The social workers and staff at Adoptions From The Heart are the backbone to our entire operation – making open adoptions possible every single day. On our Facebook page, Adoptions From The Heart, we have taken time every Friday afternoon to highlight someone at our agency and share their thoughts, feelings, and experiences with the agency and open adoption. We gathered some of those posts together to display just how wonderful the staff here really is!
Maxine Chalker, Founder and Executive Director
It is amazingly gratifying to see families being created on a daily basis. At the picnic or other agency social events it is wonderful to see birth and adoptive parents together with their children. People are all individuals and there is a different story or issue every day which keeps my creative juices going.
As an adoptee, myself, the above is what I envisioned when I began the agency in 1985 in my home. Of course, then I had to idea how big the agency would become, how many states would be involved and how many lives would have changed. I just knew that the way adoptions were being done at my job at a public agency, was not the way that I felt it should happen. I looked into Open Adoption by contacting an agency in CA and decided that this was the philosophy that I wanted to embrace.
Adopted children love their families just as much as biological children but they may always feel that they are “different” than their families in certain ways. That is also true of the reverse. Adoptive parents love their adopted children the same amount as they would a biological child but they are always aware of the “difference.” Another thing is that the fees charged are to cover all of the expenses involved in running any business – rent, utilities, advertising, computers and office equipment and salaries. Although most agencies are non-profit and give back to their communities, they need income in order to meet their needs.
Advice for Birth Parents and Adoptive Parents
I would give birth parents credit for being so unselfish that they put the wellbeing of their child before their own. They should decide what is the best way for them to deal with this loss – whether by staying in touch with the family more often or not staying in touch at all (although this may change over the years).
As for adoptive parents, relax. You have been through a lot trying to become a parent. Leave the rest up to the professionals who are there to help you. It seems prospective families sometimes feel that we aren’t doing enough or that we don’t care but that is far from the truth. We try to assist every family the best we can.
Heidi Gonzalez, Assistant Director
My favorite part of my job is seeing the babies! Everyone in the Wynnewood office knows I am a total Babyholic! Actually I really love the picnic…I love seeing all the families and reunions. Adoption isn’t like it used to be, open adoption has opened up so many doors and opportunities for all adoption members.
Advice for Birth Parents and Adoptive Parents
My advice to adoptive parents would be to remember your commitment to birth parents and to take the time to send quality photos of your children. These women gave you the opportunity to be a family, give them the respect of sending a nice clear photo so that they can see a happy, loved and beautiful child and what a great job you are doing parenting.
Who Else Makes Open Adoption Possible?
Check back on our blog to see even more of the people responsible for aiding in the creation of beautiful families through adoption. Is there someone in your life that made your open adoption possible?
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