FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 21, 2015
Riverside County Public Social Services honors adoptive families
8th annual Adoption celebration
Riverside- Wearing a light pink dress and matching shoes, “Madeline” was all smiles surrounded by people about to become her family members. The 11-month-old toddler was among 40 children and their new parents to take part in the 8th annual Adoption celebration at the Historic Courthouse in Riverside.
A collaborative effort with the Riverside County Department of Public Social Services and Superior Courts, the confidential adoption finalization hearings took three hours and included gifts, refreshments and a portrait for each family. Judicial Officers and Court Staff donated their time while the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department provided deputies to assist in each courtroom.
Riverside County Superior Court Commissioner Kenneth Fernandez who has presided over more than 1,000 adoptions, called the coordinated adoption event “a true celebration of family in every sense of the word.”
While hundreds of adoptions take place in Riverside County each year, these families opted to finalize their adoptions during November in honor of National Adoption Month. Children’s Services Deputy Director Ryan Uhlenkott said “today marks the beginning of a wonderful journey for 40 children who have found a forever home.”
Uhlenkott noted there are still roughly 100 children in Riverside County waiting to be matched to adoptive homes.
National Adoption Month is a collective effort to raise awareness of the more than 100,000 children in foster care nationwide who are eligible for adoption. Anyone interested in fostering or adoption can call DPSS to obtain information.
You can also read more about the event in The Press Enterprise.
http://www.pe.com/articles/flores-787221-lillie-riverside.html
xxxx
