On Tuesday, November 13th, Olivia A. Golden, Director of the DC Child and Family Services Agency will be joining Senator Mary Landrieu, Mayor Anthony A. Williams and judges of the DC Superior Court for Adoption Day in Court. Held in November as a National Adoption Awareness Month activity, this event allows the public to witness the final step in the adoption process - the adoption decree. The event will take place at the DC Superior Court, 500 Indiana Avenue, NW, Washington, DC at 10 am.

"We are excited about any event that celebrates the bringing together of adoptive children and families," stated Olivia Golden, Director for Child and Family Services Agency. "One of our goals at CFSA is enabling children to grow-up in a permanent loving family. The Adoption Day in Court epitomizes our unified efforts and accomplishments as a city-government working together for children and families in the District of Columbia."

According to the Honorable Lee F. Satterfield, presiding judge of the Superior Court Family Division, "Adoption officially occurs when a decree is signed by a judge. But it is far more than a legal technicality - it is a very personal, emotional commitment that these children and parents will make to be a family. The annual Adoption Day allows us to celebrate the work that the social workers put into finding adoptive families, the love that the adoptive parents are offering the children and the joy that the children bring to their new family. It is a very special event and I am pleased that this year we will have seventeen new families."

CFSA is the District's child welfare agency that provides services to the city's most vulnerable children and families. For information on how to become an adoptive or foster parent, call CFSA's Adoption Hotline at (202) 671-LOVE (5683).