NEW BRUNSWICK — Some of the best memories as a child for Sabina Smith are simple — her mom tucking her into bed and her father carrying her in his arms.
“These moments meant the world to me,” she said.
Sabina, now 13, spoke about her experiences with her adopted family during the annual National Adoption Day on Nov. 14 at the Middlesex County Courthouse in New Brunswick.
In October 2007, Sabina, then 3 years old, was living in an orphanage in Kazakhstan, a country in central Asia. She was born with cerebral palsy, a neurological disorder.
Beth Keefe, Sabina’s mom, said once she saw a picture of Sabina, she said, “That is my daughter.”
Keefe said her family was surprised since she and her husband Dave Smith were already adoptive parents of two boys, Scott and Zhenis, also from Kazakhstan. Keefe said their sons were adopted in 2002 when Scott was 6-and-a-half and Zen was 5. Now, Scott and Zen are 22 and 21 years old, respectively.
“I always say [Sabina] was my unexpected pregnancy,” Keefe explained.
On Dec. 7, 2007, the Smith family of Point Pleasant Beach, brought their little girl home to America.
“I met my aunts, uncles, cousins, new dogs … my family, my home,” Sabina said. “I got to eat anything I wanted … that was truly the best thing.”
For her cerebral palsy, Sabina said she had to get braces and go through speech therapy for reading and writing.
“I would have never gotten [the braces and therapy] if I were still in Kazakhstan,” she said.
Tears readily flowed and sniffles could be heard during the celebration in Middlesex County. The day saw nine children adopted to six families.
Attorney James P. Nolan, Jr., who is an adoptive parent, served as the master of ceremonies, welcoming all the families. He was joined by Middlesex County Superior Court Judge Alberto Rivas, assignment judge, Superior Court Judge Deborah J. Venezia, presiding judge in Family Division, state Senator Joseph Vitale (D-Middlesex), Kevin J. Hoagland, Middlesex County surrogate, Carmen Diaz-Petti, assistant commissioner of the state Department of Child Protection and Permanency, and Haydee Zamora-Dalton, area director of the state Department of Child Protection and Permanency.
National Adoption Day on Nov. 17 is a collective, national effort to raise awareness of more than 117,000 children in foster care waiting for permanent and loving families.
Since its inception in 2000, the annual one-day event has made the dreams of nearly 65,000 children come true.
More than 400 cities across the country, including Washington D.C., Guam and Puerto Rico, dedicate a day during November to the finalization of hundreds and hundreds of adoptions.
A coalition of national partners — Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, the Alliance for Children’s Right and Children’s Action Network — sponsor National Adoption Day.
Rivas said attributes of “heart and spirit” create a special bond for adopted families.
“These families made a conscious decision to open their hearts and nurture a child,” he said.
Diaz-Petti said in New Jersey, there are approximately 46,000 children in foster care and 6,000 who have been placed in loving homes.
“We have been focusing on large sibling groups and older children,” she said. “We have also been making sure children are placed with relatives as much as possible.”
In the last 12 years, Diaz-Petti said 14,193 children have been adopted. In 2017, 1,089 children were adopted, with 70 of those children ages 14-21.
“This month alone, 200 children have been adopted, meeting our goal of 900 children adopted this year,” she said.
Diaz-Petti said regardless of the journey families take to come to an adoption process, the families are providing the opportunity for the children to grow up with a loving, understanding, consistent and stable home.
“Thank you for opening your hearts,” she said to the families.
Contact Kathy Chang at [email protected].