LANSING - Michigan has successfully celebrated its 12th year of National Adoption Day. The Michigan Supreme Court held open adoptions at the Hall Of Justice.

According to the Department of Human Services there are more than 12,000 children in foster care at any given time. Since the start of the adoption day celebration more than 1,700 adoptions have been finalized through the program. At this year's National Adoption Day event, five families expanded their households.

"Today we create families not by birth but first of all by your intention, adoptive parents and by your choice and in a few minutes by order of court. I want you to love your parents and your siblings and all of your family as much as you can. That's your job," said Maura Corrigan, DHS Director in Lansing.

Each family has a unique story behind their adoption.

Bessie Burton an adoptive parent from Pontiac Michigan explains why she decided to adopt.

"My story is a little different they the normal adoption. It was a bittersweet moment for us. My sister actually passed away, and that's how we came into adopting our niece Helen. I had lost all thoughts of having a child that young in the home and of course I?m a mother already of a 21 year old. So me and my husband doing a reverse, it was kind of shocking because we had to but our thinking caps back on as far as safety. We were attached to her and we thought the right thing to do was to be her parents. I think she brought us back into a full force of energy," said Burton.

There are more than 300 children without identified homes according to the department of human services. Every child needs a home.

On average 32 percent of children are adopted by foster parents, 29 percent adopted by relatives and 39 percent adopted by a recruited family.