FORT ANGELES — Five former foster children woke up this morning with permanent homes after being adopted the day before as part of the first National Adoption Day celebrated in Clallam County.
The adoptions were finalized Thursday afternoon at the Clallam County Courthouse as part of National Adoption Day, a nationwide celebration of the adoption of foster children slated to run in county Superior Courts across the state this week and next week.
Jefferson County will mark the day with a ceremony at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 28, in Jefferson County Superior Court, 1820 Jefferson St., Port Townsend.
Brent Basden, the Family Court commissioner for Clallam County Superior Court who finalized the adoptions, said the court decided to participate this year to call attention to the number of foster children in Clallam County and to honor the families who have chosen to adopt foster children into their homes.
“We thought it just made sense to join in the national celebration,” Basden said.
The children adopted Thursday ranged in age from 3 to 8 years old, Basden said.
The youngest was 3-year-old Trent, who was adopted by Rhonda and Lex Prose of Forks.
Rhonda Prose said Trent is the couple’s first adopted child. They have a 14-year-old daughter and 12-year-old son.
Trent was placed with the Proses as a foster child in September 2011, and his biological parents relinquished their rights to him in May, Rhonda Prose said.
She said his biological mother approached the Proses about adopting Trent.
“We always knew that when the time was right, we would register for adoption,” Rhonda Prose said.
Prose said she knew as soon as she met Trent that he belonged in the Prose household.
“I knew when I met him, he was mine,” Prose said.
Prose said she plans to keep in touch with Trent’s biological mother — an element of what is known as an open adoption.
“We fully support open adoption,” Prose said.
Reporter Jeremy Schwartz can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5074, or at jschwartz@peninsuladailynews.com.
