News from Franklin County Children Services

All of Central Ohio had an opportunity to join in celebrating National Adoption Day on November 8, thanks to help from several of Franklin County Children Services' local news friends. During National Adoption Day, FCCS and the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption joined Franklin County Probate Judge Jeffrey Mackey and his staff of magistrates - along with several volunteer adoption attorneys - to celebrate the court’s final placement of children to forever homes.  This year, seven children were placed with six permanent families. And news reporters from Spectrum News One, NBC4, and ABC6/FOX28 were in the courtroom to share the heartwarming stories with viewers in the Columbus area and throughout Ohio. Take a moment to watch these great stories. Spectrum News Ohio (statewide story) https://spectrumnews1.com/oh/columbus/news/2023/11/08/cambridge-family-celebrates--national-adoption-day--by-finalizing-teen-s-adoption-# NBC4 Columbus https://www.nbc4i.com/news/local-news/franklin-coun...

Recognizing that children never outgrow the need for family and a permanent sense of belonging, Franklin County Children Services, the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, and the Probate Division of the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas honored National Adoption Day on Wednesday, November 8, by celebrating the finalization of adoptions of seven children from foster care - many of whom are teenagers. November is National Adoption Month, a time to spotlight the importance of children of all ages having safe, loving, and permanent families. “Adoption today is quite different from years past,” said FCCS Executive Director Chip Spinning. “Family structures have changed to include divorced parents, single parents, and LGBTQIA+ individuals and families. That’s why we work closely with community partners and provider agencies to connect dozens of adoption-eligible youth with permanent families each year. “The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is a co-founder of National Adoption Day, wh...

The wooden signs on their walls say a lot about Christopher Hoffman and his husband Jake, who will adopt their sixth child from foster care, 17-year-old Adrian, during November’s National Adoption Month. “All Because Two People Fell in Love,” the sign reads. Another quotes a Disney line: “It’s never too late to live happily ever after.”  The Hoffmans have taken in 67 youth in foster care over the past 21 years, 64 of those young people through Franklin County Children Services. They've formally adopted 5 of them.  And the front room of their North Side Columbus home is adorned with photos of each one. Franklin County Children Services will be celebrating National Adoption Day on Nov. 8 at Franklin County Probate Court. Seven children will finalize their adoptions to six “forever families.” Adrian is one of four teens whose adoptions will be finalized that day. Adrian is a high school junior on track to graduate with at least two years of college courses already completed....

While they have essentially been a family for years now, Vanessa McNeal and daughters Summer and Megan are going to make it official this November as part of National Adoption Day.  Recognizing that children never outgrow the need for family and a permanent sense of belonging, Franklin County Children Services - along with the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption and the Franklin County Probate Court, will honor National Adoption Day on Wednesday, November 8, by celebrating the finalization of adoptions of seven children from foster care. As a longtime foster parent for Buckeye Ranch, McNeal - better known as “Mama V” - has welcomed dozens of children into her southeast Columbus home throughout the years. This retired preschool teacher has always been passionate about helping children, so becoming a foster parent in 2008 made perfect sense.  “It’s my purpose in life,” McNeal says. Summer, 10, and Megan, 15, have known Mama V for years and are both overjoyed to officially become...