Metropolitan King County Council 516 Third Ave., Rm. 1200 Seattle, WA 98104 Phone: 206-296-1000 Toll Free: 800-325-6165 TTY/TDD: 206-296-1024 Fax: 206-296-0198 council@kingcounty.gov
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Nov. 14, 2008 Councilmember Lambert recognizes Adoption DayThe Metropolitan King County Council proclaimed November 14, 2008 as Adoption Day in King County, with a proclamation presented by Councilmember Kathy Lambert in a ceremony in King County Superior Court today.
“Adopting parents are the unsung heroes of our community,” said Superior Court Judge Harry McCarthy, who presided at the Adoption Day ceremony. “They truly make a difference in the lives of thousands of children.”
Councilmember Lambert, who serves as chair of the Council’s Law, Justice and Human Services Committee, emphasized the importance of helping children in the foster care system to find a permanent, safe and loving home and family through adoption.
“Children from unstable home environments are disproportionately represented in our criminal justice system and in school drop-out statistics,” said Lambert. “Adoptive families can provide the kind of stability and caring that makes a powerful difference in the life of a child. This is our chance to thank and congratulate all adoptive families who have welcomed a child into their home, and to reach out to other adults and encourage them to consider adoption.”
The need for adoptive families continues, Councilmember Lambert said. Currently, more than 1,400 children in the Washington foster care system, including more than 200 children in King County, have legally lost their parents and still await adoption. Nationwide, more than 129,000 children in foster care systems are waiting to be adopted.
To celebrate the 7th annual Adoption Day in King County, the adoptions of 22 local children were finalized today in a ceremony in Judge McCarthy’s courtroom. In 2007, more than 700 adoptions were finalized in King County.
Adoption Day is part of state and federal government proclamations of November 2008 as National Adoption Month to raise awareness of the importance of adoption, and to focus on outreach to potential adoptive families as a critical step in moving children more quickly out of foster care and into permanent, loving homes.
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