Adoptions finalized for 38 Hennepin Co. children on National Adoption Day

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Nov. 17 is National Adoption Day and in Hennepin County Saturday, 38 children got their chance at a new beginning as 22 families finalized their adoptions. 

For many, Saturday was a celebration that was long coming. After months or years in foster, dozens of children and teens are now legally bound to their families.

To celebrate, they had their faces painted, took family portraits and got to meet others just like them. 

“We wanted this event to be something much more special for them, more of a celebration for an end of a journey, the beginning of a family, legally for them,” Jodi Wentland, director of human services for Hennepin County, said. 

By the end of this year, Hennepin County expects to have adoptions finalized for about 200 children. 

This year, 56 percent of adopted children have been welcomed into the homes of family members or friends—a number well above the national standard. 

According to the Department of Human Resources, each year roughly 135,000 children are adopted nationwide. In Minnesota, approximately 185 children go into foster care each week. 

If you want to learn more about adoption and foster care options in Hennepin County, visit hennepin.us/adoption