Adoption Network Cleveland™

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Who We Are

Our Story

Adoption Network Cleveland is a non-profit educational, support, and advocacy organization for all those touched by adoption -- adoptees, birthparents, adoptive parents, foster parents, foster children and former foster children, and the professionals who serve them. Founded in 1988, Adoption Network Cleveland has a membership base of approximately 700 individuals, families, and organizations. When you join Adoption Network Cleveland you not only support our work, but you will receive our bi-monthly newsletter Guidance and be eligible for many other benefits (click here to join).

Adoption Network Cleveland is a unique organization that brings together multiple perspectives and honors the experiences of each individual as valid and important. Founder and Executive Director Betsie Norris completed a search and reunion for her own birthparents in the mid-1980's and quickly realized that there were many issues in adoption that were going unaddressed by adoption agencies, mental health professionals, and the community in general. Striving to meet unmet needs continues to be a driving force in the programs and services we offer.

Mission

We connect and empower individuals, organizations and communities impacted by adoption and foster care, and we provide a source of healing for those in need.

We accomplish our mission by:

Creating a safe place for those touched by adoption and foster care to pursue personal empowerment. This includes but is not limited to: adoptees, birthparents, adoptive and prospective adoptive parents, youth in foster care, foster parents and siblings.
Providing opportunities for peer support and education for those touched by adoption and foster care and the professionals who serve them.
Developing and advocating for best practices in adoption practice, policy and law.
Creating and implementing high quality programs and services based on best practices in the field.
Convening and leading public-private partnerships; promoting progressive system change.
Promoting public awareness and social change regarding adoption and foster care issues throughout the broader community.
Creating possibility through promoting openness, cooperation and collaboration in adoption and foster care.

Values

Inclusiveness: We draw strength from that which unites by embracing all people, honoring diversity and accepting differences.
Collaboration: We choose to be a catalyst for outstanding practices by fostering relationships internally and externally among individuals, organizations and communities.
Courage: We stand for our mission and an individual’s right to self determination even at the risk of compromising mainstream acceptance.
Trust: We promote a sense of security and hope through honesty, authenticity and openness.

Commitment to Inclusiveness

Adoption touches people of all cultures, backgrounds and walks of life. Throughout Adoption Network Cleveland we celebrate this fact by:

Embracing all people;
Respecting the diversity of the people we serve;
Reflecting inclusivity in our leadership;
Responding through our policies and programs.

Acknowledging and accepting our differences, we choose to draw our strength from that which unites us.

How is Adoption Network Cleveland funded?

Being a non-profit organization we have a variety of sources of funding including individual donations, membership fees, government, foundation, and corporate grants, program revenue and fund-raisers. In addition, Adoption Network is a member of the fund-raising federation Greater Cleveland Community Shares and receives donations through workplace giving. Funding for specific programs is provided by United Way and the Cuyahoga County Commissioners.