Winter 2006
More Than 400 NY Foster Children
Find Homes on National Adoption Day
BY ANITA WOMACK-WEIDNER
Hundreds of New York State Foster Care
children received the gift of family in November
as part of National Adoption Day.
| Created six years ago and designated as the Saturday before Thanksgiving, National Adoption Day marks the date set aside each year when an unprecedented number of judges, court staff, attorneys, child welfare agencies and advocates across the country spend the day finalizing the adoptions of thousands of foster care children and honoring the families who adopted them. |
|
Actress Victoria Rowell
holds a
newly-adopted
boy in Brooklyn
PHOTO: FAYE ELLMAN
|
Brooklyn Family Court was the site of this year's
national kick-off celebration, where 117 adoptions
were completed in one day. Emmy-nominated
actress Victoria Rowell - who spent 18 years in
foster care - was the special guest. A total of 309
adoptions were finalized in New York City during
a week-long effort; over 100 were finalized outside
New York City. Approximately 3,300 adoptions
were completed nationwide.
| According to the New York State Office of Children and Family Services, more than 40 counties across the state participated in National Adoption Day - finalizing adoptions and holding conferences, fundraisers and information sessions on adoption and foster parenting. Some locations promoted adoption awareness throughout the entire month of November. |
|
New family celebrants
in
Erie
County,
above and below
PHOTOS: MIKE GUAGLIANO |
| |
|
| |
A number of counties participated in
Heart Gallery, a national program started in
New Mexico in 2001, designed to raise
awareness about children who need permanent
homes by displaying professional
portraits that capture the children's individuality.
The program has demonstrated
unprecedented success in finding adoptive
homes for foster children. The Western New
York Heart Gallery was hosted by Buffalo,
the Capital Region's by Albany. The Mid-Hudson Region Heart Gallery made "stops" in participating counties throughout
November. A photo display was also featured
in Manhattan's Grand
Central Station.
| Participating counties include: Albany, Allegany,
Bronx, Canandaigua, Cattaraugus,
Chautauqua, Chemung, Clinton, Columbia,
Dutchess, Erie, Franklin, Fulton, Genesee,
Herkimer, Kings, Livingston, Madison,
Monroe, Nassau, New York, Niagara,
Onondaga, Ontario, Orange, Orleans,
Putnam, Queens, Rensselaer, Richmond,
Rockland, St. Lawrence, Schuyler, Seneca,
Steuben, Suffolk, Tioga, Tompkins, Ulster,
Washington, Wayne, Westchester and
Wyoming. |
There are over 119,000 foster
children nationwide looking for
permanent homes, including
over 4,300 children currently
freed for adoption in New York.
According to new findings by
the Urban Institute, in a report
released at the Brooklyn event
by the National Adoption Day
Coalition, interest in adoption
among women ages 18-44 rose
38 percent in the United States
between 1995 and 2002 and is
at an all-time high.
"All children deserve safe, permanent homes
with families who love and care for them," Chief
Judge Judith S. Kaye said in a press release. "As we
continue to improve the process for foster care
adoptions, identifying and eliminating bureaucratic
logjams while always ensuring safety, we help
children move more quickly into the security and
stability of their own 'forever families,' where they
can thrive."
For more information about National Adoption
Day and Heart Gallery, visit: www.nationaladoptionday.org and www.adoptuskids.org.
Winter 2006 
HTML Version:
State of the Judiciary  Judicial Elections Report Summary Jury Trials Indigent Defense Services Multi-Hat Judge Matrimonial Commission Solo & Small Firm Practice Office of Self-Represented National Adoption Day Court Reporters Listening Conference Construction Update Historic Courthouses and Trials Did You Know? Judicial Institute Calendar UCS Katrina Fund Update Black History Month
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