APPLETON (NBC 26) — At Adoption Services Inc, uniting families is a cause that hits close to home.
"The majority of the staff at Adoption Services has a direct link to adoption," said director Angie Brunhart."As an example, I’m an adult adoptee. I have people on staff who are adoptive parents as well as birth parents. So at times we're able to bring a very real life perspective as well as that professional connection for them.”
The agency works with couples and individuals looking to adopt as well as birth parents to help them find their perfect match. The agency helps families with both independent and agency-based adoptions, where the agency introduces birth parents to potential adoptive families.
“We prepare a birth parent for adoption by explaining the process of adoption from their perspective," Brunhart said. "Within our waiting families we’re then able to introduce them to families that are waiting for children.”
The agency is currently seeking families who are interested in adopting for its domestic agency program.
“We are always looking for adoptive couples and singles that want to adopt for our birth parents to view and see," said administrative assistant Katy Eder. "They get to choose who they want to place their child with so it’s important that they’re able to have an array of families to connect with and meet with.”
The goal is to establish a bond between both the birth and adoptive parents before the adoption. The majority of the adoptions at Adoption Services Inc. are open, meaning the birth parent will stay in contact with the child after the adoption is finalized.
“Choosing the right family, someone that you’re comfortable with, someone that you connect with is the most important part of the decision making process because you’re all going to be connected for the rest of your lives,” Eder said.
In Wisconsin, it’s a long journey for families looking to adopt. At Adoption Services Inc. the average time from the start of the process to the time of being placed with a child is about two years, but at the end of the road is a gift that lasts a lifetime.
“It’s so much fun to see the looks on their faces when they walk into the office to meet with the birth mother for the first time," Eder said. "You can’t describe how they’re feeling in that moment and the moments after they meet with a birth mom who says 'I want you to have my child.'”
To learn about more adoption resources that are available, you can visit the Adoption Agencies Inc. website.
