This is Roberta Evantash! Roberta worked as a social worker with Adoptions From The Heart since its founding in 1985. Roberta and AFTH Founder Maxine Chalker have been great friends since childhood. They met after becoming neighbors when they were about 12 years old. Maxine and Roberta even attended Temple University together, both majoring in Social Work. Maxine, who was adopted at a young age and lost contact with her family, wanted to start an agency that was centered around adoptees’ needs. This adoptee-centered agency developed into AFTH, and Roberta joined as one of its first team members.
Changing the World
AFTH is now 40 years into serving the adoption community, but the journey here was difficult. At first, Roberta spent most of her time simply educating people on the benefits of open adoption. While Maxine and Roberta understood firsthand the repercussions of closed adoption, communicative adoption was nearly unheard of. But they knew the community needed open adoption, and we’re grateful they never gave up on delivering it!
“Since the beginning, I felt like I was a part of building a successful organization that was going to change the world.” Roberta’s prediction was spot on. With open adoption now popularized as families’ primary option, AFTH has definitely changed the world!
Why Roberta Loves Social Work
Roberta’s many roles at AFTH included full-time social worker, Director of the Wynnewood office, and Manager of International Services. Roberta says her favorite part about social work is meeting different people and hearing all their stories. She’s very passionate about helping people and explains how appreciative she is to have worked with an agency just as passionate.
“There is always a new person to learn from, which keeps every day interesting. There will be times when a birth mother changes her mind or some other crazy experience would happen. However, somehow we are always able to resolve things and make everyone happy.”
AFTH has never lost sight of Maxine’s focus — doing what’s best for adoptees and their families. Just like Roberta, we’re also grateful to have team members who love the people they work with and love the positivity that social work brings. When asked about adoption, Roberta explains her definition stems from her insights as a social worker. She goes on to say,
“People that might have not ever known one another, get a chance to grow together. It’s family, it’s learning to get along with many different aspects of a family, and learning new concepts. Explore and learn about it. It’s not something anyone should feel nervous about educating themselves about. There’s a bunch of different ways to make a family and adoption is one of them.”
Why We Love Roberta
Although Roberta has left AFTH, she will always be a part of our family. From our founder Maxine to the AFTH community, Roberta has built relationships that will last a lifetime. She saw Maxine’s vision before it was actualized, showing her support and commitment to the agency. Additionally, Roberta’s social work was a cornerstone in AFTH’s founding and began the nationwide community we have today. Thank you for being present and committed to AFTH’s mission from the very beginning, Roberta. Happy Social Work Month!
Check out our other blogs to learn about open adoption and why parents choose us!
Asking a Birth Mom: An Interview with Se’Ayra
