I t was Superbowl Sunday 2012 when Sharon and Ben Zimon of Hazlet received a call that all adoptive parents wait for — they would have a son.
The couple arrived at the hospital a month later to watch Joshua’s birth and take him home. Since then, they have raised their son as their own, but it wasn’t until last week that they had the paperwork to prove it.
The Zimons sat in a room at the Monmouth County Courthouse in Freehold on Nov. 22 with 24 other families, waiting their turn to finalize the adoption in front of a judge. Joshua, now 8 months old, wore a suit for the occasion and excitedly bounced on his mother’s lap.
“We waited so long for this day to come, and now it’s official,” Sharon said in an interview, adding that the decision to adopt was a simple one.
“We wanted to be parents, but we couldn’t have biological children. There are so many children that need homes and families.”
The Monmouth Vicinage Adoption Day event was one of numerous celebrations held throughout the state to mark National Adoption Day on Nov. 22. Twenty-five families finalized the adoptions of children ranging from ages 4-14.
Nearly 270 children celebrated adoption finalizations in November, including adolescents in foster care, sibling groups being adopted together, children adopted by relatives, and children with medical challenges. More than 800 adoptions are expected to be finalized by the end of the year, according to a press release from the Governor’s Office.
Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno celebrated with the families, recalling her own trip to a courtroom in the Monmouth County Vicinage in 2004 to attend the adoption of her third son.
“There are children in New Jersey who are looking for homes, and this is an opportunity for you to look at all the gifts that God gave you and say what my husband said to me — there is always room for one more,” Guadagno said.
“I know you fought hard to get here. But, speaking from experience, your challenges are not yet done,” she told the group.
“As you fight the challenges of raising your child, remember where this child would be without you.”
According to the National Adoption Day website, there are more than 100,000 children in foster care waiting for families. Assignment Judge Lawrence M. Lawson said reports show that more than 60 percent stay in foster care for two to five years and another 20 percent stay longer than five years.
“Events like this one are helping to improve those results,” Lawson said. “More importantly, they will transform the life of a child, and inspire others to do the same.”
This has been the mission of Ann and Bob Goodlow of Monroe, who were at the courthouse to finalize the adoption of 14- year-old Zach.
Zach first arrived at the Goodlow family’s home as a foster child after superstorm Sandy damaged the group home he was living in, but the couple knew they wanted to adopt him right away.
“It was an easy decision to make,” Bob said. “We were looking for that person to make a perfect fit in the family, and Zach fit right in.”
The Goodlows have been foster parents to several children since their own two children were youngsters. Last year, the couple adopted the 20-year-old foster child who had been part of their family for eight years.
“There are so many children that need to be adopted,” Ann said, adding that more adoptions could be in their future.
“This allows them to be part of a family, and it proves to them we are in it forever.”