A Freehold Borough couple have opened their hearts and house to give three children a permanent home.
Karen Mitcham and Victoria Smith adopted two children, a 6-year-old girl and a 2-year-old boy, on Nov. 17 as part of Monmouth County’s 12th annual Adoption Day. The children were adopted through the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency.
Mitcham and Smith have three adoptive children; they previously adopted a girl in 2011.
Mitcham said she and Smith met their children through foster care, which she has been involved with since 2010.
“We have seen a lot of children come and go through foster care,” Mitcham said. “These little ones have not been fortunate to have been reunited with their parents, but we have a bond with these children (the 6-year-old and the 2-year-old) and we saw that the next best thing would be for them to remain with us.”
“The children needed a home,” Smith said. “They have to know their situation is not their fault and be in a safe and loving environment.”
Mitcham said she and Smith “are the only parents (the 2-year-old boy) has known.”
“It brings me great joy to be able to provide a loving home to these children who deserve it,” she said.
While she enjoys providing a home and parental support, Mitcham also noted that she is saddened by the children’s situation.
“It breaks my heart that some parents do not own up to having children,” she said. “The children have to live with rejection and a lifelong wound we have to clean. There are times when the children are hurting and wondering if their parents will call them. We have to give them comfort.”
During the 2017 Monmouth County Adoption Day, 17 adoptions took place, according to Monmouth County Surrogate Rosemarie Peters. The adoptees consisted of 14 children and three adults and their ages ranged from 4 months to 29 years.
There were eight boys and six girls adopted, and three adult women adopted. Nine individuals were adopted through the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency, two were adopted through private agencies, two were adopted by family members and one was a private adoption, according to Peters.
In addition to the adoptions that were completed by Mitcham and Smith on Adoption Day, Jeffrey and Kate Johnson of Middletown adopted a 4-month-old girl, and Richard Moses and Seegal Anselmo Moses of Red Bank adopted a 7-year-old boy, according to Peters.
Richard and Seegal Moses have nine children and have adopted before, Peters said. The couple completed their most recent adoption privately without the assistance of an agency. The Johnsons completed the adoption process with the assistance of a private agency, according to Peters.
