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CONTACT PERSON:
VALERIE WILLARD
PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER
(504) 310-2588
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NOVEMBER 20, 2004 |
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
Orleans
Parish Civil District Court Judge Madeleine Landrieu, Orleans
Parish Juvenile Court Judges Ernestine Gray and Lawrence Lagarde,
Jr., representatives of the Louisiana Court Improvement Program,
and area Office of Community Services (OCS) case workers joined
to celebrate National Adoption Day today at the Louisiana
Children's Museum in a ceremony which formally finalized the
adoptions of five local children in foster care.
According to Judge
Gray, "In the United States there are 126,000 children in
foster care waiting to be adopted by permanent, loving families.
Orleans Parish alone accounts for 100 of these children. This
is a day to raise the public's awareness of the ever-growing
need for adoptive homes for these waiting children. It brings
us great pleasure today to see the Wright, Evans, Mukhtar
and Armstrong families reduce these numbers by five."
Judge Landrieu welcomed
a crowd of more than 85 families whose lives have been touched
by the adoption of a foster child. Judges Gray and Judge Lagarde
presided over the adoption proceedings which included the
children, their new families and their individual OCS case
worker(s).
Sally Richardson, Legislative
Correspondent, U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu's Office, spoke
on behalf of Senator Landrieu who is herself the mother of
an adopted son and daughter.
The celebration reception
followed with children and their families participating in
a number of activities and art projects designed to underscore
the joy of family and the ongoing need for more foster care
and adoptive parents.
For information on
the steps to take to become a foster care or adoptive parent
contact the Office of Community Services at 1-888-617-3298.
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