(Photo credit Embrace Families)
ORLANDO – This Thanksgiving, more than 30 Central Florida families have something very special to celebrate when they gather around the holiday table: a new forever family.
Today, judges in Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties presided over National Adoption Day ceremonies, officially marking a new start for 36 children who had been in foster care.
“Every child deserves love and stability, and that’s our mission every day,” said Gerry Glynn, interim CEO of Embrace Families Community Based Care. “What better time than the Friday before Thanksgiving to unite these children with their new forever families.”
Embrace Families is the lead nonprofit agency overseeing foster care and child welfare services in the tri-county area. Since its inception in 2004, the organization and its case management partners have helped more than 3,329 children find their forever families. Although adoptions occur throughout the year, National Adoption Day was initiated in 2000 to raise awareness about the thousands of kids across the country in need of a safe and nurturing home environment.
“National Adoption Day serves as a powerful reminder of the enduring bonds that unite families,” said Dominic Watson, vice president of Child Welfare Operations at Embrace Families. “It’s a day when hope and love triumph — reminding kids that their pasts do not have to dictate their futures.”
On any given day, approximately 2,300 children are involved with the child welfare system across Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties. For more information about how to support Embrace Families and the children it serves, visit www.EmbraceFamilies.org.
