Events Celebrating Success
To celebrate our mission is to ensure children of central Iowa have homes where they are safe, loved and encouraged to flourish physically, emotionally, academically and socially. The Youth Law Center hosts two annual events, the Reunification Picnic and Adoption Day. We also partner with other nonprofit organizations to host Operation Santa to help support children in foster care during the holiday season.
The Reunification Picnic and Adoption Day celebrate children and youth being either successfully reunified with their parents or finding a forever home with their adoptive parents. In the U.S., it is estimated that 108,000 children and youth linger in foster care and group care without finding a forever home.
Youth Law Center firmly believes children deserve to be raised by a loving family and not by the system.
REUNIFICATION PICNIC
The annual Reunification Picnic celebrates parents who have successfully addressed any concerns that lead to their child’s removal from their care. These parents have worked hard to learn better ways to parent their children, to access needed services for their families, and are now able to meet and exceed their basic needs. Many of these parents have courageously addressed their own childhood trauma to provide a better future for themselves and their children.
The 2026 Reunification Picnic will be held on Saturday, July 25, 2026 at Pete Chrivaro Park. Please contact us at ylc@youthlawcenter.org if you would like to volunteer, donate or sponsor this event.
Thank you to our Generous 2026 Family Reunification Picnic Sponsors
Thank you to our 2026 Family Reunification Picnic Donors
2026 Adoption Day Celebration
The 2026 Adoption Day Celebration is on November 20, 2026 and will be held on the second floor of the Polk County Justice Center (222 5th Avenue, Des Moines, IA). Adoption Day celebrates children legally becoming a part of their forever family.
Judges, court staff, court reporters, social workers, attorneys, and volunteers donate their time to make Adoption Day a safe, fun and happy event for children and families. The second floor of the Justice Center is transformed into a family friendly environment with gifts for the adoptive families, refreshments and activities for the whole family.
To participate in Adoption Day:
All home studies have been completed and approved.
The child being adopted has resided in your home for at least 180 days.
Contact your HHS Adoption Worker and request to participate in Adoption Day and discuss next steps.
Contact your adoption attorney and let them know you wish to participate in Adoption Day
Invite your family and friends.
The filing deadline for families who wish to finalize their adoptions at Adoption Day is November 1, 2026. To find an attorney who do HHS adoptions, Click here.
Adoption professionals will be available to answer any questions about being a foster and adoptive parent, including post-adoption support services available through the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services. To learn more about becoming a foster-adoptive parent in Iowa, please visit: Four Oaks Foster Care and Adoption
