Media Advisory
Circuit courts in Maryland host in-person and virtual National Adoption Day celebrations

In recognition of National Adoption Day on November 19, 2022, Maryland’s circuit courts will hold in-person and remote adoption proceedings and family celebrations. National Adoption Day honors adoptive families and draws attention to the need for permanent, loving families for children in foster care. The media is invited to attend in person or watch National Adoption Day activities at the following circuit courts via Zoom for Government:

Anne Arundel County
Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County Administrative Judge Glenn L. Klavans will preside over an adoption to commemorate National Adoption Day on Thursday, November 17, 2022, at a special hearing at 9 a.m. The hearing will be held in Courtroom 4C and will be followed by a small celebration for the family and children, including gift baskets with items donated by court staff for the children being adopted. Please list Andrea Parks as the contact person. To attend as a member of the media, please RSVP Andrea Parks at 410-222-2327 or [email protected].

Baltimore City
The Circuit Court for Baltimore City will celebrate its 16th National Adoption Day ceremony at 10 a.m. on Saturday, November 19, 2022, in Courtroom 400 at the Mitchell Courthouse. The adoptions will be presided over by Administrative Judge Audrey J.S. Carriόn, Judge Emanuel Brown, Judge in Charge of the Juvenile Division, and Judge Michael DiPietro, Judge in Charge of the Family Division. Ten families will adopt 15 children during the ceremony. Judge Myshala M. Middleton, president of the Bar Association of Baltimore City, will serve as a guest speaker. In lieu of a reception, each family will receive a gift bag. To attend as a member of the media, please RSVP to Karen Fast, executive director of the Bar Association of Baltimore City, at [email protected] or 410-539-5936.

Baltimore County
The Baltimore County Bar Association, in cooperation with the Circuit Court for Baltimore County and the Baltimore County Department of Social Services, will host an in-person National Adoption Day ceremony on Saturday, November 19, 2022, at 11 a.m. in Ceremonial Courtroom 5 in the Historic Courthouse, 400 Washington Ave., in Towson. Six families will adopt eight children and will have their adoptions finalized by Judge Sherrie Bailey, who will be joined on the bench by retired Judge John Hennegan. Gift bags will be provided for each child and will include gift cards, books, school supplies, toys, personalized shirts, cookies, and more. To attend as a member of the media, please RSVP to Rachel Ruocco at 410-337-9103 or [email protected].

Harford County
Circuit Court for Harford County Administrative Judge Yolanda L. Curtin and Senior Judge William O. Carr will preside over the court’s first National Adoption Day celebration on Thursday, November 17, 2022, at 9 a.m., in the ceremonial courtroom. The event will bring together all individuals who, through their dedicated efforts, ensure a forever family for a child.  The adoptive families and their children, along with representatives from the Department of Social Services, CASA volunteers, judges, magistrates, court staff, and community leaders will be part of the celebration. The adoption proceeding will be followed by a reception hosted by the Department of Social Services. To attend as a member of the media, please RSVP to Debbie Bliss at [email protected].

Montgomery County
On Friday, November 18, 2022, nine children will have their adoptions finalized with seven families at the Circuit Court for Montgomery County. Administrative Judge James A. Bonifant and Judge Joan E. Ryon, Family Judge in Charge, will preside over the adoption of three children in a public ceremony at 4 p.m. Six of the children, including two sibling groups, will participate in private adoption ceremonies throughout the day presided over by Senior Judge Katherine D. Savage and Judge Harry C. Storm, who were specially requested by the adoptive families and children to commemorate their journeys. To attend as a member of the media, please RSVP to Angela Yoo, specialty case manager, Circuit Court for Montgomery County, at [email protected] or 240-777-9119.

Prince George’s County
Chief and Administrative Judge Sheila R. Tillerson Adams, Circuit Court for Prince George’s County and the Seventh Judicial Circuit, and Judge Judy L. Woodall, family coordinating judge and chair of National Adoption Day, who is also an adoptive parent, will preside over “Our Families: No Child Left Behind,” a National Adoption Day virtual ceremony on Thursday, November 17, 2022 at 11 a.m. The ceremony will recognize new adoptive families and feature Miguel Franco and his husband, who are adoptive parents of three children, as the speaker. If you are attending as a member of the media, please RSVP to the event by emailing Jocelyn Steele, Circuit Court for Prince George’s County communications specialist, at [email protected]. The link to the virtual event will be sent to media outlets that have responded.