This year marked the 25th Anniversary of National Adoption Day for Maricopa County! On November 23rd the first families began to arrive at the annual Maricopa County Superior Court’s National Adoption Day event looking to create their own anniversary celebration of establishing a forever home for a special child.
The event is an annual nationwide celebration raising awareness of foster children waiting to find their forever families. The event is open to the public and those wanting to learn more about adoption are encouraged to attend.
A group of volunteers from the ADHS Vital Records team met with families after their adoption court hearings were completed to help guide them through the process of amending their adopted child’s birth record to list them as the parents. As a special gift to the children being adopted, the ADHS Vital Records team provided each child with their own teddy bear and an adoption certificate for them to complete! The team provided celebratory goodies for all of the children in attendance as well.
“ADHS is proud to participate in this event each year to help families acquire official documentation to solidify their forever families.” said Katina Lugo, Chief of the Bureau of Vital Records.
In Arizona, there are approximately 12,000 children in the foster care system, ranging from toddlers to teens. Nationwide, there are an estimated 369,000 foster children hoping to find permanent families. Events such as this one foster awareness of the importance of and need for adoption.
“The team looks forward to this event each year, it truly is an amazing experience to see the families and the support of the community,” added Lugo.
To find out more information and to see how you can get involved, please visit the Maricopa County National Adoption Day Foundation or ADHS Vital Records.
