National Adoption Day Being Marked In South Jersey In Special Way

By David Madden

OAKLYN, N.J., (CBS) -- Saturday is National Adoption Day, dedicated to the cause of finding forever homes for children without a parent.

Several events are set to mark the occasion, including the formal adoption of 41 children through Camden County Family Court Friday afternoon.

Each adoption, of course, is unique and special. But there's one story out of Oaklyn that demonstrates just how special adoption, for all its challenges, can be.

Jennifer and Dru Genther already have three grown boys living at home. For the past year and a half, they have been foster parents to now three-year-old Sophia. Friday, they make a permanent connection.

"It's turned out to be so much more that we ever expected as this baby came into our house, and it was just instant love," Jennifer told KYW Newsradio. "We just knew she was meant to be with us."

She credits the boys with extraordinary understanding. An added benefit, the Genthers have gotten to know the extended family of the birth mother and hope, one day, to include the natural mom in Sophia's life.

Bottom line, Jennifer believes that considering adoption isn't easy but the rewards make it all worthwhile. She concedes, "The foster care system and all is a struggle to go through but these kids need a place to go, and if everybody turns their back on these kids, society is just going keep going down a hill."