November kicks off National Adoption Month

November is National Adoption Month, and more than a dozen children finally have a permanent home Tuesday.
It's been a two-year journey to get to this moment for Brian and Melissa Stevens. They can finally call Melissa's niece Alexa their own after a long adoption process.



"It is a long process; it can be very trying but at the end it's so rewarding just to be able to give back and give somebody another chance that really deserves it," says Brian Stevens.
The Stevens are one of 15 families finalizing adoptions as part of Middlesex County's 10th annual celebration of National Adoption Month.



It's a collective effort to highlight the struggles and rewards of adoption, and a reminder that more than 1,000 children are in foster care in the United States.
"These kids need a home; if you have a room in your house and you have a heart take one of these children on," says adoptive parent Mary Francis.



Mary Francis has adopted two young relatives, who now call her grandmother.
According to the Department of Children and Families, 200 adoptions were finalized this month in New Jersey.
National Adoption Day is officially Nov. 19, the Saturday before Thanksgiving.