13 Foster Children Adopted Monday

13 children were officially adopted Monday in a ceremony at Long Island Children's Museum in Garden City.

The ceremony, with the help of the Department of Social Services and Nassau County Family Court, celebrated the finalization of adoptions and freedom from the foster care system for Nassau children.

Commemorating National Adoption Month, the ceremony brings attention to children on child welfare and in foster care waiting to be adopted by loving parents.

One of Monday's new parents, Holli Haerr, is a reporter for 1010 WINS radio and is now mother to a 23-month-old she has cared for since last year.

"It's been life changing," Haerr told Newsday Monday. "When they placed him with me, I always said to myself I would treat him as if he was my own."

Monday's adoption ceremony helped kickstart LICM's 20th birthday celebration.

"We are delighted that these ‘newly formed’ families will have their first official ‘family outing’ at the Museum and look forward to seeing them often in the years to come," said LICM President Suzanne LeBlanc. 

The 13 new families will receive year-long memberships to LICM.

National Adoption Day is always held the Saturday before Thanksgiving and is celebrated across the country with the completion of thousands of adoptions.

"Our goal is a family for every child and we are fortunate to have a number of foster and adoptive families who want to provide children in foster care with permanence," said County Executive Ed Mangano.

There are 26 foster children who are eligible to be adopted of over 247 in Nassau County, according to Newsday. 215 children have been adopted in Nassau County since the first adoption day ceremony in 2002.

"We continue to work hard to find nurturing and loving foster and adoptive parents for every Nassau County child needing a permanent home and family," said Social Services Commissioner John Imhof.

Anyone interested in fostering or adopting can call the Department of Social Services Foster and Adoptive Resource Unit at 516-227-8284 for more information.