Orange County Judge Unites 8 New Forever Families on National Adoption Day!

Pictured Above: The Cullor family, Avalon Park residents, with their adopted son, Ezra, the little brother of their adopted daughter, Ella.

National Adoption Day ceremonies may have looked different on Friday, Nov. 20, with limited face-to-face interactions and virtual hearings due to the coronavirus pandemic – but the tradition of uniting families across the country the week before Thanksgiving remained the same.

In Orange County, Judge Alicia L. Latimore met 8 families for virtual private adoption proceedings for 10 children and then conducted a virtual ceremony and celebration for extended family members, friends and the public to join. Similar proceedings were held in Osceola County.

“This is my favorite day of the year, because it’s proof of the power of love,” said Judge Latimore. “Although it looks different in 2020, it doesn’t feel any smaller in my heart.”

While adoptions take place throughout the year – even during the COVID-19 shut down – National Adoption Day, which began in 2000, raises awareness about the number of children in foster care who are in need of stable, loving homes.

“Our priority has always been to provide as much normalcy as possible for these children,” said Glen Casel, president and CEO of Embrace Families, the lead nonprofit agency overseeing foster care, adoption and child welfare services in Central Florida. “These are good kids who have faced difficulties in life. Our mission is to find permanent solutions that allow them to thrive.”

Since its inception in 2004, Embrace Families has helped nearly 2,300 children find their forever families. To learn more about foster parenting or adoption, prospective families can visit www.EmbraceFamilies.org.