Starke Circuit Court will be joining courts across the country in celebrating National Adoption Day on Friday, Nov. 22, when Judge Kim Hall will be swearing in new Court Appointed Special Advocates following a ceremony in his courtroom.
More than 3200 children currently in foster care in Indiana are ready and waiting to be adopted. National Adoption Day is a collective national effort to raise awareness of children like these who are waiting for a forever family. All of these children are in their situation through no fault of their own; many are in the foster care system because their birth parents were not protective and nurturing caregivers or chose to abuse or simply abandon them.
Judge Hall will hold a National Adoption Day ceremony in his courtroom from 1 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. with several area speakers as well as Department of Child Services adoption and foster care specialists who will be on hand to answer any questions about the adoption process. A reception will follow from 1:30 to 2 pm.
A swearing-in ceremony will immediately follow for five residents of Starke County who will become Court Appointed Special Advocates, volunteers who serve as the voice of the child and look out for the best interest of a child who has been abused or neglected.
The public is encouraged to attend the ceremony, reception, and swearing-in on the third floor of the courthouse, located at 53 E. Washington St. in Knox.
