On Saturday, November 23, 2019, the Seventeenth Circuit Court celebrated its sixteenth annual National Adoption Day Celebration at the Winnebago County Criminal Justice Center.  At this event, Judges Eugene G. Doherty, Mary Linn Green, and Francis M. Martinez along with Circuit Clerk Tom Klein, local social service agencies (DCFS, YSB, LSSI, CHASI) and other court personnel volunteered their time to finalize 18 adoptions of children previously residing in foster care.

National Adoption Day is a collective national effort to raise awareness of the estimated 117,000 children in foster care that are ready for adoption and waiting for a family.  On this day, members of the judiciary, attorneys and social service agency professionals from all across the United States work together to finalize adoptions and celebrate all of the families participating in adoptions. Over the last sixteen years, a total of 392 children have been adopted into permanent loving families on National Adoption Day in Winnebago County.

Chief Judge Eugene G. Doherty stated, “It is a great privilege to be able to play a role in creating permanent, loving homes for the children and families involved in National Adoption Day.  Today is truly a day of celebration.”  Judge Green commented, "This is a very special day for all of us who work with children and families in foster care.  It gives us great joy to participate in the adoptions of these young people into their 'forever' homes with loving families to call their own."

For more information about this event, please contact Deputy Court Administrator Kimberly Ackmann at 815-319-4831 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

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