INDIANAPOLIS -- It was a day filled with balloons and smiles as dozens of families finalized their adoptions in Hamilton County on Wednesday.
The special celebration inside the Noblesville courtroom was in honor of "National Adoption Month."
Even though today was happy for dozens of children, there are still dozens more who are waiting to find a family of their own.
Because of the opioid crisis, many children are being removed from their homes and placed into the foster system, says Anna Wolka, Adoption and Recruitment Director at the Children's Bureau.
"It's such an unfortunate environment for them to have been born into," Joanie Scheiter, whose family adopted four siblings on Wednesday.
"It's not fair and it's not their fault," said Scheiter. "Hopefully we can give them some stability and bring them forward as they move into adulthood."
Working with child services and the children's bureau, the Indiana Adoption Program connects kids with families across the state.
"We adopted a 10-year-old a 7-year-old a 5-year-old and a 4-year-old," said Jamie Scheiter, who will bring home the four siblings.
There are still more than 150 children waiting to be adopted in Indiana - many of them teenagers.
"If you get a phone call and it's a teenager, I feel there's a little bit of hesitation because sometimes families think maybe a teenager doesn't want a family or it's too late for them," said Wolka. "But, it's not too late."
For more information visit AdoptUSkids.org.
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