Bureau of Vital Records Team Participates in National Adoption Day

The morning of Nov. 18 started off with cool temperatures and long-awaited rain as a team of volunteers set up to celebrate the adoption of approximately 100 Arizona children.

As the rain stopped and the sun broke through the clouds, the first families began to arrive at the annual Maricopa County Superior Court’s National Adoption Day event looking to make their own rays of sunshine, their soon-to-be adopted children, a permanent part of their lives.

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. The Certificates of Adoption processed at this event were provided directly from the court to the ADHS Vital Records team on Monday following the event, where the staff processed them as quickly as possible so parents and their newly-adopted children had the records they needed for holiday travel, school enrollment, sports, and so much more. The team provided celebratory goodies for the children 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 10,000 children in the foster care system, ranging from toddlers to teens. Nationwide, there are an estimated 390,000 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, you can visit the Maricopa County National Adoption Day Foundation or ADHS Vital Records.

By Katina Lugo|2023-12-01T13:31:44-07:00December 1st, 2023|General|Comments Off

About the Author: Katina Lugo

Katina Lugo is the Chief for the Bureau of Vital Records. She has been with ADHS since 2003 when she joined the Bureau of Child Care Licensing as a Surveyor. She then joined the Bureau of Vital Records in 2019 and has served as a leader for the Medical Marijuana Team and Registry & Operations Team. In her current role as the Chief for the Bureau of Vital Records Katina supports a team of 35 whose responsibilities include issuing birth, death and fetal death certificates, amending birth and death records, registering delayed births, foreign born, foundling and home births, processing adoptions, maintaining the putative father registry and providing support to the hospitals, funeral homes and the 15 county partners. Katina holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Community Health Education from Northern Arizona University and a Master’s Degree in Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix.