Londeshua Kendrick (center) and her family after they finalized their adoption Friday, Dec. 13, 2024 at the Duval County Courthouse in Jacksonville, FL. (Chanel Martin/Family Support Services)
Family Support Services and their community partners had much celebrate during the sixth annual Home for the Holidays adoption event Friday, Dec. 13, at the Duval County Courthouse – the agency’s largest adoption event of the year and one of the largest to date, with 30 children finding the stability of a forever family just ahead of the holiday season.
Among the 17 families who finalized is Londeshua Kendrick, a mother of three who adopting her seven nephews ranging in age from 13-years-old to turning 2 on Dec. 12. Kendrick says the boys are excited this day is finally here, and she is ecstatic to know “they’ll never have to go back to the life they had – they’re here and they’re stable now,” she says – and more importantly, together.
Robert Smith, 8, with Santa Claus after his adoption by Emily and George Smith was finalized Friday, Dec. 13, 2024, in Jacksonville, Fla. (Chanel Martin/Family Support Services)
The Honorable Judge Michael A. Kalil and Honorable Judge W. Collins Cooper, dependency court judges, presided over the finalizations, which included Santa Claus on hand for family photos and to hear what special wishes the children might like for the holidays. Robert Smith, 8, who was adopted Friday by Emily and George Smith, only asked for a hug and to use the gavel — a request Judge Michael Kalil was quick to honor, letting Robert bang a courtroom gavel and declare his case closed. Special gifts courtesy of the Guardian ad Litem program of the First Coast, stocking from FSS, and hand-crafted ornaments from art students at FSCJ South were also provided.
WATCH COVERAGE from local news stations of the Home for the Holidays events:
- Action News Jax: Mother adopts seven nephews, keeping promise made long ago
- News4Jax: 30 children find forever, loving homes just in time for the holidays
With more than 300 children in Duval and Nassau counties open to adoption, the need for permanent, loving homes is ongoing — particularly for teens and sibling groups. To learn more and begin your adoption journey, click here.
Follow Family Support Services on Facebook for more information about upcoming events.
