Camden County Mother Adopts Fifth Child On National Adoption Day
By Cleve Bryan
CAMDEN, N.J., (CBS) -- Throughout the country, there are more than a 100,000 children in foster care waiting to find permanent, loving families.
For some of them, the wait came to an end today.
It is National Adoption Day and CBS 3's Cleve Bryan met a mom finalizing her fifth adoption.
Joanne Acerba and is a Gloucester Township administrator with a very big, and very unique family.
"I got to be 40 and I never got married and I think just because I have been so career-oriented, it took its own life. So I decided I was just going to be looking into adoption," she said.
When private adoption seemed like it would take too long, Joanne became a foster parent. At first it was difficult, twice caring for children and then giving them back. Then Dakota, who is now 14, came into her life. Soon, more children with difficult backgrounds, ended up in her care. There are seven-year-old twins Charlie and Michael, three-year-old Nicholas and two-year-old Eva Grace. The newest arrival is 11-month-old Angelica.
"I love kids. Every single one is a blessing," she said.
Friday, Joanne brought her family to the Camden County Courthouse to make Angelica her fifth adopted child. The private proceeding was short and very sweet.
The Acerbas were not alone in their joy. There were smiles everywhere you looked as 51 children had their adoptions finalized in Camden as part of the National Adoption Day.
"It is so important that each child has somebody that they can always turn to, that loves them, that they are sure of, that will always be there for them," Patricia Egan Jones of Camden County said.
While today is a day for celebration, there is still a lot more work to be done.
Just in Camden County, there are 139 children ready to be adopted and have their forever home as well.
