November is National Adoption Month, and the need for permanent, loving homes for children awaiting adoption has never been greater, says Carlon R. Zanders, board chairman of the Children’s Home Society of Virginia.

“As isolated as many of us feel during these uncertain times, imagine how children waiting in foster care for a permanent family are feeling every day that passes by,” he says.

For the roughly 5,700 Virginia children in foster care and the 1,700 children in the state waiting for a forever home, the Children’s Home Society is a lifeline of care. The nonprofit is one of the oldest adoption agencies in the state, providing services to help children and teens get adopted out of foster care, post adoption services to children and families following adoption and housing and other services to youths who age out of the foster care system and start living on their own.

“Agencies like CHS are equipped to match and support adoptive families and children, even during the pandemic,” Mr. Zanders says. “We just need more families to step forward and adopt.”

The Chesterfield County resident and father of two has served as board chair of CHS since 2020. His top goal is to increase public awareness about the need and benefits of adoption and to support and expand the agency’s capacity to serve children and families.

“As the father of two young daughters, I truly value the gift of family and know how critical it is for children to be raised in a loving, supportive home,” Mr. Zanders says. “It’s a travesty when children and youths don’t have the opportunity to benefit from being part of a safe, permanent family. I believe that our entire community benefits when kids grow up in a healthy family.”

The mission of CHS is especially important in Virginia, which he says has the highest percentage of youths who age out of the foster care system without a stable family compared with other states.

He said 23 percent of youths in foster care in Virginia were emancipated in 2019 in contrast to only 8 percent nationally. Virginia’s poor ranking has real consequences, Mr. Zanders notes, with African-American children making up 30 percent of the children waiting for adoption in Virginia.

CHS, which was started in 1900, continues to try to set a better standard for the state, with its work being spotlighted on the local and national levels, including in a PBS documentary, “Aged Out: Finding Home.”

“Hopefully our efforts at CHS will continue to be recognized as more awareness is brought to this essential cause,” Mr. Zanders says. “Our hope is to continue to bring change by improving more lives who need our help because every child deserves a home.”

Meet an advocate for strong, permanent families for youths and this week’s Personality, Carlon R. Zanders:

No. 1 volunteer position: Board chairman, Children’s Home Society of Virginia

Occupation: President, Zan’s Refuse Service, a third-generation, family-owned business that specializes in residential and commercial waste collection.

Date and place of birth: May in Henrico County.

Where I live now: Chesterfield County.

Education: Bachelor’s in business administration with a concentration in finance, Morehouse College; master’s in communication, Northwestern University.

Family: Wife, Angela, and two precious girls, Kensington, 4, and Holland, 16 months.

Children’s Home Society of Virginia is: A full-service, private, nonprofit 501(c)(3), non-sectarian licensed child-placing agency, and one of Virginia’s oldest adoption agencies. Since our charter by the Virginia General Assembly in 1900, CHS has been guided by the fundamental belief that every child deserves a home. To date, CHS has served nearly 15,000 Virginia children, youths and families.

Children’s Home Society’s mission: CHS’s mission is to create strong, permanent families and lifelong relationships for Virginia’s at-risk children and youth. Our vision is a thriving family for every child.

How that mission is accomplished: CHS believes that every child deserves to be part of a safe, loving family. So our core programs provide: 1) adoption services that target getting children and teens adopted out of foster care; 2) post adoption: services that support children and families after their adoption; and 3) housing and comprehensive support services that equip youths who have aged out of foster care to thrive as independent adults.

No. 1 goal as board president: To promote CHS’s mission through activities that increase public awareness about the need for and benefits of adopting a waiting child, as well as to support and expand the agency’s service capacity.

How I will accomplish the goal: By providing strategic leadership to the agency’s board while promoting CHS’s mission, as well as by supporting the agency’s fundraising endeavors that underwrite a significant portion of our services.

How CHS is funded: CHS is funded primarily through the generous support of individual donors, businesses and foundations who share our belief that strong families are the cornerstone of a strong community. We also get support though service contracts with the Virginia Department of Social Services, United Way partners and some fees for services.

Age range of children served: CHS serves children from infants to age 18, with a focus on children ages 13 to 18 who are waiting to be adopted out of foster care.

Aging out from adoption means: Being released out of the foster care system without supports or supportive family connections.

CHS’ My Path Forward program: Serves youth ages 17 to 25 who have aged out, or about to age out, of the foster care system. We empower youth to thrive as independent adults by providing them housing and critical supports that include education and vocational training, employment, financial capability, workforce and life skills, access to health care and connections to permanent, supportive adult mentors.

CHS’ Foster Care Adoption program: Recruits, trains and supports families to adopt children who are waiting in the foster care system to be adopted. We help families navigate the entire adoption journey so they always have our support and guidance.

Adoption costs and fees: CHS does not want fees to be a barrier to a child being adopted into the family who can meet their needs. So while there may be some adoption fees, they are based on a family’s ability to pay and there may not be any fees at all.

If interested in adopting, how does the process begin: Contact CHS, your local department of social services or a local adoption agency that partners with the department of social services to start the adoption process.

The pandemic and adoption: The need for adoptive families is greater than ever. As isolated as many of us feel during these uncertain times, imagine how children waiting in foster care for a new permanent family are feeling every day that passes by. However, agencies like CHS are equipped to match and support adoptive families and children even during the pandemic. We just need more families to step forward and adopt.

A perfect day is: A day off from everything with family time.

What I am learning about myself during the pandemic: That I’m extremely resilient. My waste collection business made a major pivot during the pandemic to address the worker shortage and it has been paying off. No mountain is too tall and no issue insurmountable; there is always a way.

How I quiet my mind during challenging times: I think about my family, especially my little girls.

Three things I am grateful for: Life, love and happiness.

Something I love to do that most people would never imagine: Skydive.

A quote that I am inspired by: “In whatever you do, strive to do it so well that no man living, no man dead, and no man yet to be born can do it better.” – Dr. Benjamin E. Mays

Friends describe me as: Focused, pragmatic and brutally honest.

At the top of my “to-do” list: Take some time off.

Best late-night snack: Ice cream.

Best thing my parents ever taught me: Don’t ever give up. If a door closes in your face, don’t you ever give up; open another door.

Person who influenced me the most: It’s three people actually. My grandfather, Ernest A. Dabney, who taught me that hard work and dedication pay off. His waste collection model laid the foundation for our business back in 1949. My grandmother who was a schoolteacher, Ocie J. Walker, instilled the importance of education, investing and giving back. My father, Carrol Zanders, never stopped believing in my ability and has always been in my corner.

Next goal: To continue to take my business to higher echelons while continuing the fulfilling work CHS does. Last year, our work at CHS was featured in a PBS documentary, “Aged Out: Finding Home.” Hopefully our efforts at CHS will continue to be recognized as more awareness is brought to this essential cause. Our hope is to continue to bring change by improving more lives who need our help because every child deserves a home.