2010 Year in Review

By Carrie Craft, About.com Guide

• Adolf Hitler Campbell, JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell, and Honszlynn Hinler Jeannie Campbell remained in foster care after a three-judge appeals panel found that there was enough evidence that the children should remain in the State of New Jersey foster care. The children of Heath and Deborah Campbell lost custody of their children after abuse and neglect allegations last January 2009. The Nazi-inspired names of their children is not helping their case any.

• After the earthquake that hit Haiti on January 12, 2010, 54 children were rescued from the Bresma orphanage in Port-au-Prince. In August it was discovered that 12 of those 54 children were in a legal limbo due to the fact that they were not a part of the adoption process and did not have identified adoptive homes. Meaning a mistake was made and these children shouldn't have been a part of the Humanitarian Parole Policy and airlifted out of Haiti. So, these children had to wait as the U.S. and Haiti tried to figure out what should happen. Should they be returned to Haiti or remain in the U.S. for adoptive homes. The children ranged in age from 15 months to 13 years and struggled at first with bed-wetting and tantrums according to reports, but have since adjusted to their new surroundings. Reports also stated that the 12 have relatives in Haiti, but had given consent for adoption. The State Department worked to verify if those claims were true. 1,100 children were flown out of Haiti after the earthquake.

• The National Adoption Day Coalition announced its new celebrity spokesperson for 2010. This award-winning actress/writer/director and adoptive parent, adopted a child from foster care in 2008. Yes. It was once again Nia Vardalos who served as the National Adoption Day spokesperson last year as well.

  "Becoming a mother is the best thing that has ever happened to me," Vardalos said. "I am happy to once again be a part of National Adoption Day. We were matched with our daughter through the U.S. foster care system, and my goal is to share information about the more than 120,000 foster care children in this country who are waiting for a family."

  Nia Vardalos and her husband Ian Gomez, adopted their daughter from foster care. She has since been very active with the adoption organization, AdoptUSKids which works to find adoptive homes for children waiting in foster homes across the nation.