Passaic Vicinage to Celebrate Adoption Day

The Passaic Vicinage will celebrate National Adoption Day on Friday, Nov. 18 at the Passaic County Courthouse, 77 Hamilton Street, Paterson.

The program, the first in-person Adoption Day event at the vicinage since 2019, will begin at 9 a.m. with a breakfast reception in the jury assembly room.

Assignment Judge Ernest M. Caposela, Presiding Family Division Judge Rudolph A. Filko, Passaic County Surrogate Zoila Cassanova, and Kevin Belli, area director of the state Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DCP&P), will give opening remarks prior to the adoption proceedings.  Superior Court Judges Scott J. Bennion and Judge Barbara Buono Stanton will preside over the individual adoptions in their courtrooms.

A reception for all Passaic County families that adopted children in 2022 will take place in the afternoon at Kid’s Fun Time in Totowa. Children will receive a gift provided by DCP&P, the Passaic County Surrogate’s Office, the Passaic County Bar Association, and the Court Appointed Special Advocates of Passaic County.  Additional donations were made by Superior Court Judge Justine Niccollai.
     
National Adoption Day is an annual event in which courts and communities from all 50 states come together to finalize thousands of adoptions and to celebrate families who choose to adopt. The Passaic Vicinage established its adoption celebration in 2007. Although adoptions are closed to the public, reporters can arrange to interview selected families after their adoptions conclude.