking at 547 in 2019.
- Bingham emphasizes the special bond she has with her adopted son.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
November is adoption awareness month in Nebraska, a time where adoptive families and organizations are putting a focus on the need for services in our community. We're looking into adoption trends in our neighborhoods as more people push for support.
"This is when we were getting his little fingerprints..."
We sat down with Shannon Bingham to look through a scrapbook she made of her adopted son Seth's first moments.
Is that the day he was born? "Yeah, that was, I think that was at home," said Bingham.
Shannon knew she always wanted to adopt and in 2006 her family was one of hundreds who opened their home to a child.
"And you know, you've been looking and planning for this whole time on how to become a parent through adoption and then it just lands on your lap, and I was like, OK, here we go," said Bingham.
Adoption agency Nebraska Children's Home Society (NCHS) helped Shannon through the process.
"There's always a need and the way we at NCHS address that is by meeting families where they're at and really walking alongside them to support them in whatever journey that they are on," said Christina Nemec, the pregnancy, parenting and adoption program director for NCHS.
They hope more families consider adopting.
Stats from the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services show that adoption numbers over the last 10 years have fluctuated, reaching 547 in 2019 but have not returned to that level since the pandemic.
"There really are ups and downs throughout the course of adoption throughout the course of the amount of time that we've been around as an agency and so we really do just… We do adapt to those needs," said Nemec.
For families like Shannon's, she says they're always adapting, but the bond she has with her son Seth is something special.
"One of the times that I was in the nursery with him after he was born, I was able to sing him, You are my sunshine. And I felt that was the first time that I actually bonded, you know, with this little boy who just stole my heart right away," said Bingham.
