Nov. 22 will be a special day at Pierce County Juvenile Court, as 14 children will be formerly adopted into 10 families, in recognition of National Adoption Day.
“To date, Juvenile Court has celebrated the adoption of 340 children into forever homes. This would not be possible without the loving families in our community who have opened their hearts to children who are in need of a permanent home,” said TJ Bohl, Juvenile Court administrator.
National Adoption Day was founded in 2000 to raise awareness of the thousands of foster children and youth awaiting adoption in the United States. In Washington, more than 9,200 children are currently in foster care and nearly 1,800 of them are legally free, meaning the legal rights of the biological parents have been terminated or relinquished, and are waiting for families to adopt them. In Pierce County, about 1,700 children are in foster care and 185 are legally free.
The statewide National Adoption Day recognition has grown from an original six counties in 2005 to 22 counties hosting or joining in events to honor adoption. Along with Pierce County, participating counties include Chelan/Douglas, Clallam, Clark, Cowlitz, Ferry, Grant, Grays Harbor, Island, King, Kitsap, Lewis, Lincoln, Pend Oreille, Skagit, Snohomish, Spokane, Stevens, Thurston, Whatcom, and Yakima.
To learn more about National Adoption Day in Washington, including events by county, and more visit the Washington Courts page.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
TJ Bohl, Juvenile Court Administrator
253-798-7988
tj.bohl@piercecountywa.gov