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Finding an Adoptive Family on the Eve of Adulthood

By Anne Hawke
Published December 24, 2004 at 12:00 AM EST
Robert Jackson-Wright, 29, was 14 when he met Chester and Karen Jackson. His adoption by the Jacksons wasn't finalized until he was 18.
Anne Hawke, NPR
Robert Jackson-Wright, 29, was 14 when he met Chester and Karen Jackson. His adoption by the Jacksons wasn't finalized until he was 18.

Roughly 50,000 children are adopted out of foster care each year. One in five of those is a teen. Another 20,000 teens "age out" of the system, leaving without finding a permanent adoptive family. NPR's Anne Hawke tells the story of Robert Jackson-Wright, who met his adoptive family on the eve of adulthood.

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Anne Hawke
Anne Hawke traveled throughout the United States and across the globe to produce and report stories for NPR's National Desk, and now travels to NPR, often in the middle of the night, to edit Morning Edition.