Kulture, 2, Hid Under a Courtroom Table and Called Out ‘I Found You!’ as Her Uncle Jerry Woods, a Single Dad, Adopted Her in Rusk, Texas

A 2-year-old named Kulture picked an unusual spot to wait during her own adoption hearing in Rusk, Texas: under a table in the courtroom. From there, she called out to announce that she had found the person she was looking for. The moment came as her uncle, Jerry Woods, a single father, became her legal father on Nov. 9, according to KLTV.

A courtroom table and a toddler’s announcement

The adoption was finalized at Cherokee County’s annual Adoption Day, held in the Cherokee County Court at Law, KLTV reporter Brooke Dearing wrote. Judge Janice Stone presided, and the report says the court looks forward to the event each year.

Kulture, who was energetic throughout the process, did not stay quiet. Stone said the toddler “wanted everybody to know that she loved her daddy.” The judge also described her as “a ball of energy.”

KTRE, a sister station of KLTV, carried the same report. The report counts one finalized adoption and does not say how many families took part in the day overall. It also does not say who organized the event.

What Jerry Woods says about becoming her dad

Woods, a single father, adopted his niece, who is 2. KLTV did not give his age. He told the station that the adoption process is difficult but worthwhile, and that a child’s trust and affection make it feel like the best thing in the world.

He described the courtroom as an emotional moment. Woods said he wanted to break out in tears right away but felt he had to stay strong for Kulture. Stone said the day moves people to tears and makes them want to cry.

The headline of the KLTV story quotes Woods saying that hearing Kulture call him Dad every day is a gift. Woods also said he hopes Kulture will always know she is loved and supported, whatever others tell her about their relationship.

How a relative’s adoption works in Texas

Kulture’s case involved a relative, and Texas has a defined path for adoptions out of foster care. According to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, children being adopted often already live with the family as a kinship or foster placement. The department describes the steps this way: after a child has lived in the home for six months, the family files a petition to adopt, and a judge’s approval makes the adoption permanent.

Once the adoption is final, Child Protective Services is dismissed from the case. The agency calls adoption “a permanent, lifelong commitment to a child” and says an adopted child has the same legal and inheritance rights as a birth child.

The department also lists waiting children on the Texas Adoption Resource Exchange, a search tool for families looking to adopt. The page does not detail the children in the listings.

KLTV’s report does not say whether Woods’ case followed that exact path, how long Kulture had lived with him or whether the state was involved. Those details are not in the story.

Support that follows an adoption from foster care

The federal Child Welfare Information Gateway publishes a summary of Texas adoption assistance for children adopted from foster care. It says the child must be under 18 when the placement agreement is signed and must have been in the state’s care the day before adoption. Eligibility also depends on conditions such as being at least 6, being adopted with a sibling, or having a verified physical, mental or emotional condition.

The same summary says families can receive up to $1,200 per child for approved one-time finalization costs. It adds that Medicaid and monthly benefits may begin before an adoption is finalized. The page describes the program in general and does not say whether Kulture’s family qualifies.

Why courts hold Adoption Days each November

National Adoption Day 2026 falls on Saturday, Nov. 21, according to the national organizers. The effort began in 1999 and describes itself as a grassroots campaign to raise awareness of the more than 100,000 children waiting to be adopted from foster care in the United States. The four founding partners are the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, the Alliance for Children’s Rights and Children’s Action Network. Courts and organizations in more than 400 communities have taken part, and the organizers say more than 95,000 children have moved from foster care to a permanent family through the effort.

Local groups work on the same problem year-round. Heart Gallery East Texas, a program of The Fostering Collective, uses photo exhibits to help children in East Texas find permanent families. The group says it serves children who are often overlooked, including older children, sibling groups and children with medical or behavioral needs, and that about 100 of them currently live in East Texas.

The group’s website says that, historically, less than 1% of these children find forever families, and that with a Heart Gallery program, dedicated staff and media coverage the chance rises to 60%. Those figures are the organization’s own claims.

Another Texas family reached a similar milestone at a themed event in Odessa, where a first-time dad adopted baby Easton on an Adoption Day with seven foster children gaining families.

KLTV pointed readers interested in adopting to Heart Gallery East Texas. The group lists a phone number, (903) 707-8515, and an email address, [email protected], for questions. Its site invites visitors to meet the children in its gallery and describes the goal as becoming the forever family of a child in East Texas.

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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.

Image: Larry D. Moore – CC BY 4.0/Wikimedia Commons