Media Advisory:
Circuit Courts in Maryland Celebrate National Adoption Day

(ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND – November 9, 2017) - Judges in Maryland Circuit Courts will preside over multiple adoptions, and courts will hold family celebrations to mark National Adoption Day, which is Saturday, November 18. The media are invited to attend.

National Adoption Day was established in 2000 to celebrate adoptive families and raise awareness of the more than 110,000 children in foster care nationwide waiting to find permanent, loving families.

National Adoption Day activities in Maryland Circuit Courts include the following:

Anne Arundel County
Circuit Administrative Judge Laura S. Kiessling will preside as 12 children, ranging in age from 9 months to 13 years old, are adopted on Thursday, November 16, at the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County in Annapolis. Following the 9 a.m. proceedings in Courtroom 4C, refreshments will be offered in the fourth floor gallery. Families will receive a gift to commemorate the occasion. Literature will be available about foster care and adoption programs through the Anne Arundel County Department of Social Services and private adoption agencies. For more information, contact Andrea Parks, Circuit Court Adoption Case Manager, at 410-222-2327.

Baltimore City
Circuit Administrative Judge W. Michel Pierson, Judge Robert B. Kershaw, and Judge Kendra Y. Ausby will preside jointly over approximately 30 adoption proceedings at the Circuit Court for Baltimore City on Saturday, November 18. Following the 10 a.m. ceremony in the Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr., Courthouse, families will celebrate together during a reception featuring face painters, a balloon artist, and arts and crafts activities. The newly adopted children will receive personalized gift bags that also include gifts for their siblings. The ceremony has been coordinated with the Bar Association of Baltimore City, with support from the Baltimore City Department of Social Services.

Baltimore County
The Circuit Court for Baltimore County will finalize several adoptions on Saturday, November 18, beginning at 11 a.m.in Historical Courtroom No. 5 in the Old Courthouse in Towson. Judge Sherrie R. Bailey will preside. The Baltimore Bar Association has arranged for gifts for each of the participating families and will host a reception following the proceedings. Prior to the court proceedings, a violinist will play for the families’ entertainment. The event has been planned by the Bar Association with contributions from the Department of Social Services.

Montgomery County
The judges of the Circuit Court for Montgomery County will preside over the adoptions of seven children on Friday, November 17. The ceremonies will begin at 3:30 p.m. in Courtroom 3E of the Montgomery County Circuit Court’s North Tower in Rockville. The newly adopted children will receive personalized gifts. After the adoptions are finalized, the families will celebrate together at a reception hosted by the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services with food and activities, including a face painter, a balloon artist, and caricaturist. For more information, contact Lili Khozeimeh, Circuit Court Adoption Coordinator, at 240-777-9119.

Prince George’s County
Families and friends will gather at the Circuit Court for Prince George’s County in Upper Marlboro on Thursday, November 16, to celebrate the union of new and returning adoptive families. Since January 2017, the Circuit Court for Prince George’s County has finalized more than 50 adoptions. The ceremony will be held in Courtroom M3400 at 10:30 a.m. Presiding will be Circuit Administrative Judge Sheila R. Tillerson Adams, Judge Beverly J. Woodard, and Judge DaNeeka V. Cotton. For more information, contact Tia Lewis, Communications Specialist, at 301-952-4140.

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