New Families, New Beginnings: National Adoption Day in Mecklenburg County

This story was originally posted on Nov. 14 and updated on Nov. 25.

A child's life is a story just beginning, and you can help write a happy ending. The Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners has proclaimed November as National Adoption Awareness Month.

Children who have been adopted in the past year and their families were celebrated on National Adoption Day in Mecklenburg County on Saturday, Nov. 23.

During the celebration at the Mecklenburg County Courthouse, N.C. Courts recognized a record 97 youth who received decrees between November 2023 and October 2024, nearly three times the number of adoptions the previous year. The children were all adopted through Mecklenburg County Child, Family, and Adult Services, Youth and Family Services division.

The event featured an opening ceremony with special appearances by DC Comics and Marvel superheroes. District Court Judge Aretha Blake and District Court Judge Rex Marvel presided over the program. After the ceremony, the families enjoyed carnival games, activities and treats to commemorate the day.

“Today, we are here to celebrate all of you taking this step forward,” said Dena R. Diorio, Mecklenburg County manager. “For parents, it’s been said that your children are essentially your heart – walking the world outside your body. For the children – they have waited for this day – perhaps their whole lives. We’re all here to celebrate a powerful new beginning. One that will strengthen each family as well as our entire community. Today’s official union of families takes a village of committed members of our community.”

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 108,000 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.

Mecklenburg County is a cosponsor of this year’s Adoption Day celebration. Additional sponsors are 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, and Congregations for Kids.

With about 385 children in custody, Mecklenburg County is always recruiting for loving families to provide a permanent home for these children. To learn more about fostering or adopting a child, visit MeckNC.gov/KIDS or call 704-336-KIDS (5437).