ST. JOHNS — For three children, Nov. 26 was a very special day.
Adaleigh Kusnier, Jordyn Fowler and Justin Kissling got their forever homes during a special Adoption Day celebration at Clinton County Courthouse. Judge Lisa Sullivan officiated at the 10th annual Clinton County Adoption Day.
“This is my favorite day of the year,” said Sullivan.
Sullivan thanked many people for making the event possible.
“First of all, I want to thank the families,” she said. “They don’t need to be here. They don’t need to share their stories. They do it to bring attention to the need for foster and adoptive homes.”
Representative Tom Leonard was the guest speaker at this year’s Adoption Day. He told the large group of family and friends who gathered to support the adopting families that he had worked as a clerk for Genesee County Probate Court for six months after finishing law school.
“Every Wednesday was adoption day in our office,” he said. “What a blessing.”
Leonard said he never realized how important adoption was until he was handling his last case as a Genesee County assistant prosecutor.
A couple of teenagers were on trial for doing something really, really bad, he told the crowd. The trial lasted two weeks.
“Not once did either of them have one single person there to support them,” he said. “That’s when I realized how important adoption is.”
There are currently 63 children in Clinton County living in out-of-home placements. Some of them are living with relatives other than their parents. Many of them are living in foster homes with people they are not related to.
Of those 63 children who have been removed from their homes, 22 are waiting to be adopted. Some of the others will eventually be returned to their biological parents and the rest will be cleared for adoption.
“We always have a need for more foster homes,” said Sullivan.
Having enough foster parents isn’t just about numbers, she said. It also involves finding the right placement. Sometimes children have to be placed outside of Clinton County to find an appropriate placement – if siblings need to be kept together or if there are special circumstances.
Adaleigh Kusnier, Jordyn Fowler and Justin Kissling got their forever homes during a special Adoption Day celebration at Clinton County Courthouse. Judge Lisa Sullivan officiated at the 10th annual Clinton County Adoption Day.
“This is my favorite day of the year,” said Sullivan.
Sullivan thanked many people for making the event possible.
“First of all, I want to thank the families,” she said. “They don’t need to be here. They don’t need to share their stories. They do it to bring attention to the need for foster and adoptive homes.”
Representative Tom Leonard was the guest speaker at this year’s Adoption Day. He told the large group of family and friends who gathered to support the adopting families that he had worked as a clerk for Genesee County Probate Court for six months after finishing law school.
“Every Wednesday was adoption day in our office,” he said. “What a blessing.”
Leonard said he never realized how important adoption was until he was handling his last case as a Genesee County assistant prosecutor.
A couple of teenagers were on trial for doing something really, really bad, he told the crowd. The trial lasted two weeks.
“Not once did either of them have one single person there to support them,” he said. “That’s when I realized how important adoption is.”
There are currently 63 children in Clinton County living in out-of-home placements. Some of them are living with relatives other than their parents. Many of them are living in foster homes with people they are not related to.
Of those 63 children who have been removed from their homes, 22 are waiting to be adopted. Some of the others will eventually be returned to their biological parents and the rest will be cleared for adoption.
“We always have a need for more foster homes,” said Sullivan.
Having enough foster parents isn’t just about numbers, she said. It also involves finding the right placement. Sometimes children have to be placed outside of Clinton County to find an appropriate placement – if siblings need to be kept together or if there are special circumstances.
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