Sean Kirst: 25th Adoption Day
At 25th Adoption Day Gathering, a ‘Founding Father’ Finds a Roomful of Children, Love and Meaning
by Sean Kirst (November 24, 2025) — Story references Syracuse Firefighter Dave Johnson
Up in the front, prominent family court judges at a massive head table offered words of gratitude Friday to dozens of about-to-happen adoptive families, seated throughout a packed Oncenter conference hall.
In the back — where many women and men were watching on their feet, part of the standing-room-only spillover of a crowd of easily 500 — Eva Mroczek weaved through the pack, an infant who would soon formally become her daughter in her arms, looking for a guy she wanted the chance to thank.
When Eva spotted anyone she knew within the tight Syracuse adoption community — which was a lot of people — she would ask: “Have you seen Kevin Harrigan?” …