Lowcountry family marks Statewide Adoption Day with adoption of two daughters

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Adoptions are being finalized across the state to celebrate Statewide Adoption Day.

Toward the end of the year courts are closed and there is limited court time, the Lowcountry Adoptions Administrator for the Department of Social Services, Tangela Carr, said.

Statewide Adoption Day makes the day extra special for children, but it also allows for a lot of adoptions in one day.

On Monday, 75 adoptions were scheduled to be finalized across the state, 18 at the Family Court of Charleston County.

Two of those 18 children, Joy and Justice, were adopted by Cynthia Bogan-Baber and her husband on Monday.

“They need stability, they need a foundation, they need to know who they are,” Baber said, “And now there’s no doubt, they have the same last name as everyone else, and they’re home.”

The Baber Family has fostered children for 11 years before adopting their son, Jeremiah.

Since they adopted Jeremiah, he’s had brothers and sisters come into the care of the Department of Social Services and they’ve cared for each one, she said. Joy and Justice are the fourth and fifth siblings of Jeremiah’s that the Baber family has adopted.

“When you see them together, it’s just so clear that they knew each other before time,” Baber said.

She said children in the foster care system who are taken away from their community can struggle with mental health.

“He’s biracial, I don’t look like him, I don’t have that part of his culture, so I could never give him what he needed,” Baber said, “But now, he has four of his siblings who look like him, who share his history, so they’re going to help each other.”

The Baber family has been working to adopt Joy and Justice for three years.

Adoptions Caseworker, Jennifer Hamilton, says she loves seeing the weight lifted off families’ shoulders once their adoption is finally finalized.

“Once we get to finalization it’s like, ‘this child is finally mine,’” Hamilton said, “For me, it’s like I made that happen, I helped that family become a family.”

So far this calendar year, the Department of Social Services has already finalized 517 public adoptions across the state, putting 2023 on track to be one of the highest years on record in the last five years.

If you’re interested in adopting, call Heartfelt Calling at 888-828-3555.

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