17th Circuit Court to Celebrate National Adoption Day

The Seventeenth Circuit Court will celebrate its annual National Adoption Day Celebration on Saturday, November 19, 2022 at 9:00 a.m. at the Winnebago County Criminal Justice Center. At this event, Judges John S. Lowry, Francis M. Martinez and Erin Buhl, along with Circuit Clerk Tom Klein, social service agency professionals and other court staff will volunteer their time to finalize adoptions for over 20 children previously residing in foster care.

National Adoption Day is a collective national effort to raise awareness of the more than 100,000 children in foster care that are ready for adoption and waiting to find permanent, loving families. On this day, members of the judiciary, attorneys and social service agency professionals from all across the United States work together to finalize adoptions and celebrate all of the families participating in adoptions.

There will be a press conference at the start of our National Adoption Day Celebration promptly at 9:00 a.m. on the 2nd Floor of the Winnebago County Criminal Justice Center, 650 West State Street, Rockford, Illinois 61102. Cameras will be allowed for the press conference, but cameras will not be allowed inside any of the courtrooms. Participants may be available for interviews; however, we must ask that no parents or children be filmed without obtaining their prior permission.

 The social service agencies involved in this year’s National Adoption Day are the Department of Children and Family Services, Lutheran Social Services of Illinois, Youth Service Bureau, Children’s Home & Aid Society, Greenlight Family Services, and Camelot Care Centers. For additional information, please contact Kimberly Ackmann, Deputy Court Administrator at 815-319-4831 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

PDF of Press Release