Children get 'forever' families

The Yuma County Juvenile Justice Center celebrated National Adoption Day on Friday for the first time with — what else? — nearly 30 children who have been living under foster care getting adopted into new families.

"If I were to have a child of my own, she would be that child," said Yuman Philippe Gorgue of the nearly 3-year-old child he and his wife, Amy, adopted. "It worked out great. This was more emotional than I anticipated."

Two years ago the Gorgues traveled to China to adopt their daughter, Chloe, who was from a village on the border of China and Vietnam. She was 10 months old at the time.

"She was in an orphanage, but at night one of the workers would take her home with her," Philippe said.

Although the Gorgues legally adopted Chloe in China, Philippe said, somehow the paperwork got messed up and the last name on their daughter's birth certificate was Zheng, the province where she was born.

To get her name legally changed to theirs and to get other legal paperwork straightened out, the Gorgues decided to readopt their daughter here in Yuma on Friday.

Other children lost the "foster" label Friday, and parents were finally able to drop the "temporary" or "waiting" labels from family members.

Nov. 20 was recently designated as the official Yuma County Adoption Day. As part of the celebration, Judges John Nelson and Maria Elena Cruz conducted an estimated 20-plus adoptions involving at least 30 children and 160 family members.

The celebration is among many that will take place this week in courts around the country, marking the 10th National Adoption Day. The day was established to draw attention to the need for homes for more than 125,000 children and to celebrate adoptions.

In a room where cameras are usually banned, on Friday the judges even posed with the families after each hearing. And unlike most court proceedings, everyone left smiling.

"Our family is finally complete," said Mary Callahan of adopting her husband, Mike's, biological daughter. "It's a big day."

Although 13-year-old Madison is Mike's biological daughter, he said his wife wanted to adopt her so she would have the legal rights to make decisions in case of an emergency.

Madison, a Castle Dome Middle School student, said the adoption was something she had been looking forward to.

"I'm happy," she said.

Yuma couple John and Kella Price adopted 5-year-old David, one of the four foster children children they have been caring for.

"My wife has always wanted a big family and she is 100 percent dedicated to taking care of them," Price said. "She is a great mom."

Price, who is a Harrier pilot stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma and assigned to Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron 1, said he and his wife hoped participating in National Adoption Day would draw more attention on the need for not only foster care but adoptions.

"It is a great day for everyone who is involved in finding homes for all these children," Price said. "There are a lot of unsung heroes in the system."

Friday's ceremony at the Yuma County Justice Center brought together judges, attorneys, adoption agencies, adoption professionals and child advocates who are dedicated to creating permanent homes for foster children.

At any given time, about 200 children in Yuma County depend on foster care.

Price said they also plan to adopt the other three children who have been living with them as foster children once their cases clear the courts