Lisa Bell, Central Floridian of the Week

This Thanksgiving, dozens of Central Florida families had a new reason to be very thankful.

They opened their hearts and their homes this month, giving 36 kids living in foster care a permanent home with a loving family.

The kids came from Brevard, Orange and Osceola counties, and were adopted in special ceremonies marking National Adoption Month.

Many of the families said the children have been a shining star in their lives, and they felt the least they could do was make them a permanent part of their family.

"When you first get a child, they're going to go through things, because they've had past experiences that they might have been through," Donald Wilson, an adoptive parent, said. "Just have a lot of patience with them, and let them know that you're there for them."

Orange County's ceremony happened in conjunction with the launch of the 2007 Heart Gallery of Metro Orlando, a photo exhibit featuring over 80 local children still waiting to be adopted.

That is why the dozens of families who already opened their homes and their hearts are our Central Floridians of the Week.

To see this or other Central Floridians of the Week, go to News 13 On Demand, Digital Cable Channel 313.

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