White Plains CitizeNetReporter - 15 Families Will Adopt Foster Kids Thursday. Need for More Foster Parents Huge.

WPCNR County Clarion-Ledger. From Westchester County Department of Communications. (EDITED) October 30, 2002:Ending months or sometimes years of waiting for a child, 15 Westchester families will finalize adoptions on Thursday, Oct. 31 in ceremonies that will begin at 9:20 a.m. and end at 12:40 p.m. at the Westchester County Family Court in White Plains. The annual Adoption Day announces the need for more foster parents to step up to the plate and rescue a child.

Judge Joan O. Cooney, Supervising Judge of the Family Courts, said parents and children as well as social workers, attorneys and court personnel would participate. “This is always a special day for the parents and the children being adopted,’’ said Judge Cooney. “Through adoption these parents are giving a child a warm, loving and permanent home and family. We wish them all the best.’’

Kevin Mahon, Commissioner of the Department of Social Services which is responsible for the eight agency adoptions that will be finalized on Thursday, said he hoped that more people would be encouraged to become foster or adoptive parents.

“For every child who is adopted here today, there are dozens who need foster homes as well as permanent homes,’’ said Mahon. “We hope that this happy occasion will encourage more people to open their hearts and their homes to a child.’’

To become a foster/adoptive parent a person must, among other things, be a Westchester resident; be at least 21; have an income sufficient to meet family's needs and be in reasonably good health.

November is Adoption Awareness Month, and orientation and training for prospective foster and adoptive parents is being held right now. A foster parent orientation is scheduled for Nov. 2 and an adoption orientation is scheduled for Nov. 21. The next three day foster/adoptive parent training sessions are scheduled for Nov. 9, Nov. 16, and Nov. 23.

For more information or to register for any of the orientations or trainings, call (914) 995-KIDS (5437).


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