ALFRED — When she was young, Allison Abustan was adopted. As a result, she knew she always wanted to adopt children of her own.
On Thursday, her wish came true.
Allison and her husband Jay Abustan adopted a brother and sister, Lucas, age 1, and Neveah, age 4.
The Berwick family were one of nine families to adopt children at the York County Probate Court in Alfred in coordination with National Adoption Day, which takes place Saturday.
The York County Probate Court has hosted National Adoption Day since this special day was launched, said Probate Judge Robert Nadeau. The first National Adoption Day took place in November 2000.
Through an emergency placement, Neveah and Lucas came to live with the Abustans as foster children about 1 1/2 years ago, said Jay Abustan.
“Once the kids were available, there’s no way we were giving them back,” he said.
Allison Abustan said she knew she wanted the children “in about two seconds” after they met.
She describes her children as “perfect” and “amazing.”
Since they’ve been living with their new family, the brother and sister have “made remarkable physical improvements and emotional improvements,” said Jay Abustan.
The children appeared very happy to become members of the Abustan family. They were all smiles, laughing and running around the waiting room prior to the adoption.
“They’re terrific parents,” said the children’s natural grandmother, Jan, who declined to give her last name. “I think they’ve done very well with Lucas and Neveah,” who she described as “very happy.”
Several of Neveah’s and Lucas’ birth relatives remain in their lives. In addition to their grandmother, Jan’s husband still remains in contact with his grandchildren, as well as a great-grandmother.
“They’re our family also,” said Allison Abustan about her children’s birth relatives.
After Probate Court Judge Robert Nadeau declared the adoptions official, Allison Abustan had tears in her eyes and said she was “very happy” and “very grateful.”
The Abustans weren’t the only ones to adopt on Thursday. Steven and Sherry Fillmore of Waterboro also adopted a brother and sister, 8-year-old Xander and 7-year-old Sasha.
Before the Fillmores took in the children, they had “been through so much,” said their birth grandmother, Renee Fuller of Sanford, who also attended the adoption.
No one would know that from the looks of them, though ”“ the brother and sister both seem like happy, ordinary children.
Xander said his favorite things to do are “play outside and watch TV.”
“Me too,” said Sasha.
Both said they like school and their teachers.
In the two years the children have lived with the Fillmores as foster children, “We have seen them grow tremendously both physically, emotionally and spiritually,” said Steven Fillmore.
When they took in the children, it was with the idea of adopting them, said Sherry Fillmore. The couple never had other children.
“We had something missing in our lives,” she said.
The Fillmores said they had a lot of support from members of their church, the Lakeside Community Church, a southern Baptist denomination church, in Waterboro.
Church member Stephen Hill, who acted as the children’s guardian through the adoption process, said the church is very supportive of their members who adopt children. In recent years, about 25 member families have adopted children, including the church’s pastor and assistant pastor, and more are waiting to adopt.
Like the Abustans, the Fillmores have also allowed birth relatives to stay in Xander’s and Sasha’s lives.
“I think it’s wonderful,” said the children’s birth grandmother, Renee Fuller of Sanford, about the adoption.
“They’re in a safe home and they’re happy,” said Fuller. “They deserve to be happy.”
Each year, according to Probate Court Registrar Carol Lovejoy, the court proceeds over an average of 175 adoptions.
In Maine, at the end 2011, nearly 1,200 children were in the foster care system, according the Casey Family programs, which obtained statistics from the Maine Department of Health and Human Services. Five hundred and fifteen children were waiting for adoption that year and 82 aged out of the foster care system after they turned age 18.
Nationally, said York County Manager Gregory Zinser, there are “more than 100,000 young people who are still waiting in foster care across the country to find families to call their own.
“Each year, more than 26,000 youth age out of foster care without families,” he said.
By focusing attention on this issue, said Zinser, he hopes that more people will become interested in adopting children living in the foster care system.
In addition to Alfred, probate courts in Augusta, Bangor, Oxford HIlls and Portland also participate in National Adoption Day.
— Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 324 or dmendros@journaltribune.com.
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