By JESSICA WAMBACH

State adoption worker Cheri Holden gets a hug from Teresa Garza, center, as her brother, Dominic Garza, looks on at the Yakima County Courthouse on Friday. Dominic, whose sister was adopted earlier this year, now officially joins her as a member of the Garza family.


It's been almost five years since domestic violence tore apart Dominic Garza's birth family.

On Friday, standing before Yakima County Superior Court Commissioner Lani-Kai Swanhart and fidgeting with his tie, the 15-year-old officially became part of another one.

"You will be responsible to raise, train and provide for him as if he had been born to you," attorney Ray Alexander told Dominic's great-aunt and uncle, San Juanita and Eudelio Garza Jr., who have been his foster parents for the past year.

It's a charge they already knew, having adopted Dominic's 13-year-old sister, Teresa, out of foster care in January.

"It means a lot to us to finally get this behind us and not have to ask permission for this and that," Eudelio said after Swanhart signed the papers and he embraced his new son.

Today is National Adoption Day, a day to celebrate families created by the foster care system.

San Juanita Garza is all smiles Friday at the Yakima County Courthouse while celebrating the newest addition to her family, her son, Dominic Garza.

Amid balloons and cake in Superior Court on Friday, the Garzas and one other family celebrated by finalizing the adoptions of their children as part of the state Department of Social and Health Services' first Adoption Day event in Yakima.

Despite the sacrifices -- Dominic and Teresa join the Garzas' five biological children in their Prosser home -- San Juanita Garza said the family would never trade the chance to give the kids a better life.

"They had a pretty rough time changing schools and being in different places," she said. "Now they have a chance to stay in the same school and graduate."

Adoption Day is designed to make the public more aware of the rewards of foster parenting and encourage prospective parents to look for more information.

There are almost 10,000 children in foster care in Washington and last year, fewer than 1,300 were adopted.

Jim Brooks, adoption supervisor for Region 2 of DSHS, said he couldn't imagine how important the proceedings were for kids.

"To be able to have a forever family is what we want for every child, so it probably means the world," he said.

Teresa and Dominic said that's just about right.

"I feel like I'm going to live a better life now," Dominic said. "I'm with safe parents and I know we won't be moving the next day."

Now, he said, he has a better chance of achieving his dream of becoming a doctor and going as far as he can in sports. His favorites are football and basketball, and Teresa said it's tough to say which one he's better at.

"She says it's football," Dominic said. "My uncle says basketball -- or 'Dad' now, I guess. I have to get used to that."