Jason P. Stimpert, center, listens to Judge Robert Rusu of Mahoning County Probate Court while some of his family surround him at the bench at the end of adoption day, which took place Monday in the Mahoning County Courthouse.

YOUNGSTOWN — The Stimpert family of Newton Falls foster parented children for 10 years starting in 2007 before adopting the first of six foster children. The family also has two biological children, who are adults.

In 2017, a 2-year-old boy named Jason came into their home as a foster child. He stayed with the Stimperts a couple of months, then went back to his biological parents for a short time, then came back to the Stimperts for a few more months.

“Then he went back (to his biological parents) for an entire year,” Julie Stimpert said. “Then when he came back in 2019, he’s been with us ever since.”

On Monday, he became a permanent part of the Stimpert family, which now consists of eight children. Mark and Julie Stimpert adopted Jason during the adoption day ceremony Monday at the Mahoning County Courthouse.

During the ceremony, Judge Robert Rusu of Mahoning County Probate Court followed the legal requirements of an adoption hearing by asking for evidence to substantiate that the adoption is in the best interests of the boy, now 7.

“He is truly a part of the family,” said Shaunte Rogers, adoption supervisor at Mahoning County Children Services, who carried out the adoption assessment in the case. She agreed Monday that adoption is in the best interests of the boy.

Rogers said that Jason was “a little confused” when Rogers asked him about possibly being adopted by the Stimperts. “He said ‘I thought I was already adopted,'” Rogers said with a laugh.

She noted that Jason has been living continuously with the Stimperts for more than three years and said his relationship with the two other children at home is good. Jason is “attached and bonded with them. He’s the little brother,” she said.

“They get along like brothers and sisters,” Julie Stimpert said later. “They’ve been together for so long. Jason when he first came to us was 2 and when he came back he was 3. So he’s always been the baby of the family to them.”

She said the reason Jason was confused about whether he was adopted was that a case worker came to talk to him once about adoption and “from that point on, he thought he was adopted.

“He didn’t understand. We kept telling him ‘You have to go talk to the judge, so he told his teachers he wasn’t going to be at school. He had an appointment with the judge,” she said with a laugh. “He truly thought he was adopted. He is the cutest thing, and he is as ornery as cute. And he is wrapped around my husband’s finger.”

Four of the Stimperts’ adopted children are biological siblings.

As is the tradition now, at the end of the ceremony, Jason was asked to come to the bench, where Rusu explained that Jason would be banging the gavel to close the adoption hearing and declare himself adopted.

When asked what advice she would have for others thinking about adopting, Julie Stimpert said: “Do it. And get involved in the kids’ lives, get involved in the child welfare system.”

Julie Stimpert is a member of Newton Falls council and her husband is a former Newton Falls council member.

Rusu said this year marks the ninth adoption day ceremony in Mahoning County. He said 53 children are in the custody of Mahoning County Children Services and 3,378 children are “waiting for a family.”

erunyan@vindy.com