Morris/Sussex Courts Celebrates National Adoption Day On Zoom

NORTH JERSEY - The Morris/Sussex Vicinage is celebrating National Adoption Day Friday by finalizing 11 adoptions and holding events honoring families who have adopted children during the past year.

Morris County will hold its annual celebration on Friday, Nov. 20 at 9 a.m. in a virtual courtroom via Zoom. This year’s Adoption Day theme is Youth Voice. Speakers include Superior Court Judge Michael Paul Wright, Morris County Surrogate Heather Darling, and representatives of organizations that play a role in helping children find homes. The ceremony will close with remarks from Anastasia Rios, a youth in kinship legal care. After the ceremony, Judge Wright will oversee 11 adoptions in private proceedings throughout the day.

Sussex County celebrated National Adoption Day virtually on Wednesday, Nov. 4. Superior Court Judge Michael C. Gaus gave opening remarks and was followed by attorney Lauri Steinberg, who works with the families to finalize the adoption process. During a private virtual ceremony, Judge Gaus presided over five adoptions. A photo slideshow highlighted this year’s adoptions. In place of in-person events, staff from the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency delivered gift bags, which included a gavel provided by Court Appointed Special Advocates of Morris and Sussex Counties.

The Morris County public ceremony will be livestreamed at https://www.njcourts.gov/public/channels.html.

National Adoption Day is dedicated to celebrating adoptive families and children across the country. This celebration is part of a national effort to raise awareness of the children in foster care waiting to find permanent, loving families and to encourage others to adopt.

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