It is no secret that Adoptions From The Heart is looking forward to celebrating their milestone accomplishment of 30 years of open adoption, but now there is something even more exciting to announce! Three new astounding birthmothers have just been awarded the AFTH Birth Parent Scholarship Fund. On October 16th at the Building Beautiful Futures event will not only be celebrating the agency’s anniversary, but will also be raising money for the Birth Parent Scholarship Fund. The newest birth mothers to be awarded the scholarship shared their experience and their hopes for the future now that their academic goals are within reach.
A Little Bit About The Scholarship Fund
Adoptions From The Heart had always aimed to help birth parents get back on their feet after placement and establish a steady career path, but with the creation of an educational scholarship program the agency has been able to help birth parents on a grander scale. The Birth Parent Scholarships are available for parents who have placed a child for adoption and having used Adoptions From The Heart as their adoption agency is not a requirement. The educational scholarship can be used for trade schools or for undergraduate studies at a university. While the board that meets twice to review applications can’t help every applicant with a scholarship, we hope that with an increased awareness for the fund we will be able to help as many people as we can.
The Scholarship Recipients: A Deeper Look
Chelsea, Tennessee
“I placed in 2012 and have been in school at Pellissippi State Community College up until last semester when I transferred to the University of Tennessee. I began searching for scholarship opportunities before the Fall semester and only found two scholarships available for birth parents specifically which I thought was surprising. When I saw the AFTH Scholarship I thought, ‘why not?’
I was in the car when I received the call that I received the scholarship. It has been such a blessing. I wasn’t thinking to myself ‘oh I hope I get this it would be awesome,’ I needed the scholarship to finish my last three semesters. As an environmental soil major, I want to work internationally to help farmers create more sustainable practices for agriculture, to help small villages and those who are struggling. I am now one step closer to achieving that dream and it would have been so much harder for me without the scholarship.”
Courtney, Colorado
“When I started looking for scholarships, I found some birthmother focused scholarships through a search engine that led me to the Adoptions From The Heart Birth Parent Scholarship. I have been working toward completing my Bachelor’s degree on and off since 2007. I now only have ten classes left to graduate. I am sociology major with a minor in Spanish, and I hope to further my education to become a minister of Religious Sciences. Being awarded this scholarship obviously helps financially, but it is more than that. Completing my Bachelor’s degree is a symbolism for success, and I happy to finally reach this accomplishment.”
Fun Fact: Courtney speaks about her experience as a birthmother and even has her own professional website: www.CourtneyMae.com
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