Forever Families: Local children find forever homes in Duval County adoption event

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — At the Duval County Courthouse, an adoption ceremony was held for children who found their forever family.

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On Friday, 12 children found their forever families. Action News Jax’s Marcine Joseph spoke with a couple who says they have waited for this moment to finally adopt their new child.

“I feel happy, I’m so happy to be with them,” their new son Kaylan said.

Kaylan is now officially “Kaylan Griffin” and is now the adopted child of Michael and Allison Griffin.

“As soon as we met him, it was just something I felt in my heart that, wow, I really felt drawn to this young man, and Allison felt the same way,” said Michael Griffin.

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The Griffins fostered the 13-year-old for over a year, and today, at the Duval County Courthouse, they legally became a family.

The family told Joseph that they knew Kaylan was their son ever since they first met him.

“He walked into our life and we knew. I said to my husband at lunch that this is our child,” explained Allison Griffin.

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Eight other families made the same decision and opened their hearts to children who needed a family.

According to Family Support Services, there are about 300 children in Duval County and Nassau County still waiting for their forever homes.

“We still have children right here in our community that are waiting for that forever family that haven’t yet found that permanent connection,” said Jenn Petion, who is the president and CEO of Family Support Services.

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