Introducing JJ Rett who will co-facilitate a General Discussion Meeting which meets on the 1st Thursday of each month.

Dylan McIntosh, a former foster child turned advocate, utilizes his unique experiences and resilient spirit to inspire change and empower others within the foster care community. In this post, Dylan looks back and shares invaluable lessons about adaptability, resilience, and the power of hope learned through his foster care journey.

In November, Adoption Network Cleveland’s board welcomed four new board members: Corrine Gist, Tammara Humbert, Edie Sweeterman, and Amy Zlotnik. Glenn Cook joined the board earlier in 2022. We think, after reading, you will join us in congratulating our Board’s Leadership Development Committee for working to recruit such mission-centered, professionally diverse, and ready to serve individuals!

It's time for fall workplace giving campaigns. Many workplaces run charitable giving campaigns through organizations such as United Way or Greater Cleveland Community Shares or simply through their Human Resources department. You can designate Adoption Network Cleveland as your charity of choice for a one-time gift or payroll deduction to support our programs and services all year long.

The facilitators of our Birth Mother Support Group, Lindsey and Nikki, shared a bit about what brought them to Adoption Network Cleveland and why they chose to be volunteer facilitators. Our Birth Mother Support Group provides a safe and supportive environment to help with the complexities that are often part of the adoption experience. The meetings are open to birth mothers connected by the lifelong journey of adoption and are an opportunity for birth mothers to encourage one another in their healing process through discussion and interaction.

Barbara and Dan were our original virtual General Discussion Meeting facilitators. They began hosting an online meeting for Adoption Network Cleveland long before Zoom became a household name and the pandemic shut down forced service organizations to rethink how they might continue to serve their populations. Because of Barbara and Dan's experience and guidance, Adoption Network Cleveland General Discussion Meetings were able to make the transition to a virtual format smoothly. We are grateful to have them both as volunteer facilitators! In this blog, they both share a little about why they chose to become volunteer facilitators.

A nagging doubt led Sara to confirm through DNA testing whether or not the man who raised her was her biological father. When she confirmed that he was not, it led her life on a journey she didn't expect.

We are grateful to Becky and Oliver for their willingness to use their facilitator experience to expand the support offerings at Adoption Network Cleveland. With the wide use of at-home DNA testing, the need for a support group for individuals who have experienced a DNA surprise, both adoption and non-adoption related, became apparent in recent years. Becky and Oliver stepped up to offer their expertise and start a new group. Based on our General Discussion Meeting model, the focus of the DNA Discovery Support Group is the emotional journey and not the technical aspects. Both Becky and Oliver have facilitated General Discussion Meetings before agreeing to be the facilitators for this new group which takes place on the first Tuesday of each month at 8:00 pm ET. Becky and Oliver were kind enough to share with us why they are part of Adoption Network Cleveland.