Saturday, November 19, 2011, is National Adoption Day!

Saturday, November 19, 2011, is National Adoption Day! 

National Adoption Day is an annual event in which courts and communities in all fifty states come together to finalize thousands of adoptions of children and to celebrate all families that adopt. 

The goals of National Adoption Day are to enhance public awareness of the need for adoptive parents, to educate would-be parents about the adoptive process, and to celebrate the local families who have opened their lives to children in need of permanent homes.

The U. S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that there are over 408,000 foster care children in the United States, with over 107,000 of them waiting for adoption. 

Since 1987, the number of children in foster care has nearly doubled, and the average time a child remains in foster care has lengthened to over three years. Each year, approximately 28,000 children in foster care will age out of the system without ever being placed with a permanent family.  

Since 2000, more than 35,000 adoptions have been finalized nationwide on National Adoption Day.

I just read HERE that The Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara, in partnership with the Santa Clara County Department of Social Services, will be taking part in National Adoption Day!

"Although the official observance of National Adoption Day is Saturday, November 19, 2011, the Court has arranged to have its Adoption Day celebration during morning business hours on Friday, November 18, 2011 at the Downtown Courthouse, which is located at 191 N. 1st St., San Jose."

"Judges and staff have volunteered to forego their regular duties that morning in order to turn the Downtown Courthouse into "Adoption Central", as the Court hopes to finalize the placement of as many as 30 children into adoptive homes."

"The Adoption Day celebration will officially start with an Opening Ceremony at 8:30 A. M. in the Jury Assembly Room on the first floor of the Downtown Courthouse, and will feature remarks by Superior Court Judge Katherine Lucero (Supervising Judge of the Dependency Court), as well as speakers from the Santa Clara County Department of Family and Children's Services (DFCS)."

"The Court has arranged for refreshments for the participants and activities to keep the children entertained while awaiting their adoption hearings."

"Special procedures have been set up to expedite the processing of paperwork and the movement of adoptive families to and from the courtrooms in order to finalize as many adoptions as possible by the event's conclusion at 11:00 A. M."

This makes me happy.