DENNIS A. CARDOZA: “I rise today to recognize Saturday, November 18, as National Adoption Day and to celebrate all adoptive families. On the…”

“I rise today to recognize Saturday, November 18, as National Adoption Day and to celebrate all adoptive families. On the Saturday before Thanksgiving, courtrooms across this country will come together to dedicate the resources of our judicial system to finalize adoptions of kids currently in the foster care system. In the 5 years since National Adoption Day was established, it has truly grown into a national celebration. Last year, 3,300 adoptions were finalized as part of 227 nationwide events. These finalized adoptions are cause for celebration. This is a time to commemorate those families that have decided to make a difference in the life of a child. I commend these families and hope that the children across the Nation will find a place to call home this Saturday as part of National Adoption Day. Unfortunately, despite the declining number of children waiting in foster care, there are still 118,000 children seeking adoption. This is simply unacceptable.”