It was called “heart work” — and for five Lucas County kids, it was the day everything changed.

Lucas County Children Services finalized five adoptions during a special ceremony celebrating families formed through foster care and adoption — and one family’s story stood out from the rest.

A foster parent who already adopted three children nearly 20 years ago just added a new generation to the family: her 4-year-old grandson. His mother is one of the children she adopted two decades ago — which means three generations of one family are now bound by the same woman’s decision to keep saying yes.

Ceremonies like this are how the agency celebrates permanency for children in care — and officials say the need for foster and adoptive families in Lucas County is still growing.

Thinking about fostering or adopting? Lucas County Children Services takes inquiries at 419-213-3336 — learn more here. For more on today’s ceremony, see the full story.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons.