Firefighters in Long Island found a 3-pound, 13-ounce baby girl outside their firehouse last month on Thanksgiving day. The girl has since captured the attention of a lot of admirers and would-be adoptive parents. In fact, nearly 500 people have inquired about the possibility of adopting the girl.
The nonprofit group Child of Hope Safe Haven Foundation has received the requests through telephone calls and emails from people curious about the girl and whether they can adopt her. The drop-off of the baby at a firehouse in Wantagh was coordinated by a representative of the girl’s mother. Although Baby Hope was born premature, she is healthy and playful.
According to the founder of Children of Hope, the child has been blessed with the good fortune of many people interested in adopting her. He said that the public is in a holiday spirit and mood, and it is helping to produce more interested would-be adoptive parents. Ultimately, it will be the Nassau County Department of Social Services that will hold the responsibility of determining the baby’s new home.
In spite of the interested people who have called, hoping to adopt the baby, she will not be given to any of these good Samaritans. Rather, she will be given to one of the potential families that have already been certified by the Department of Social Services. Some of these families have already waited years to adopt a child. The Children of Hope organization expects that some of the families that called theme will be interested in completing their certification process in order to adopt babies of their own.
Legal Assistance in New York
Any New York resident who wants to adopt a child is well-advised to acquire legal assistance to help complete the process. With a lawyer on one’s side, adoptive parents can ensure that their child’s adoption papers and the entire legal process is handled appropriately under the law.
Source: NBC New York, “Nearly 500 Ask About Adopting 3-Pound, 13-Ounce Girl Left at Long Island Firehouse, Nonprofit Says,” accessed Dec. 23, 2016.