Records show that some 16,000 children who can’t go back to their biological parents are in Florida’s foster system.
Those who go to foster families and then get adopted are truly chosen, by those inspired by some higher calling.
And, much like Harry Potter was regarded as “The Chosen One” by Professor Trelawny, over a dozen children were chosen to become part of families Friday.
Gov. Ron DeSantis declared November as Florida Adoption Month, and the Osceola County Courthouse celebrated it as such Friday as 11 families became extended with a round of adoptions.
Judge Christine Arendas, who presided over Friday’s adoptions, said adoption has been an integral part of her legal career.
“As one of just 30 board-certified adoption attorneys in Florida, I primarily practiced adoption law,” she said. “We can agree that the most important factor in the success of a child is to have someone in their life who loves them unconditionally and supports them wholeheartedly. It is a blessing for a child to have a permanent family and home. To feel love and support changes the child’s life for generations to come, and is also a blessing to the immediate family.”
The process also includes case workers with the Department of Children and Families and Guardian Ad Litem departments who advocate on the behalf of the children.
“None of this would be possible today without the dedication and passion of so many,” said Family Partnerships of Central Florida Case Management and Permanency Administrator Jennifer Williams. “This is a great way to celebrate these families as we head into the Thanksgiving holiday.”
In many cases, a couple finding it difficult or incapable of conceiving their own children step up and foster, then take in these children as their own. Such was the case for Chris and Sim Stafford, who officially adopted 11-year-old Jasper Friday after fostering him for nearly two years.
“Around the same time we got the calling to be foster parents, we bought a house in 2019,” Chris said. “Jasper was the first kid we got when he was eight. When he walked in the house, we just got that sense.”
“It was life under a microscope for a while,” Sim said. “But six months in, he was telling his case manager that he didn’t want to ever leave us. Then it was a two-year process. Our goal was to adopt two kids out of the system to help the burden, so pretty soon we’ll start this all over again.”
Choosing to foster children and provide stability means leaving one’s comfort zone, Chris said, with Sim noting it takes a full commitment to someone else.
“You have to be committed to advocating for these kids. It becomes your sole commitment, to do right by them and no one else,” she said. “You can’t break them more than they’re already broken. They need help, they need love.
Tessa and Lamar Boyd attended Friday to support those adopting, having already adopted three boys from the same birth mother after looking into in vitro fertilization.
“We had meetings for both and felt most at peace with adoption. You have to be cognizant of the next generation,” Tessa said. “You can change their trajectory with
