Monday's Child began on the first Monday of May in 1980 profiling special needs adoptable children in the hope that they might find permanent homes. In the more than one thousand Mondays since -- more than 900 children have been introduced.

In 1980 Mimi Brody of Knoxville's Council on Adoptable Children was about to give up. Two Knoxville television stations had said no to her idea for what she thought would be a unique program. She had seen a news segment in Atlanta where the stories of special children, who had little chance of being adopted, were told. She hoped a television station in Knoxville would do the same thing.

In short order, the idea became "Monday's Child", a regular news segment on the Monday evening newscast. Twenty five years later over 900 children, all of whom were children past the age of a typical adoption or with special needs, had been profiled.

Viewers responded beyond expectations. Over 600 have been adopted. So many children, in fact, that Williams now travels outside the state of Tennessee to find children to profile for the week segment.

"As long as there are children, as long as there are homes, and as long as we are here to bring them together, then I think the program is viable" states Williams

Williams, who retired in December of 2000, will continue doing the Monday's Child segment.

For additional information contact the Tennessee Department of Children's. Services at (865) 594-7091, Extension 121 or click here to view Tennessee Department of Children's Services web site.