Thirteen foster children became official members of their “forever families” Thursday during Santa Barbara County’s sixth-annual Adoption Day event, cementing relationships that will carry them through the rest of their lives.

Organizers timed the adoption ceremony to coincide with National Adoption Month in an attempt to bring attention to the shortage of foster parents in the county and foster children’s desire to finally have families to call their own.

“Kids are always coming into the system and leaving the system. They’re always moving around,” said Anne Rodriguez, foster parent recruiter for Child Welfare Services “We’re always looking for homes for kids for different situations.”

To date, there are 600 children throughout the county in the foster care system, and 100 families are licensed as foster families through CWS. Between 25 and 40 children reside in group homes as they await placement in a foster home.

On Thursday scores of soon-to-be adoptive parents packed Judge James Herman’s courtroom to finalize the adoptions of their foster children.

Herman playfully called court to order with a large toy gavel, but the room never fell completely silent due to the happy babbling of babies and small children, which continued despite the judge’s “sternness.”

“You’ve chosen to be family members forever for the rest of your lives,” Herman told the group. “The community really does support and stand behind you.”

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Following the ceremony, the adoptees and their parents waited outside for Herman to call them each back into the courtroom to sign the final adoption papers.

Becky and Mike Nattell adopted 8-year-old Hilary and 2-year-old Sean at Thursday’s ceremony.

The Nattells are no strangers to adoption or caring for foster children. In May, they adopted 9-year-old Joshua and they are currently fostering a fourth child.

“I’ve always wanted a big family,” Becky Nattell said. “We tried to have kids for a while, but we never were successful.”

Nearly four years ago, they took Joshua into their homes. Two weeks later they discovered Becky was pregnant with their biological daughter, Nalani, 2.

However, Becky says there’s no difference between Nalani and the couple’s other children and the family’s five children have blended well together.

For Joshua becoming part of a “forever family” is a memory that will last him a lifetime.

“I got to talk to the judge about what I like to do and he gave me a basketball,” Joshua recalled of his May adoption ceremony. “(Being adopted) was very cool because a lot of people were there for me. It’s not a scary thing, it’s a happy thing.”

People with dreams of fostering children such as Joshua should just do it, Becky Nattell said.

“I meet people on a daily basis who want to do this,” she said. “It’s not hard. If you really want it you have to reach out.”

To learn more about how becoming a foster parent in Santa Barbara County, contact the Family Care Network at 696-8959 or visit www.fcni.org.

November 21, 2008