TAMPA, Fla. – Friday is a day more than 50 Bay Area children and families will never forget.
They’ll officially become a family. The Children’s Network of Hillsborough County is hosting an adoption event at Busch Gardens, celebrating National Adoption Month.
“It’s just amazing,” Terri Balliet, Chief Executive Officer, Children’s Network of Hillsborough County, said. “This is what I live for. Knowing that families are coming together and kids are finding their forever family, it just fills my heart.”
By the numbers:
Friday, judges legally united 52 children with their adoptive families. That’s compared to 39 last year.Â
According to Balliet, 10 of the 52 are a part of a sibling group. She said they try to keep siblings together if they can. Â
Since it started in 2022, the Children’s Network of Hillsborough County has finalized more than 1,300 adoptions.
The Children’s Network of Hillsborough is the lead agency, contracted by the Florida Department of Children and Families, to administer the child welfare system in Hillsborough.  They say more than 1,500 children are in foster care in Hillsborough County, ranging in age from newborns to 17-year-olds.  They say they are in need of foster parents and have more information on their website.
Balliet said they’ve outgrown the courthouse, and she said having it at Busch Gardens also gives kids a change of scenery and a day they’ll never forget. This was the second year the event was at Busch Gardens.
“I remember presenting this idea saying, ‘Let’s do something different.’ We want our families. We want our kids to have a different experience from when they started this journey. And we presented Busch Gardens, and many said, ‘That’s not going to happen. No way. No one’s going to buy into that,’ and look at where we’re at today,” Balliet said.
She said it’s the best day of the year, and it’s something the kids and parents second.Â
What they’re saying:
“We are so excited,” Courtney French, who adopted two children, a brother and sister, said. “I bet I will sleep very well tonight. It has been a journey.”Â
“I kind of equate it to a marathon that has actually been a sprint the whole time, finally, after two years or so, getting to the end of it,” French’s husband Cory said. “We’re excited. They’re excited. It has been a long time coming,” he said.
The brother and sister, Michelle and Jason, are seven and nine-years-old,Â
“I’m pretty excited,” Jason said. “We’re all a family,” he said.
Last year’s event, also held at Busch Gardens, was Florida’s largest National Adoption Day gathering. Families got to explore the park after the event.  This year’s theme is “Passport to Adoption — The Adventure Continues,” celebrating love, courage and new beginnings.
The Source: This story was written with information provided by the Children’s Network of Hillsborough County.