Wendy’s Wonderful Kids

is a signature program of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption that combines the fundraising of Wendy's and its customers, aggressive grants management of the Foundation, and the talent of experienced adoption professionals throughout the nation and in Canada to move children from foster care into permanent, loving adoptive homes.

This month, the Foundation celebrates the milestone of 1,100 children adopted as a result of the program! 

Currently, there are 510,000 children in the U.S. foster care system; 129,000 of those children are available for adoption, and many of them can spend five years or more in the foster care system before they are adopted. Five years is a lifetime to a child.

How It Works

Wendy's restaurants, their customers and other partners raise funds for the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. The Foundation awards grants to local adoption organizations to hire adoption professionals to execute aggressive child-focused recruitment programs targeted exclusively on placing foster care children with adoptive families.

"We asked adoption agencies across America what was preventing them from moving children from foster care to permanent homes. They told us they do not have adequate time or resources to focus exclusively on these children," says Rita Soronen, executive director of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. "Wendy's Wonderful Kids is a proven program that demands results, accountability and quality service on behalf of the children who need us most."

Wendy's Wonderful Kids Goals

The Foundation's vision is that every child will have a permanent home and loving family. To bring that vision to reality for America's waiting foster care children, the Wendy's Wonderful Kids program has an ambitious goal of matching 8,000 - 10,000 children.

"Since 2005, Wendy's Wonderful Kids grew from seven to 122 adoption recruiters, and from seven states to all 50, the District of Columbia and Canada," says Soronen, "and the program has helped more than 4,000 children be matched with or adopted by their forever families. With continued expansion, Wendy's Wonderful Kids will be able to meet its goal of helping 8,000 - 10,000 children."