BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//www.adoptionnetwork.org//NONSGML kigkonsult.se iCalcreator 2.30.1 0// CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH UID:3e82c604-3b89-4d27-adf7-b350f0cddae6 X-WR-CALDESC:For 39 years\, Adoption Network Cleveland has been more than a n organization—it has been a lifeline\, a refuge\, and a place where peopl e discover they are not alone. It is where stories once held in silence ar e finally spoken\, where questions that lingered for decades find understa nding\, and where connection becomes a pathway to healing.\nFounded on the belief that every voice matters\, Adoption Network Cleveland honors lived experience\, amplifies the perspectives of those most directly impacted\, and creates space for the often-unspoken realities of adoption—the grief alongside the joy\, the questions alongside the answers\, and the lifelong journey of identity\, connection\, and belonging.\nIn this special annive rsary presentation\, Executive Director Betsie Norris shares her personal search and reunion story that inspired her to recognize an unmet need lead ing her to found Adoption Network Cleveland. She traces the organization's 39-year evolution into a nationally recognized leader in advocacy\, suppo rt\, and education for the populations that it serves.\nThrough stories of resilience\, growth\, and impact\, attendees will gain a deeper understan ding of the complex realities surrounding adoption and the transformative power of community\, connection\, and belonging.\n\n\nBetsie Norris is the Founder and Executive Director of Adoption Network Cleveland. An adoptee herself\, she searched for and was reunited with her birth parents and sib lings in 1986 and emerged from that experience with strong convictions abo ut the lifelong journey of adoption for all involved\, and the need for sy stemic change. \nShe founded Adoption Network Cleveland in 1988\, served a s a volunteer for its first seven years\, and has led the organization as Executive Director since 1995.\nWith a wide array of programs and services \, Adoption Network Cleveland has been recognized nationally as a successf ul model for effective service and advocacy for members of the adoption co mmunity including adoptees\, adoptive\, foster and kinship families\, birt h parents and siblings\, people facing DNA discoveries\, youth in foster c are and related professionals. \nBetsie has become a frequent spokesperson in the media and has led the organization to long-term success\, building innovative programs and playing a strong advocacy role. Major advocacy ac hievements include changing laws about access to records resulting in Ohio adoptees gaining access to their original birth certificate\, leading suc cessful efforts to decrease barriers to permanency for youth in foster car e\, and outlawing fertility fraud in Ohio. \nAdoption Network Cleveland se rved as the lead agency of the Adopt Cuyahoga’s Kids Initiative\, a public -private-philanthropic partnership which was responsible for reducing the number of youth lingering in foster care in Cuyahoga County from 1\,700 in 2004 to approximately 500 in 2018. The organization has supported and ass isted in thousands of successful adoptee/birth family and DNA searches and reunions and has been a leader in supporting families to enhance trauma-i nformed parenting and permanency for children and youth. \nOver a 25+ year period\, Betsie took the lead on legislation to reform Ohio’s adoption la ws\, and as a result all Ohio-born adult adoptees adopted have access to t heir original birth certificates\, including 400\,000 adoptees adopted in Ohio's formerly 'closed' period (1964-1996) starting in March 2015. The st ory of her involvement is highlighted in the short documentary An Adoptee ROARed in Ohio: The Betsie Norris Story by Jean Strauss\, which debuted at the Cleveland International Film Festival in 2014. Betsie is co-author of Journeys After Adoption: Understanding the Lifelong Process (Bergin & Gar vey\, 2002) and her story is featured in several books. Prior to her work in adoption and child welfare\, Betsie worked as an RN in child and adoles cent psychiatry. \n X-WR-RELCALID:8a73782bd92d2e08cfa22376b5200e63 X-WR-TIMEZONE:America/New_York BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York BEGIN:STANDARD TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20251102T020000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 RDATE:20261101T020000 RDATE:20271107T020000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20260308T020000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 RDATE:20270314T020000 RDATE:20280312T020000 END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT UID:098ff8eb-66f1-4925-a465-f50b2304bcc4 DTSTAMP:20260728T185122Z DESCRIPTION:For 39 years\, Adoption Network Cleveland has been more than an organization—it has been a lifeline\, a refuge\, and a place where people discover they are not alone. It is where stories once held in silence are finally spoken\, where questions that lingered for decades find understan ding\, and where connection becomes a pathway to healing.\nFounded on the belief that every voice matters\, Adoption Network Cleveland honors lived experience\, amplifies the perspectives of those most directly impacted\, and creates space for the often-unspoken realities of adoption—the grief a longside the joy\, the questions alongside the answers\, and the lifelong journey of identity\, connection\, and belonging.\nIn this special anniver sary presentation\, Executive Director Betsie Norris shares her personal s earch and reunion story that inspired her to recognize an unmet need leadi ng her to found Adoption Network Cleveland. She traces the organization's 39-year evolution into a nationally recognized leader in advocacy\, suppor t\, and education for the populations that it serves.\nThrough stories of resilience\, growth\, and impact\, attendees will gain a deeper understand ing of the complex realities surrounding adoption and the transformative p ower of community\, connection\, and belonging.\n\n\nBetsie Norris is the Founder and Executive Director of Adoption Network Cleveland. An adoptee h erself\, she searched for and was reunited with her birth parents and sibl ings in 1986 and emerged from that experience with strong convictions abou t the lifelong journey of adoption for all involved\, and the need for sys temic change. \nShe founded Adoption Network Cleveland in 1988\, served as a volunteer for its first seven years\, and has led the organization as E xecutive Director since 1995.\nWith a wide array of programs and services\ , Adoption Network Cleveland has been recognized nationally as a successfu l model for effective service and advocacy for members of the adoption com munity including adoptees\, adoptive\, foster and kinship families\, birth parents and siblings\, people facing DNA discoveries\, youth in foster ca re and related professionals. \nBetsie has become a frequent spokesperson in the media and has led the organization to long-term success\, building innovative programs and playing a strong advocacy role. Major advocacy ach ievements include changing laws about access to records resulting in Ohio adoptees gaining access to their original birth certificate\, leading succ essful efforts to decrease barriers to permanency for youth in foster care \, and outlawing fertility fraud in Ohio. \nAdoption Network Cleveland ser ved as the lead agency of the Adopt Cuyahoga’s Kids Initiative\, a public- private-philanthropic partnership which was responsible for reducing the n umber of youth lingering in foster care in Cuyahoga County from 1\,700 in 2004 to approximately 500 in 2018. The organization has supported and assi sted in thousands of successful adoptee/birth family and DNA searches and reunions and has been a leader in supporting families to enhance trauma-in formed parenting and permanency for children and youth. \nOver a 25+ year period\, Betsie took the lead on legislation to reform Ohio’s adoption law s\, and as a result all Ohio-born adult adoptees adopted have access to th eir original birth certificates\, including 400\,000 adoptees adopted in O hio's formerly 'closed' period (1964-1996) starting in March 2015. The sto ry of her involvement is highlighted in the short documentary An Adoptee R OARed in Ohio: The Betsie Norris Story by Jean Strauss\, which debuted at the Cleveland International Film Festival in 2014. Betsie is co-author of Journeys After Adoption: Understanding the Lifelong Process (Bergin & Garv ey\, 2002) and her story is featured in several books. Prior to her work i n adoption and child welfare\, Betsie worked as an RN in child and adolesc ent psychiatry. \n DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260921T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260921T210000 LOCATION: SUMMARY:The Power of Belonging: 39 Years of Adoption Network Cleveland with founder Betsie Norris END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR