Sheriff, parish and state officials take part in balloon release at Davies School to promote adoption awareness; 110 children are adopted in N.O. area

November is National Adoption Awareness Month and state officials, Sheriff James Pohlmann, Ross Gonzales of St. Bernard Parish government, and Nicole Nicosia, wife of new District Attorney Perry Nicosia; took part in a balloon release by the 5th-grade Beta Club at Joseph Davies Elementary School in Meraux on Nov. 19 to focus attention on the need for continued adoptions. The students, officials and Principal Donna Schultz released 110 balloons, one for each child currently adopted in the New Orleans area. Janna Perry-Holloway of the non-profit group CASA of Jefferson, standing for Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children, who help courts make a decision about a child’s temporary or permanent placement, said there are also 5,000 children in Louisiana Foster Care programs. For more information on CASA go online at www.casaforchildren.org. Shown are the Beta Club and officials releasing balloons.