MIDLAND, Texas (KMID/KPEJ)- November is National Adoption Month and today, CASA of West Texas, along with Child Protective Services and Saint Ann’s Catholic Church, celebrated as several families finalized adoptions of children who have been in foster care. 

National Adoption Day, which is November 18, is a collective effort to help raise awareness of the need to find safe, loving, and permanent homes for the more than 113,000 children waiting to be adopted from foster care in the United States and nearly 6,000 are right here in Texas.

“Children can be adopted by non-relative, foster parents or by other family members, aunts, uncles, grandparents etc. As advocates for the best interest of children in foster care, we at CASA have seen family take many forms. All loving families are beautiful,” said Patty Pisklak executive director of CASA of West Texas. “This month, we’re taking the time to show our appreciation for the diverse families in our community who are nurturing and raising children they’ve adopted from foster care. Thank you for giving them a safe, permanent and unconditionally loving home where they can heal and grow!”

Thursday’s event at Saint Ann’s featured live court hearing to finalize adoptions of seven children. Adoption Supervisor, Diana Sanchez, said adoption days are very “happy” days. 

“I mean it’s just a happy day…it’s just a very heartwarming day for not only the workers that have worked with these families for over a year, but at the end just seeing the kids and these families happy, it’s just an amazing day.”