BELLEVILLE - With nearly 2 million couples in the U.S. waiting to adopt, Caritas Family Solutions, a nonprofit human services agency, is educating people during Adoption Awareness Month in November. The agency is shedding light on what the prospect of adoption means for local couples like Adam and Kristy, a Southern Illinois couple in the process of getting matched with a birth family.
“Our adoption journey has been a long one and we are continuing to trust and hope that one day, we will become parents,” said Kristy. “Adoption has always been on our hearts even before we realized it could be our only option at having a family. We started this adoption process in 2017 and have experienced being nearly selected by birth parents twice, which came with a lot of emotions. We know this can be a really difficult decision for birth moms and we are aware of what a great act of love it is for a parent to make this choice.”
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
The couple said the advice they would give to other families hoping to adopt a baby is to find an agency partner that makes the process clear and straightforward. Kristy said they’ve worked with several other agencies in the past and working with Caritas Family Solutions has been the easiest by far. They said without the staff and their caring approach, their experience wouldn’t be the same.
"Caritas is an extremely compassionate and understanding agency, and they have taken the time to get to know who we are,” said Adam. “Melyssa, who is in charge of adoptions at Caritas has been through it personally, and having her guide us through this has been wonderful. Their team has been able to lift us up with encouragement and have given us hope when we’ve needed it most. We are hopeful that we will soon become parents through the agency’s help.”
For those interested in Caritas’ adoption program or finding out next steps, go to www.caritasfamilysolutions.org/adoption-services/.
Founded in 1947, Caritas Family Solutions is a nonprofit social service agency whose mission is to strengthen the social and emotional well-being of individuals and families in order to create healthy relationships, loving homes, and strong communities. Services include adoption, community family stabilization programs, foster care, counseling, residential treatment for children healing from abuse and/or neglect, independent living for adults with developmental disabilities (CILA), and assisted living and employment assistance for low-income seniors. Caritas serves more than 7,000 individuals annually across Southern Illinois from offices located in Belleville, Carterville, Mount Vernon, Olney, Glen Carbon, Alton, and Effingham as well as satellite locations in Highland and Sparta. For additional information, visit www.caritasfamilysolutions.org.
More like this:
