World Adoption Day was founded in 2014 by Hank Fortener, whose parents raised biological children alongside three adopted children from different countries and hosted over thirty-six foster children. Recognizing that over 140 million children worldwide are classified as orphans by UNICEF and more than 400,000 children are in the US foster care system awaiting families, Fortener created a visual, participatory campaign: drawing a simple smiley face on the palm of the hand and sharing it on social media. The movement has mobilized ambassadors in over sixty countries, raising funds for adoption grants, supporting foster care transitions, and dismantling financial and bureaucratic barriers to family creation.
World Adoption Day was founded in 2014 by Hank Fortener, whose parents raised biological children alongside three adopted children from different countries and hosted over thirty-six foster children. Recognizing that over 140 million children worldwide are classified as orphans by UNICEF and more than 400,000 children are in the US foster care system awaiting families, Fortener created a visual, participatory campaign: drawing a simple smiley face on the palm of the hand and sharing it on social media. The movement has mobilized ambassadors in over sixty countries, raising funds for adoption grants, supporting foster care transitions, and dismantling financial and bureaucratic barriers to family creation.
