Media Advisory
Circuit courts in Maryland celebrate adoptions as part of National Adoption Day

In recognition of National Adoption Day on Nov. 23, Maryland circuit courts will hold adoption proceedings and family celebrations Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, Nov. 21, 22, and 23. National Adoption Day honors adoptive families and draws attention to the need for permanent, loving families for children in foster care.

Members of the media are invited to attend National Adoption Day activities in November in the following circuit courts:

Anne Arundel County
The Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County will hold up to five adoption proceedings on Thursday, Nov. 21, at 9 a.m. in Courtroom 4C. Circuit Administrative Judge Laura S. Ripken will preside over the hearings. Following the hearings, 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. If you are attending as a member of the media, contact Andrea Parks, Circuit Court Adoption Case Manager, at 410-222-2327. Persons being photographed should be asked for their consent before a picture is taken.

Baltimore City
Circuit Administrative Judge W. Michel Pierson, Judge Emanuel Brown, and Judge Kendra Y. Ausby will preside jointly when up to 27 adoption proceedings will take place at the Circuit Court for Baltimore City on Saturday, Nov. 23. 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. Persons being photographed should be asked for their consent before a picture is taken.

Montgomery County
The judges of the Circuit Court for Montgomery County will preside over the adoptions of eight children on Friday, Nov. 22. 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, balloon artist, and caricaturist. If you are attending as a member of the media, please contact Chanel Wainstein, Circuit Court Adoption Coordinator, at 240-777-9119. People who do not want to be photographed will wear stickers; persons being photographed should be asked for their consent before a picture is taken.

Prince George’s County
On Thursday, Nov. 14, Judge Sheila R. Tillerson Adams, the Chief and Administrative Judge for the Circuit Court for Prince George’s County and the Seventh Judicial Circuit, presided over “Celebrating Families,” a National Adoption Day ceremony, with Prince George’s County Circuit Court Judges Cathy H. Serrette, Beverly J. Woodard, who is an adoptive parent, and Family Coordinating Judge DaNeeka Varner Cotton. The event was held in the Prince George’s County Courthouse in Upper Marlboro. The celebration included guest speakers and sponsors, a reception, and the presentation of gifts to the children and families by Senator Ben Cardin. The ceremony was in coordination with the Prince George’s County Department of Social Services.

###