Its not a stretch to say members of the Allen County District Court recently experienced one of the happiest hearings of their lives.
For once, all parties received a positive verdict.
The occasion was National Adoption Day, when 16 children, ranging from toddlers to teens, were legally adopted. Magistrate Judge Tod Davis performed the joint ceremonies last Friday, addressing each child by their new adoptive name.
Local attorney Chuck Apt, who serves as a guardian ad litem and represents children in court, was also there to witness the joyous occasion.
There may not be a word to describe this, to see the smiles on the kids faces, and the parents and grandparents, even the judge, Apt said afterward. Fun is not the right word. Its exhilarating.
The ceremony was a collaborative effort among KVC Health Systems, an organization that specalizes in foster care, adoption and family therapy services; the Kansas Department for Children and Families; Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA); and the 31st Judicial District.
The ceremony was the second straight time National Adoption Day has been celebrated here, said Michele Hocket, a KVC permanency supervisor. In 2017, nine adoptions were finalized.
This is why we do what we do, Hockett said, adding nearly 700 Kansas children are still waiting to be adopted. She hopes to continue the event in the future, with even larger groups of kids finding permanent homes.
This is absolutely my favorite thing to do, said Apt.
He and Judge Davis eagerly agreed to the mass adoption idea when approached by KVC last year.
Days like that are gratifying, agreed David Kurt, regional DCF director, who also was on hand for the ceremony.
The reality is kids do well with families, Kurt said. It takes a special family to bring in a child.
The Register visited with several of the family members who took part in the ceremony.
TEAM WADE
David and Wendy Wade, of Buffalo, were a typical young family, with two daughters of their own.
But when Wendy, who was working in the Fredonia school district, learned of two young girls in desperate need of a home, she couldnt sit on her hands and do nothing.
Thats what drew us into it, Wendy said. We decided to become foster parents, thinking we were going to adopt these two girls.
