Nov. 22 proclaimed Adoption Day, highlighting adoptive families statewide

LANSING, Mich. (WLUC) - Tuesday, Governor Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) celebrate Adoption Day and highlight families across Michigan who are being recognized as Exceptional Adoptive Families.

“I want to thank the incredible Michigan families who have opened their homes and hearts to adoption, and I am proud to highlight just a few incredible stories during Adoption Month in Michigan,” said Governor Whitmer. Every child deserves a loving home, and we will continue working together to ensure that all our kids have a strong solid foundation and a strong start for the rest of their lives.”

“Our children need permanent, loving homes,” said Elizabeth Hertel, Director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the state’s child welfare system. “If they can’t be safely reunified with their birth families, finding a family that’s a good fit for adoption is the next best option for helping children grow up with the emotional support they need.”

Approximately 10,000 children are in foster care in Michigan, including more than 200 children who are still awaiting a forever family through adoption. Adoptive homes for teens are especially needed. The number of children in foster care is down from nearly 14,000 in 2018 as MDHHS has focused on keeping families together, reunifying children safely with their families, and finding adoptive homes more quickly when safe reunification is not possible.

Michigan courts will celebrate Adoption Day by finalizing adoptions, holding special events for adoptive families, and providing educational materials for citizens regarding the adoption process. This is also an opportunity to celebrate that more than 1,600 children were adopted from Michigan’s child welfare system in fiscal year 2022.

Courts statewide, in partnership with MDHHS, are holding special Adoption Month ceremonies in November, including a Michigan Supreme Court event today, at which children officially become permanent members of their new forever families.