The children are expected to relax and have fun in a highly structured and supervised environment.  Area Rotary clubs supplied good food, booths with a basketball competition, dunk tank, photo booth, dress-up, arts and crafts, karaoke, Rock Band video game, bottle toss, popcorn, a bounce house, and other games.  Two fire trucks and a police officer and vehicle from Balch Springs were there along with two military Humvees and four Marines from the 2nd Battalion 14th Marines. All of the service personnel interacted with the children, making the day very special.

Live entertainment included Amber Carringon, a 17 year old Rockwall High School student who is in the process of cutting her first album, and the Wallace Family: seven children ranging in age from 5 to 19, some adopted, sang as their father played blue grass and Mom and the 2 year old watched.  

The CPS children were all presented with a backpack full of goodies and Rotary had a raffle with Walmart Gift Cards donated by the Dave Thomas Adoption Foundation, gift cards from Celebration Station, and a bunch of stuffed animals.  Every child went home with something.

For potential adoptive parents, this was an opportunity to have supervised interaction with children in need of an adoptive home.  CPS knows that sometimes children in their care do not present well on paper, and they just need the right potential parent(s) to meet and interact with them to see their real personalities.

This carnival presents a wonderful set of circumstances that allow potential parents to interact with children needing their "forever" home.  In the past three years, 28 children have found families at Rotary’s Adoption Carnival.  This year, 26 more families are investigating bringing 33 children into their homes.  Ginny Ryan, Rotary organizer from the Royce City club said, “That is fantastic… the most ever.”

The first Adoption Awareness Picnic took place in the spring of 2006.  Former Rotary District 5810 Governor, Tom Ryan of Rockwall, recruited Rotary clubs to take on a booth at the picnic and run a game or hand out food. Each year the event has grown and this year the Rotary clubs involved were Allen Sunrise, Allen Noon, Addison, Mesquite Sunrise, Plano Metro, Park Cities, Richardson, Rockwall, Plano Sunrise, North Dallas, and Royse City.