When National Adoption Day arrives on November 19, many children with new families at Harris County Juvenile Courts 313, 314, and 315 will also take to their new home a gift from children and community members in Friendswood.

     New stuffed animals are being given to each child adopted that day. The community service project was organized by four students at Friendswood High School. Mia Castillo, Hannah Perry, Landry Lowe and Bridget Richie worked together with Castillo’s mom, Carol to start an animal gift giving campaign that will be repeated on National Adoption Day in the spring (in March).  Carol Castillo is a Deputy Official Court Reporter in the 314th District Court in downtown Houston and she experiences the happiness all around the building on the special Adoption Days. The animal gifts add another dimension to the special day.
     “I thought it was a great idea and extremely thoughtful for the four girls. The four wanted to do community service work and this fit,” Castillo said.
     The girls filmed a commercial for Channel 16, got boxes donated by Moving by Design and placed them at the FISD campuses. They will be picking them up for delivery of animals to the children Nov. 19.
     This is a community service project that the four girls will be using for their college applications, applying to colleges for the four to play soccer and also applying the time to their membership in Interact Club at FHS.
     National Adoption Day Nov. 19 is a day when many children are adopted through the court system. The children are adopted from private agencies and from the care of Child Protective Service (CPS). Many of the children have been in CPS care for a very long time and have never had a family or a home, according to Castillo.
     “This is a very special day for everyone,” Castillo said. “The children being adopted range in ages of 3 months to 17 years old.”
     Anyone interested in donating new stuffed animals but missing this first deadline can plan on helping in March. The four girls will begin publicizing the need for stuffed animals in January.