By Dalia Diaz
On Friday, November 16, courthouses across the Commonwealth celebrate the adoptions of more than 130 children who had been in state foster care. The events mark the Commonwealth’s 16th annual National Adoption Day festivities.
Some of the adoptive parents are relatives of the children — grandparents, aunts, uncles and other extended family — while others had been providing temporary foster care to the children. Still others were recruited and matched with the children through the efforts of the Massachusetts Department of Children & Families (DCF), the Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange (MARE), and private agencies serving children in foster care. Most of the adoptive families are from Massachusetts, from Boston to Taunton to North Adams.
“Since its inception almost two decades ago, National Adoption Day provides a necessary and focused opportunity to support and celebrate the tens of thousands of children who have been adopted,” said Lisa Funaro, Executive Director of MARE. “There is such a great need to find adoptive homes for children right here in the Commonwealth and this event helps to raise awareness among residents, legislators and potential adoptive families.”
National Adoption Day features opening ceremonies in each courthouse with remarks by judges, other dignitaries, and some of the adopting families as well as musical performances and other entertainment.
Committees of court personnel, DCF and MARE staff, and community volunteers arranged for every child being adopted to receive a gift bag donated by local businesses and friends. National Adoption Day is sponsored by the Massachusetts Court Improvement Program, a federally-funded program administered by the Supreme Judicial Court.
National Adoption Day ceremonies in Massachusetts took place at the Boston, Brockton, Springfield, Worcester and Lawrence courthouses.
In Lawrence, the Zagarella Family was beaming with happiness. The elders had two children which gave them eight grandchildren and on this day, they made it official that 3-year-old Juliana is their new granddaughter.
Judith M. Brennan, Clerk Magistrate of the Essex County Juvenile Court welcomed everyone to the ceremony and introduced Mark Newman, First Justice at Essex County Juvenile Court.
Judge Newman has been a strong voice for adoptions for many years. He said, “This celebration is a wonderful day particularly for families under stress recently.” Then he added, “There are 117,000 children in foster care and today, 130 of them in Massachusetts are getting adopted.” Then he introduced Brianette Villa who sang the Star-Spangled Banner. She was not feeling well that morning, yet belted out a beautiful rendition. Brianette is a senior at Georgetown High School.
After the opening ceremonies, the formal adoption ceremonies began. Judges and adopting parents sign the official adoption certificates and the children have the chance to bang the judge’s gavel to make it all official.
“Every child deserves a family and a permanent home where they can lay down roots,” said DCF Commissioner Linda Spears. “It can’t happen without the amazing families who support their children through the adoption process and we are so honored they choose to share the joy of this day with all of us.”
Courts in all 50 states opened their doors to legalize the adoptions of thousands of children from foster care and to celebrate and honor all families that adopt, marking the 19th annual nationwide National Adoption Day during the week before Thanksgiving. Nearly 70,000 children have left foster care for permanent families since National Adoption Day started. Information on the nationwide celebration is available at www.nationaladoptionday.org
Why a National Adoption Day? Through no fault of their own, approximately 9,600 children are living in foster care in Massachusetts right now. While most will return to their birth parents, approximately 1,100 of these youth are among 117,000 children nationally who are waiting for adoption. National Adoption Day is celebrated to showcase adoption from foster care and to encourage other adults to see themselves as potential adoptive parents.
MARE, DCF, the Juvenile Court Department of the Massachusetts Trial Court, the Probate and Family Court Department of the Massachusetts Trial Court, and local adoption agencies have organized this special day to celebrate the joys of adoption and encourage more people to give children what they need most – a permanent, loving home.
To learn more about adoption from foster care in general, visit www.mareinc.org, or call 617-964-MARE (6273). Through its campaign, Foster MA, DCF continues to grow its community of foster parents and pre-adoptive parents. Information is available online, www.mass.gov/foster-care, or by calling (800) 543-7508.
