(Submitted to NorthIowaToday.com by David A. Grooters)
A total of 38 children were officially able to say “mom” and “dad” to the adults who are now their parents after a whirlwind of adoption proceedings at the Polk County Courthouse the Saturday before Thanksgiving.
Twenty six families appeared before the Fifth Judicial District judges who gave up their Saturday morning to don robes and finalize the adoptions. Hot chocolate, coffee and cookies spread out on tables on the main floor of the courthouse kept the children and their parents nourished. Stuffed animals, perched everywhere in the courtrooms, provided souvenirs for the adoptees and their new brothers and sisters.
Additional tables set up on the main floor bristled with colored brochures and trinkets from organizations who offer services for adoptive families. One room of the courthouse contained 16 X 20 photos of older children waiting to be adopted. A three-ring binder with sheets housed in page protectors provided background information on each of the children pictured.
The usually somber courthouse resonated with the laughter and shouting of children. This was the 10th Annual Adoption Saturday for Polk County, according to Associated Juvenile Judge Constance Cohen, who helped organize the first such event in 2000.
The goal was to set aside one day that would be devoted to nothing but adoptions, so that adoptive families ñ both those finalizing their adoptions on that day ñ and those who had adopted children previously could celebrate.
(The above article appeared in the January 2011 of the “Iowa Lawyer”)
David A. Grooters is a Mason City attorney practicing in areas including adoption law with the law firm of Pappajohn, Shriver, Eide & Nielsen P.C. He can be reached at his office at 103 East State Street, Suite 800, Mason City, Iowa, via phone at (641) 423-4264, (641) 423-3145 (fax), or grooters@pappajohnlaw.com.
The firm’s website is: www.pappajohnlaw.com||
