During a mass adoption event at the Hinds County Chancery Court, a judge is finalizing the adoption of seven children across four families.
Angela Johnson of Jackson has adopted her foster daughter, who she has been the guardian of for more than 10 years. She says they’re excited to spend their first holiday together as an official family.
“Just excited that everything has been completed and that we can now move forward,” says Johnson. “We’re going to be celebrating the entire week. Every day we’re going to do something special all the way through Christmas, and looking forward to being with more family and friends.”
Also being adopted is nine-year-old Armonty Maurice Wilson of Jackson. He and his two siblings have now been adopted by their grandmother who’s helped care for them their entire lives.
“I’m feeling excited and happy,” says Wilson. “I’ve got a lot of feelings about being happy and excited.”
The adoption event is part of a new program called Pathway to Permanency. The Mississippi Department of Child Protective Services has partnered with judges, legal experts and law schools to help expedite the adoption process. CPS Commissioner Andrea Sanders says it allows families to cut through a lot of the red tape around adoption and get children into permanent homes.
“They’re many ways to achieve permanency, so that’s why we’re calling it our pathway to permanency commitment for the next year. This first two month is our first phase of it and it’s called ‘Home for the Holidays.’ So we hope by the end of January to have 250 children adopted out of the system,” says Sanders.
Sanders says she is hopeful that the program can continue to be successful throughout the coming year.
