Since 1995, November has held the title of National Adoption Month. During these thirty days, the Children’s Bureau, multiple children & youth foster organizations, and our courts work diligently to ensure that the futures of our children are positive, loving, and include a family support system.
On Monday, November 21, 2022, join our local efforts as the Berrien County Trial Courts hosts a special event that will recognize and celebrate the adoption finalization for five families in our area. The hearings are open to the public, and all are welcome in commemorating this joyous occasion. Beginning at 10 a.m, the lives of these families will be changed forever, and your support is needed!
The Children’s Bureau, a national organization whose goal is to increase national awareness and draw attention and support for the thousands of teens in the U.S. foster care system, spent the year focusing their outreach and awareness efforts on the theme, “Small Steps Open Doors”. As part of their mission, they offer the words: “Youth are the experts of their own lives, so let them partner with you in permanency planning and making decisions about their lives. Pursuing permanency for teens can be challenging, but small steps along the way can make all the difference.”
Approximately 3,000 Michigan foster children are available for adoption at any given time, and though “Michigan has been recognized as a leader for our innovative approach to adoption and our high adoptive placement rates, we need your help to give these children a forever home.”
On Monday the 21st, Courtroom 403, at 811 Port Street in St. Joseph, invites the public to witness and rejoice with these families, as they become whole. Presiding over this event are:
Justice David F. Viviano, Michigan Supreme Court
Judge Mabel Johnson Mayfield, Chief Judge
Judge Brian S. Berger, Presiding Judge of the Family Division
Judge Gordon G. Hosbein, Family Division Judge
Cass County will host guest speakers and a reception for their celebrated families on Tuesday, November 22nd, and Allegan County celebrates Adoption Day on Wed, November 23rd.
By Jocelyne Tuszynski, MOTM Contributor
