36 Children Adopted into 28 Forever Families at McLennan County’s 15th Annual Adoption Day at Baylor Law
Members of the Baylor Public Interest Legal Society During Adoption Day at Baylor Law, November 18, 2022.
WACO -
On Friday, November 18, McLennan County celebrated Adoption Day, where 36 children in foster care realized their dream of finding a forever family at Baylor Law before McLennan County Judge Nikki Mundkowsky.
Hundreds of Guests Visited Baylor Law During Adoption Day 2022
McLennan County Department of Families and Child Protective Services, in partnership with the Baylor Public Interest Legal Society (BPILS), Baylor Law faculty, students, staff and friends, organized a Christmas-Holiday-themed event for the dozens of soon-to-be families and friends who waited for their opportunity to finalize their adoptions. This year’s celebration, “Welcome Home for the Holidays,” marking the return of Adoption Day to the law school for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, saw the first floor of the law school converted to a winter wonderland with games, food, and fun activities.
In the Kronzer Courtroom at Baylor Law, applause, laughter, and tears of joy resounded as Waco Mayor Dillon Meek presented a proclamation from the City of Waco and Judge Mundkowsky pronounced each adoption finalized, even allowing many of the adoptees the opportunity to ‘bang the gavel,’ signifying the end to their foster care journey.
“It is an honor for us to once again host this community event here at the Law School,” said Bridget Fuselier, professor of law and faculty sponsor of BPILS. “Many of the kids joining us here today have been dealt a pretty unfair hand in life, but these foster and adoptive parents have shown tremendous love and support for these children and have chosen to make them part of their forever families. We are honored that these adoptive families allowed us to celebrate the culmination of their adoption journeys with them. It was a day of love, joy, and blessings for all involved.”
City of Waco Mayor Dillon Meek (JD '10) Reads a Proclamation Declaring November 18, 2022, as "Adoption Day" in the City of Waco.'
Since launching its first Adoption Day in 2008, the Law School has seen almost 400 children adopted into more than 200 families.
In the past year, 4,452 children were adopted in the state, including 778 in Central Texas, and 132 in McLennan County, according to the DFPS. 9,607 children throughout the state were removed from their homes as a result of abuse or neglect, including 1,660 children in Central Texas and 171 in McLennan County. More than 2,700 Texas children are still waiting to find permanent homes.
Families looking to adopt can go to AdoptChildren.org for more information.
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