There is nothing better for a child than a “real home”
There are so many children in this country (especially older ones) who are in need of either quality foster care or adoptive families who can show them the love and support they need.
According to this article in the LA Times, there is real progress in placing many of these children.
Saturday was a day unlike almost any other at the Edmund D. Edelman Children’s Court in Monterey Park.
Children ran about playing with balloon swords outside the courtrooms, bailiffs earnestly opened doors to welcome latecomers, judges happily spoke to reporters, lawyers walked around with wide smiles and photographers snapped shots all over.
“I’m not putting anybody in jail today,” said Pamela Matsumoto, a referee who handles juvenile traffic cases in Los Angeles Superior Court. “They’re all going home.”
The courthouse that typically deals with child abuse and neglect cases was holding an annual Adoption Saturday event, an idea conceived about 10 years ago by Judge Michael Nash, who presides over Los Angeles County’s Juvenile Court, to make it easier for children in the county’s foster care system to be adopted.
The adoption process “was taking too long to complete,” Nash said.
So he created a coalition with the Alliance for Children’s Rights and the Public Counsel Law Center, and began recruiting volunteers from major law firms to help out.
During the last 10 years, the number of children in the county foster care system has been nearly cut in half, Nash said. More than 20,000 adoptions have been completed, about 9,000 of those on Adoption Saturdays, with as many as 650 completed at one such event. And Adoption Saturday has grown into a National Adoption Day that has spread to all 50 states. Last year’s national event provided permanent homes for 3,000 children, Nash said.
These numbers are fantastic and as long as those involved in the placement of the kids are screening these families carefully, then both the adoptive parents and the child are very fortunate people.
For so many volunteers to take part in a program such as this a sign of kindness and real American spirit. I can think of few things which would be more rewarding than to think you helped give a child a new lease on life.
As for the Judge who instituted this program and oversees these adoptions, I say bravo. Giving of your time and energy in this manner is something to be admired.
Written by Sue
~J~ Says:
November 20th, 2007 at 3:21 amVisit ~J~
Great news for these new families and right at the holidays. If everyone is properly screened, as you pointed out, this is a wonderful gift for the children and parents.