Families, Laughter and New Beginnings Mark National Adoption Day in Prince William County

National Adoption Day was a happy day at the Prince William County Courthouse with lots of applause and laughter.  

Judge Carroll A. Weimer, Jr., 31st Judicial Circuit Court, presided over the ceremony and told a courtroom full of family, friends and supporters that he doesn’t often get to see celebration in court.  

“This ceremony each year is one of the few times that people actually want to come to the courthouse. It’s nice to see happy faces,” Weimer said. 

National Adoption Day celebrations are held across the country every year on the Saturday before Thanksgiving to recognize the adoptive families and their children.  

This year, five families adopted seven children in Prince William County. 

Charles and Trudy McCullough adopted their son, whose name is also Charles, 16 years ago and returned to the courthouse to celebrate with the families who adopted children over the last year. The elder McCullough delivered the keynote address to a packed courtroom and reminded the adoptive parents of the good they are doing in their children’s lives.    

“It’s such a great honor to be here today,” McCullough said. “You all are true heroes today. Everyone here is going to have a huge impact on your kid’s lives. Please remember to be there for each other, to help your kids to grow up to be good, upstanding citizens.”  

McCullough told the new parents that they had embarked on a journey no one can fully prepare for, but one that is deeply worth it. 

The younger Charles McCullough, who has brown eyes, said he realized he was adopted when he learned in school that two blue-eyed parents cannot have a brown-eyed child. The discovery, he said, didn’t trouble him. 

‘It didn’t really affect me at all. I accepted it,” said the high school junior. “I looked at them as my parents. They had been there for me my whole life. I couldn’t ask for better parents. I’m very proud to be adopted and very happy.”  

“Like every journey as a parent, it has been up-and-down, but it has been the joy of my life to be his father and to help guide him into becoming a man,” the elder McCullough said.  

Judge Katherine C. McCollam, of the 31st Juvenile Domestic Court, said 107 children have been adopted in Prince William County in the 22 years the county has celebrated National Adoption Day. She noted that a host of people work behind the scenes to make adoptions possible. 

The county’s Department of Social Services, the Manassas Department of Family Services, the Manassas Park Department of Social Services, the Prince William Bar Association and the Circuit Court of Prince William all work together to help children find permanent homes. 

One adoptive parent said she adopted because she wanted a child in her life 

“I wanted to help a child in need, and I was able to take the opportunity to be a mom,” she said.  

Another adoptive parent said she wanted to give a child a safe home. 

“There are so many kids in the system, and I have the ability to do so,” she said.  

Weimer, an adoptive parent himself, told the audience that the good times would outweigh the challenging ones. 

“For those of you who are the adoptive parents, congratulations,” Weimer said. “I know that the decision to adopt is filled with hope, happiness and not just a little bit of anxiety. None of those feelings will go away, but the worry will be overshadowed by the joy and love you will receive.”  

He also offered a message for the children. 

“We celebrate you becoming part of what people call forever families. Your parents and all these people are here to celebrate your adoption – to celebrate you. Everyone here a is part of your adoption and will be part of your lives forever.”  

Although the children were adopted throughout the year, Weimer closed the ceremony by inviting them to the bench to sign their adoption certificates. 

To learn more about foster care and adoption in Prince William County, visit pwcva.gov/department/social-services/foster-care-adoption.