RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — 23 children out of the City of Richmond's foster care have achieved permanency today -- in other words, they have found their forever home through adoption. The Richmond Juvenile and Domestic Relations (J&DR) District Court joined courts across the country Saturday, Nov. 23 in celebrating National Adoption Day -- a grassroots effort to bring awareness for children waiting to be adopted from foster care in the United States and celebrating those who have been. 23 children and their new families were joined at the courthouse to celebrate their new permanency. The celebration was also a heartfelt one for Jessica and Robert Scott, who adopted three children but are also parents of two foster children. They first became foster parents in June of 2022. “Here we are, not more than two and a half years later, and we went from 0 to 3 adopted children, plus two more foster kiddos, right — so we went from 0 to 5 in like in a blink of an eye," Robert Scott said. "This is a dream come true," Jessica Scott explained. "There was a point when I didn’t think I’d ever become a mother." Shonda Giles, director of the Richmond Department of Social Services, told 8News of her admiration of foster parents, and shed light on the time they devote to the children they choose to take in. “I admire them so much because they literally put their heart on the line, because the goal is never adoption, it’s to keep families together," Giles said. "Then you have the folks who are willing to be there and have this as their forever family, so I do get choked up each time. Judge Ashley K. Tunner also weighed in on the meaning behind the celebration activities, adding that each Adoption Day she attends has a personal impact, as she's seen first-hand the trauma the children have gone through. “I have watched them as they've grown, as they've matured, as they have had to deal with the trauma that they were exposed to in their early childhood," Tunner said. According to Richmond judicial officials, as of Nov. 18, 2024, there were 241 children in the City of Richmond's foster care system. The Department of Social Services currently has custody of 90 children with the goal of adoption.