Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption
Here are spec concepts for a :60 TV PSA that encouraging viewers to support the adoption of older children and teens in foster care.
Start a New Story
This concept confronts audiences with hard realities before pivoting to show the promising future they can make possible.
SPOT 1: MARISOL
We see Marisol talking at camera.
Marisol:
“There was a lot of abuse in the home going on, a lot of drugs going in and out. Eventually I was placed in foster care and then group homes. I spent 14 years hoping to be adopted. The older I got, the less likely it seemed and the more I cried myself to sleep”.
Fade to black. Fade up on happy footage of Marisol with her adoptive family.
VO:
There are stories that adults like us can hardly bear to hear.
Let’s be strong for the kids who have lived them.
At the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption,
we help kids like Marisol find forever families and safe, loving homes.
So they can live happier, healthier lives.
And look forward to brighter futures.
New stories for kids like Marisol begin with people like you.
Learn how you can help at DaveThomasFoundation.org
SPOT 2: WILLIE
We see Willie talking at camera.
Willie
"I felt a little scared inside. We didn't really have no food.
We was living with rats. And my brothers and sisters we were sleeping on the floor."
Fade to black. Fade up on happy footage of Willie with his adoptive family.
VO:
Some children have stories you wouldn't want your kids to hear.
At the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption,
we help kids like Willie find forever families and safe, loving homes.
So they can live happier, healthier lives.
And look forward to brighter futures.
Learn more at DaveThomasFoundation.org
A Difficult Question
This concept reveals the worrying realities that await foster kids who age out of care.
We cut between different kids talking at camera
Kid 1:
Life is full of difficult questions.
But for teens in foster care waiting to be adopted,
one question is bigger than every other:
What if I never get adopted?
Kid 2: The answers are shocking.
Kid 3: When we age out of foster care,
20 percent of us become instantly homeless.
Kid 1: 80 percent experience significant mental health issues.
Kid 2: Only half of us find employment by age 24.
Kid 3:
And If we do get adopted? Well, that's a different story.
These lines are delivered by the kids while they’re having fun with their forever families
Kid 1: The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption
helps foster teens find forever families.
So we have a solid foundation.
Kid 2: A chance to look ahead and dream big.
Kid 3: And the opportunity to move forward.
With the confidence that only comes when
you feel wanted, feel loved, and feel like you belong.
Kid 1: Learn how you can help us shine at DaveThomasFoundation.org
Let’s Change That
This concept reveals worrying stats, then shows how adoption can rewrite the story.
SPOT 1: UNHAPPY BIRTHDAY
We see phrases broken up over shots of birthday paraphernalia.
A child’s chances (icing on cake)
of being adopted (words on a balloon)
decrease every year (hanging letters on string)
starting at age (birthday card)
9 (candle flickering on cake)
A child blows the candle out and the screen goes dark.
SUPER: Let's change that.
Candle reignites and the child blows it out to applause from a loving family.
We continue the scene of the happy birthday party.
VO: At the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption,
we help the longest-waiting children in foster care
find forever families and permanent homes.
Because birthdays should be a cause for celebration.
And lasting love is something every child deserves.
Join us at DaveThomasFoundation.org
SPOT 2: MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME
We see phrases broken up over shots of a child leaving a home.
Every year, (words on T-shirt being packed into duffel being zipped)
nearly 20,000 youth (picture frames in hall or wall words)
age out of foster care (front door – sign or door knocker)
without ever finding (yard flag)
a permanent family (bumper sticker)
SUPER: Let's change that.
We go back to the beginning and see the child unzipping the duffel and removing a T -shirt. They continue unpacking and we cut around them decorating their forever room – hanging posters, arranging items just so, moving clothes from a suitcase to a dresser.
VO: At the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption,
we help the longest-waiting children in foster care
find forever families of their own.
And permanent homes where
they can feel safe, secure, and confident.
Knowing that they belong.
See how you can help at DaveThomasFoundation.org
Waiting For Forever
This concept leans into what it feels like to be forgotten or left behind.
We see kids getting picked up after school. They all hop into their parents’ cars until we’re left with a single child sitting alone on the curb at the end.
VO:
In America, there are over 100,000 children in foster care waiting to be adopted.
Kids who deserve the stability of safe, loving, forever families.
Let’s not leave them waiting.
Learn how you can help kids in foster care find their way home.
Go to DaveThomasFoundation.org
Goodbye to Goodbyes
For kids in foster care, every new placement can mean leaving siblings, school, and friends behind. This concept celebrates that adoption helps children say “hello” to forever homes.
We see a child walking down a street on his way home. As he walks, his shadow morphs to illustrate the VO describing his journey.
VO: Children enter foster care because they've
lived through things like neglect and abuse.
And though foster homes offer comfort,
it's only temporary.
Children quickly learn that it hurts to say goodbye every time you say it.
At the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption,
we help children in foster care find loving,
permanent homes.
So they can experience the relief of knowing they'll always have somewhere to turn.
The confidence that comes with
having a family for keeps.
The beginning of a shared past,
and the promise of a shared future.
Let's show the 100,000 children waiting in foster care how everything can change when you feel wanted, feel loved, and feel like you belong.
Help us help them find their way home at
DaveThomasFoundation.org.
