HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — Friday was a day full of celebration inside Associate Judge Katrina Griffiths courtroom where 19 foster children were adopted by Houston-area families.
There were smiles, hugs and happy tears at the first ever Harris County Christmas Adoption Day.
“We get to bring kids that have been in foster care for a couple of years. We have a couple that have been in care for almost eight, nine years, and they are finally getting their forever families,” Griffith said.
One of the kids inside the courtroom was Noah.
“Noah was a child at my agency. Two years ago, he was supposed to be adopted by an unrelated family and they decided that they could no longer care for him, and they put him in the psych hospital,” Dr. Valerie Jackson said. “I had nowhere to put him, so I brought him home.”
Since that day, Noah has been part of the Jackson-Somera family for two and half years, but now it’s official.
Parents Valerie Jackson and Caroline Somera are excited that they’re now a family of five.
“I have three great gifts because all three of my children are adopted from CPS and he wraps up the trilogy,” Jackson told us.
This special moment happening around the holidays makes it more memorable.
“He especially wanted to have it done before Christmas. So, this is like his great Christmas present and ours,” Caroline Somera said
While lots of families added that missing piece on Friday there’s still more kids waiting. In the greater Houston area, there are 546 waiting to find permanent adoptive homes and more than 300 of those are in Harris County.
If you are interested in adopting or want to learn more, visit this website or call 1-800-233-3405.