Beginning of Samantha's Journey Samantha’s adoption journey began three years ago. She had been going through a highly stressful time in her life. She learned she was expecting halfway through her pregnancy and had recently left a mentally abusive relationship with the child’s father. Conflicting emotions soon followed the news. Samantha was truly excited because [...]
Birth Parent Stories On Wednesday, February 24th, Adoptions From The Heart hosted a virtual event: Heart-To-Heart with Birth Parents. This event brought birth parent voices to light, giving them the time and space to speak on topics unique to their adoption journeys. Dually, this event was a fundraiser with a goal of raising $1,000, which [...]
Episode two of Adoptions From The Heart’s, Heart-To-Heart, podcast covers the topics of pregnancy, addiction, and adoption. Leading the conversation is Jenna Smith, Domestic Program Coordinator from AFTH. The panel of women speaking towards these topics are Amanda Aliberti, Adoption Counselor and Birth Parent Placement Services Coordinator, Alicia, an outreach worker with a recovery house, [...]
Spread the Knowledge about Racial Bias and Inequality It is not enough to simply say you are against racial discrimination; those who are truly against such injustices must take action. Take some time to review what you know about inequality and possibly your own privilege. Scholar and activist, Peggy McIntosh, published an essay titled “White [...]
Transracial Adoption History Transracial adoption has a long, complex history in the United States. The U.S. saw a major increase in adoption in general during the 1940s. But the first known transracial adoption of a black child by white parents occurred in 1948. A subsequent increase in the number of transracial adoptions occurred throughout the [...]
The season two premiere of Adoptions From the Heart’s (AFTH) podcast, Heart to Heart, is up on Spotify. This week’s episode is led by Jenna Smith (Domestic Program Manager), Kristin Kachmar (Expecting Parent Services Manager), and Amanda Aliberti (Post Placement Services Manager). Kristin and Amanda explain their new roles and how their wrap-around services benefit [...]
A look at three presidents influenced by adoption Gerald Ford Gerald Ford originally carried his birth father’s name, Leslie King. His parents separated shortly after his birth, with Ford being raised by his mother, Dorothy. Dorothy remarried almost three years to a businessman, Gerald Rudolph Ford. The couple wasted no time, immediately referring to the [...]
Adoptions From The Heart (AFTH) offers two new services, Expectant Parent Pre-Placement and Birth Parent Post-Placement. Through AFTH’s commitment to serving the adoption triad, the agency realized an even greater need for additional services dedicated to women. Although some of these services are active, AFTH realized there is a need to enhance and add to [...]
Open Adoption: noun: an adoption plan that involves contact between biological and adoptive parents and sometimes between biological parents and the adopted child. Unplanned Pregnancy Decades ago if a woman facing an unplanned pregnancy did not want to marry the man who impregnated her, giving baby up for adoption was her only option. Pregnant women [...]
Adoption is a beautiful thing, yet choosing adoption definitely comes with some obstacles. Below we have put together some of the potential obstacles you might face as a prospective adoptive parent in the adoption process. Finances One of the biggest obstacles towards prospective parents hoping to adopt is the cost. According to the Child Welfare [...]
