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Montgomery County has record number of finalized adoptions on National Adoption Day

The Henderson family and Judge David Brannon, who finalized the adoption of Peggy, Jacob, and Hudson.
Garrett Reese
/
WYSO
The Henderson family and Judge David Brannon, who finalized the adoption of Peggy, Jacob, and Hudson.

Friday was National Adoption Day, and Montgomery County saw a record number of adoptions finalized. 14 children were adopted by 8 families.

That included 5 teenagers and 4 sibling groups, two groups that often wait the longest for a permanent home.

One of those sibling groups – Peggy and Jacob – had their adoption finalized with the Henderson family. The family also adopted a boy named Hudson.

The three kids will join a family with 11 children, and they’re all excited to begin their new lives.

Timothy Henderson is the father.

“My heart just explodes, you know, that’s all I can say. It’s just the joy of having them with us. We just love them. We wouldn’t want it any other way,” he said, choking up while looking at his three new children.

To celebrate and raise awareness, the Montgomery County Common Pleas Court opened up that day’s adoption hearings.

“We’re here for education and transparency regarding adoption,” said David Brannon, the Probate Judge presiding over Friday’s finalizations. “It’s really to educate the public so that they can get involved, and that [adoption] will impact them someday somehow.”

Local officials gathered in the small courtroom with the families to celebrate the occasion. Two State Representatives, Rep. Willis Blackshear, Jr., (D-Dayton) and Rep. Tom Young (R-Washington Twp.) were also present.

“Days like today are the beginning of many, I hope many, many bright family memories. Memories that will last a lifetime for everyone gathered here today,” said Carolyn Rice, president of the Montgomery County Commission.

75 adoptions have been finalized in Montgomery County this year. However, about 200 local children are still waiting for a permanent home.

Garrett is a WYSO intern and graduate of University of Dayton. He spent time covering the Dayton area with WDTN Channel 2 News after the 2019 Memorial Day Tornado outbreak. It was around this time that he began listening to NPR and fell in love with radio-based journalism. Garrett graduated from UD in May of 2021 with his Bachelor’s in Communications with a focus in journalism and graduated in May of 2022 with his Master’s. While not working at WYSO, Garrett is an avid reader, loves to play video games, and hanging out with his friends.