Former civil practice attorney John Bowman has served as a circuit court judge in the state of Florida since 2002. Outside of his professional work, Judge John Bowman supports the Heart Gallery of America and advocates for children in need of adoption through National Adoption Day.

National Adoption Day is a nationwide effort to raise adoption awareness driven by the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, the Children’s Action Network, and the Alliance for Children’s Rights. Held each year on or around the Saturday before Thanksgiving, Adoption Day calls on cities around the country to open their courts for adoption proceedings. Currently, events are held in 400 cities.

Organizers of National Adoption Day provide assistance to those interested in planning events through an event planning toolkit. Available via the web, the toolkit includes a comprehensive event planning checklist, in addition to adoption resources, impact stories, and even adoption shopping and apparel. Moreover, the toolkit includes templates for press releases, photo and video release forms, governmental proclamations, and more.

For additional information on the toolkit, visit .www.nationaladoptiondayorg.