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Contact:
Marion Greene, County Board, 612-348-7883
Lois Nilson, Foster care and adoption, 612-596-0779
Maria Elena Baca, Communications, 612-348-7865
On National Adoption Day, this Saturday, 21 children will have a chance for a new beginning, and 13 families will embark on a new chapter in their lives together. Media are welcome to witness celebrations, as parents and children come together in finalization hearings before a district court judges.
Hennepin County’s celebration of National Adoption Day will be 9 a.m.-noon, Saturday, November 19, at the Juvenile Justice Center, second floor, 590 Park Avenue South, Minneapolis.
The first hearings start at 9 a.m.; the last ones start at 10:20 a.m. If you would like to witness a court hearing, please come before 10:20 a.m.
Changes to child protection
Recently, changes to the child protection system at the state level and in Hennepin County, put a stronger emphasis on children’s safety. By the end of 2016, the county is projecting 21,400 child protection calls, a nearly 100 percent increase since 2009. During that same period, the number of children needing adoptive families has increased by 234 percent. It is likely that in the near future, even more children will need the haven of foster care and adoption.
For kids who cannot live with their birth parents, adoption is a chance at a better life. For the adults and siblings who welcome them home, it is a chance to grow their families, or be a positive force in the lives of children. Many are foster families before they adopt. Others are relatives, stepping forward to help family members. They are single people, married couples and domestic partners, same-sex, straight, of all races and ethnicities. What they all share is room for a child in their hearts and their homes.
"Every child deserves a permanent home, where they are loved, supported, and have the best possible chance to succeed," said Hennepin County Commissioner Marion Greene. "Adoption Day is an inspiring way to highlight the importance of family in providing children with a nurturing, stable environment that allows them to develop into the best possible version of themselves.”
Witness National Adoption Day
Please register at the check-in table on the skyway level. Some families are open to media in their court hearings. Others would like privacy on this important day. Please ask for assistance with interviews and photos. Current foster children cannot be photographed or filmed.
To learn more about adoption and foster care, visit www.hennepin.us/adoption.
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