PITTSFIELD — Nathan Hunt was once told his family was gone for good.

“They told me I would never see my kids again while I was in jail,” he said.

At the time, his two children were in his mother's care, and adoption seemed like the likely outcome. But Hunt refused to let that prediction define his future.

After his release, he committed to rebuilding his life. He got sober, moved into the Alternative Living Center, found a sponsor and worked a 12-step program. He also began the long process of proving to the same child welfare system that had once written him off that he was ready to parent.

Hunt petitioned for supervised visits, first every other week, then weekly. Eventually, he returned to court.

“I filed for full custody, and I left with full custody,” Hunt said.

On Thursday, instead of standing before a judge, he stood at a podium at 18 Degrees in Pittsfield, his children — Alexia, 14, and Christopher, 10 — beside him as one of four families honored during Berkshire County Unification Day, an annual celebration recognizing parents who have reunified with their children after involvement with the Department of Children and Families.

Christopher Hunt, 10, smiles and hides his face during a ceremony at 18 Degrees in Pittsfield celebrating his and other families’ reunification after involvement with the Juvenile Court and the Department of Children and Families.

The annual event, previously known as "Reunification Day," was also hosted by DCF, Childcare of the Berkshires and the Committee for Public Counsel Services — Children and Family Law Division, in collaboration with the Berkshire Juvenile Court and the local bar.

“First, I want to thank God. I got my kids here. I prayed every day to get them back,” Hunt said. “It’s tough raising two kids on my own. It’s a special day. He graduated school yesterday. She graduated school today. … I might be a single parent, but I do it. I don’t do it alone today.”

Later, reflecting on life since regaining custody, Hunt acknowledged both the challenges and the support that helped make it possible.

"I love it. It's tough being a single father. My mother still helps me," he said. "We have an amazing life together."

Welcoming families, Stephanie Steed, president and CEO of 18 Degrees, connected their stories to the organization's name, which refers to the angle of the sun as a new day begins.

“Every day is full of possibilities, is full of new opportunities. It is where the change from darkness to light happens,” she said. “At 18 Degrees, we’re all about new beginnings, and so you all, who are celebrating your unification, you’re all about new beginnings.”

Judge Joan McMenemy, the first justice for Berkshire Juvenile Court, speaks at the Berkshire County Unification Day ceremony Thursday at 18 Degrees in Pittsfield.

Steed praised parents for persevering through addiction, family separation and other challenges before earning the opportunity to reunite with their children. She encouraged families to recognize not only the milestone they were celebrating but also the work it took to get there.

Another family, who asked not to be identified, shared how their infant son was taken into DCF custody shortly after his birth in April 2023, marking the department's second involvement with their family after what they described as an earlier case that "didn't go very well."

Determined not to repeat the past, they said they approached every requirement with the goal of leaving DCF and the court with no reason to question their progress. In addition to the drug testing required by DCF, they paid out of pocket for voluntary drug tests twice a week to document their sobriety.

“We wanted to make sure the attorney didn't have any kind of ammunition for court,” they said. “We were never letting it happen.”

They also rebuilt their relationship with their teenage daughter, who had not lived with them since she was a baby and now lives at home.

Their message to other parents navigating the child welfare system was one of perseverance.

“Sobriety, living correctly and doing the right thing, it can get done,” they said. “You gotta just really do what you have to do.”

For Hunt, the fight did not end when he regained custody. He said raising two children as a single father is still challenging, but he credits the support of his family and recovery community with helping him succeed.

"I have a village for the help. I reach out for the help," he said. "We have an amazing life together."