Record 10 Thurston County Families Participate in National Adoption Day

Posted

Ten Thurston County families just got a little bigger and a whole lot more thankful this week. 

Family and friends gathered Thursday night at Thurston County Family and Juvenile Court for a ceremony to celebrate National Adoption Day and recognize the legal adoptions of 11 children. 

This was the county’s 15th year of celebrating the national occasion, Public Information Supervisor Meghan Porter said. 

It was also the largest adoption day the county has ever hosted. 

The emotional ceremonies took place with five families in two courtrooms who were all individually recognized for completing the legal adoption process. 

First Lady Trudi Inslee, wife of Gov. Jay Inslee, spoke briefly in each courtroom and congratulated families on their long journeys to adoption. 

“Jay and I really appreciate you choosing the path of adoption for these children and providing a better life for them and for you. We feel that every child deserves a safe, stable, loving place to call home,” Inslee said to those in the courtroom as happy kids shuffled and chattered. “We want every child who needs a family to find a family, and you’re just blazing the path for all children.” 

Families, social workers and legal professionals got the opportunity to tell the stories of the children before the families were presented with backpacks, Teddy bears, flowers and legal certificates of adoption. 

Rainier resident Kurt Klumpp, who adopted 10-year-old Kayden at the ceremony and has adopted five other children over 10 years with his wife Carmen, spoke to the courtroom about how adoption means something different to each family and how he and his wife fell in love with their children through respite foster care. 

“For me, adopting a child — in our case special needs adults and children from foster care — means opening your home, your heart and your family to the wider unknown with unconditional love, like God did for us,” Klumpp said. “When you hear the expression, ‘it takes a village,’ it’s true.” 

In October, the Klumpp’s adopted 21-year-old Brook Klumpp, a special education senior at Rainier High School who was crowned homecoming queen. 

As Kurt Klumpp finished his short speech about his family, Brook held Kayden’s hand in support of her little brother, who was sensitive to the loud noises and large crowds of the courtroom. 

Kayden came into the Klumpp family last February legally free, Kurt said. That means Kayden’s birth parents had their legal rights terminated and that the shy 10-year-old boy had no legal guardian. 

Kurt Klumpp said Kayden came into their life and it was a perfect fit. 

“It rounded things out,” he said. “It was known at the beginning that this was where he belonged.” 

Now, Kayden has a loving family and siblings who will guide him through his journey to independence. 

Shortly before the ceremony, Kaitlin Bents, 34, of Olympia, stood in the lobby holding her soon-to-be daughter, 19-month-old Faith. 



Her extended family huddled around her to talk, all wearing white T-shirts with Bents’ last name emboldened on the back like a football team.

Bents said the day was a big deal for her family. Her biological daughter, 7-year-old Abby, hovered nearby. 

“We have family coming out from California,” she said. 

Bents said she and her husband had been considering adoption since 2017. She said they were ecstatic when Faith was put under their guardianship from the Putnam family, who were the previous foster family. 

Amie and David Putnam, of Olympia, brought their six adopted kids and two biological children to the event to see Faith get adopted. 

The Putnams were medically advised not to have any more kids after their first two biological children, so they started adopting a number of years ago.

“That helped satisfy her baby craze and my Porsche fund,” David Putnam said. 

Since 2006, the Putnams have had 34 children under their roof through Child Protective Services. Because of them, they estimate that about 30 of the kids they’ve hosted have found warm homes and loving parents.

“We try and always meet the families,” Amie Putnam said. 

David Putnam said the best thing about being a foster parent is overcoming obstacles. Some of the kids they’ve fostered have arrived at their home due to drug addictions. He said just being able to get them to a place of comfort and stability through nurturing them is satisfying enough. 

“It’s those little parts. Those tiny wins,” he said. 

The Putnams watched on with pride as the Bents were asked to come forward and Faith was legally adopted. 

“It was cool to see. It was like the ending to a good movie,” David Putnam said. 

“Yeah. They’ve waited a long time for this, so it was great to see,” Amie Putnam added. 

•••

Editor’s note: A story about Lewis County’s National Adoption Day celebration will be in Tuesday’s edition.