Pittsboro, NC – Chatham County Department of Social Services joins with community partners in hosting a special event on November. 18, 2017 as part of National Adoption Day, with activities planned from 10 am to noon at the Historic Courthouse in Pittsboro.
Each year, during the week before Thanksgiving, courtrooms across the nation open their doors to families waiting to have their adoptions finalized. Since 2000, National Adoption Day has been celebrated on or near the Saturday before Thanksgiving.
Thanks to the efforts of policymakers, advocates and practitioners, nearly 65,000 children have been adopted on National Adoption Day in the past 17 years. Many of these children have been waiting for years in foster care to finally have a place to call home.
As a kickoff to the celebration, the Chatham County Board of Commissioners voted last month to proclaim that Saturday, Nov. 18, 2017 is National Adoption Day in Chatham County. Chatham’s celebration at this Historic Courthouse will feature several activities. Note that parking will be available on street downtown, as well as in the county government lot across from the new Justice Center.
The open house at the courthouse runs from 10 am to noon. It will include refreshments provided by locally-owned Phoenix Bakery. Information will be available on foster and adoption programs as well as local organizations that support children in need. You also can visit the Chatham Historical Museum, located in the courthouse.
From 10:30 to 11:15 am, a program will feature community speakers sharing what it means to them that we have ‘a family for every child.’ Featured speakers including County Commissioner Karen Howard and Sheriff Mike Roberson.
“We hope you will join us to learn more about what foster care and adoption look like in our local community, while celebrating the local families who will be celebrating adoption milestones,” said Wilder Horner with Chatham County Social Services. “It also is a chance to find new ways to become involved through programs like Communities in Schools, Guardian Ad Litem, and FACES of Chatham County.”
This year, more than 5,000 adoptions are scheduled to be finalized at National Adoption Day events across the nation.