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

A diverse group of school friends wearing backpacks and smiling

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 will be celebrated on National Adoption Day:

This year, N.C. Courts will recognize 97 youth who have received decrees between November 2023 and October 2024. The children were all adopted through Mecklenburg County Child, Family, and Adult Services, Youth and Family Services division.

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

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).