A gloomy Friday was made a bit brighter at the Daley Center in downtown Chicago as 10 children joined eight families during National Adoption Day.
The kids were legally adopted into their forever homes.
“This is the happiest day in the Circuit Court of Cook County," said Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans.
As of Friday, there were more than 18,000 kids in Illinois still waiting for an opportunity to be adopted.
“It keeps us going when we have days like today," said Department of Child and Family Services Director Heidi Mueller. "This is the purpose of my life. And at DCFS our vision is that every child in Illinois can grow and thrive in family."
"I want to be adopted because I love my mom," said 8-year-old Dakota.
She and her 7-year-old brother, Dorien, were adopted by Jocqualyn Carter, a family member of their birth mother. She was in crisis when Carter took in the kids and has since died.
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"I believe that family should always stick together, and should always be there for one another," Carter told NBC Chicago. "They are amazing, they are a blessing in my life. I don’t have any biological children, so this spare of the moment incident happened that allowed me to be a mother."
Her friend, Carleeta Johnson, adopted their third sibling, 4-year-old Dillard.
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"It means everything to me, everything," Johnson said.
Keeping their family-first mentality, Carter had an idea to keep the siblings together, despite having different adoptive mothers.
"I was like you know what? We should ask the case worker if it’s ok if we move in together, even though it’s two separate adoptive mothers, and she thought it was a great idea," Carter said. "We’ve been one big happy family ever since.”
Cook County Circuit Court Judge Maureen Ward Kirby presided over the ceremony, making each case official.
"It takes a special person to open up their heart and say 'I'm going to do the most life-alerting job' and that's being a parent," Kirby said. "You got to be there for that child and let them know you're going to be there for them. And every adult I've met in adoption court... have told me the flip side is true. These children have enriched our lives in ways they could never imagine."
Those interested in becoming foster or adoptive parents can find more information on the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services website.
