Legoland hosts adoption ceremony to help build up new families

Legoland Florida

Delite Endress worried she wasn’t the perfect mom for Jett.

Endress had been a foster mom for years. So many homeless kids had come through her door, it was hard to keep track of exactly how many. More than 100, less than 200.

She was used to rummaging in her storage room to pull out a crib or a toddler bed when the emergency call came.

The Lake Wales woman never said no to a foster care placement. She took the kids on trips to nearby Legoland Florida to play at the water park or with Legos, to forget everything around them, just for a moment.

Endress had a tough childhood herself. It inspired her to want to help others. That’s why she did it.

She understood her foster kids were temporary. They came and then they went. “Catch and release,” Endress said.

And then Endress met Baby Jett.

Endress began fostering 2-month-old Jett, the son of a homeless woman and an incarcerated man.

It felt like meeting a new friend right away. She adored him instantly.

The idea to adopt him — something she had never done before with all of her dozens of foster kids — began to take hold. Jett’s mother encouraged Endress to adopt him, which pushed her to seriously consider it.

On paper, Endress worried she might be the wrong mother for Jett.

Endress wasn’t rich. She worked in insurance. She shopped at Walmart. She was a single mom. She already had an 8-year-old daughter with special needs living at home.

“I was holding back,” Endress said. “I felt like maybe somebody else could give him a better life. And the case manager is like, ‘What’s wrong with you?’”

She watched Jett and her 8-year-old bond like real siblings. Endress’ grown daughter doted on him too.

“He brings a lot of joy, happiness, like a little breath of fresh air,” Endress said. “He really completed our family.”

To this day, now-2-year-old Jett is a happy toddler into cars, trucks and throwing things. He eats anything except vegetables. He is silly. He dips chicken nuggets in cocktail sauce and climbs anything he can.

“When it came right down to it, I just couldn’t give him up. I think that if they would have said he was moving to another home, or there’s a family that wanted to adopt him, I think I would have died a little bit inside,” Endress said.

Endress decided to take the next step. The adoption was finalized just before the holidays in a unique ceremony.

A courtroom can be a serious, sterile place. It doesn’t fit the mood of the occasion — the families coming together for an adoption ceremony. Instead, Endress was among 22 families attending the adoption ceremony at the whimsical Legoland Hotel last month in Winter Haven.

The event was complete with two Judges present and Polk County Sheriff’s bailiffs, like you would see in any real courtroom. Only there were also Lego characters present and guests checking into the hotel. Afterward, Legoland Florida gave out 150 free theme tickets to all the new families.

“The adoption ceremonies marked a historic moment not just for Legoland Florida but for Merlin Entertainments, Legoland Florida’s parent company. The event represented the first adoption celebration held at a Merlin Entertainments attraction,” theme park spokeswoman Stephanie Bechara said.

Heartland for Children, the Bartow agency coordinating the adoptions, had worked with Legoland and Chief Judge of the Tenth Judicial Circuit to make the event a reality.

“Heartland for Children’s CEO, Kim Daugherty has a strong relationship with the Chief judge and knowing that she is always looking for innovative ways to support children and families, we thought it be a perfect opportunity to hold adoption proceedings in a fun, child and family friendly place outside of the courtroom as we celebrated National Adoption Month,” Heartland’s Chief Community Relations Officer Tracy Grey said.

Now, Endress is preparing for her first Christmas with her son.

She is so excited to spoil him, she already gave him some of his Christmas presents.