National Adoption Day: 89 Youth to Celebrate New Beginnings in Mecklenburg County

2024:11:23

Dozens of children and their families will be recognized in celebration of National Adoption Day in Mecklenburg County. This year, 89 youth have received decrees, all adopted through Mecklenburg County’s Youth and Family Services division. Thirty of the 89 being celebrated are private adoptions, securing permanency for children through the dedication of stepparents, relatives, and non-relative caregivers.

The celebration will be held: 

The event will feature an opening ceremony with special appearances by DC Comics and Marvel superheroes. District Court Judge C. Renee Little will preside over the program. After the ceremony, the families will move outdoors to enjoy carnival games, activities, and treats to commemorate the day.

Needed Now. Foster and Adoptive Parents.

Find out how you can make a difference by visiting MeckNC.gov/KIDS or calling 704-336-KIDS (5437).

Since 2000, National Adoption Day has been celebrated by more than 400 communities across the nation on or around the Saturday before Thanksgiving to finalize and celebrate adoptions from foster care. National Adoption Day is particularly focused on the more than 100,000 children in the United States that are waiting in foster care for an adoptive family. The average wait for a child in foster care to be adopted is nearly three years. More than 20,000 children age out of the foster care system every year with no family or permanent home. 

Sponsors of this year’s Adoption Day in Mecklenburg County include Mecklenburg County Child, Family, and Adult Services/Youth and Family Services division, the 26th Judicial District Guardian ad Litem Program, and the Trial Court Administrator’s Office-District 26. Special thanks to the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office, Mecklenburg Guardian ad Litem Advocacy Foundation, LB&B Associates, Kappa Alpha Theta-UNC Charlotte and Alumni Chapters, Be Your Own Hero, Congregations for Kids and FUNOH Brands Inc.

View photos from last year’s Adoption Day where a record 97 Mecklenburg County youth were celebrated.