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CHOICES Families

The following are some families with whom CHOICES has had the pleasure of helping with adoptions from the US.

Diane & Darryl

For a few years we talked about adoption and finally decided that there was no time like the present to start. We registered with CHOICES in Aug. 2004. By the end of the year our home study was complete and we had to make the decision in which direction we were going to go – domestic or international. After speaking with Anne Carin and telling her our two deciding factors – the time we had to be away from our two daughters and the length of waiting time for a child – we decided that we would pursue an adoption through the United States. Then we had to decide which agency would best meet our needs. After doing some research, we chose the Adoption Center of Choice in Utah. We were registered with them by the beginning of February 2005. In early July, we received a phone call about a three week old baby boy. We were thrilled!! Two days later we traveled to Chicago, Illinois to get him. ACC sent a representative, Michelle, down to be with us and assist us with the proceedings. She was wonderful! We were very thankful she was there to advocate for us. (In the state of Illinois, legally the out-of-state agency has to hire a local one. I must admit that it did sometimes become confusing having three different agencies involved in the process.) Anne and Agnes worked hard on this end of things to make sure all the paperwork was in place so that we could return home as soon as possible. We were fortunate that we were able to return home after only six days away.

Our little boy is such a joy. The girls love him to bits, as do we! At the time it seemed like we were waiting forever. But looking back on it, we know we were very fortunate it didn’t take as long as others. Our son was worth every bit of time we had to wait.

You can contact Diane & Darryl at di-dar7375@hotmail.com if you have any questions about their adoption experience.

Bernadette & Ruth

We are Bernadette, Ruth and Loren.

We would like to thank everyone at CHOICES for helping us become a family. Our journey began with much anxiety at the prospect of going through a home study. We were instantly put at ease when we met our social worker Maryanne, who was very respectful and understood the stress of embarking on an adoption journey. Through out the interviews, and along with the educational components, we came to a greater understanding of what being an adoptive (biracial) family would mean. It helped us evaluate our reasons and desires of expanding our family, and confirmed our commitment to the adoption process.

We decided to adopt through the U.S.A. and found an agency in Chicago that we worked with.

When we got our proposal for Loren, we had very little notice. CHOICES helped us through this very exhilarating chaotic time, making sure that all the paperwork was in order and easing the transition. The staff were in contact with us almost daily, and when we returned to Canada stayed in touch with us often.

Loren is almost two years old now. She is the joy of our lives, and brightens everyone she meets. We continue to learn more about ourselves and grow daily. Adoption has been the best thing we have ever done...So much so that we are in the process of a second adoption at the moment. We have no doubt that CHOICES will be there for us through the second adoption.

Loren was brought to us by more than just fate. We are forever conected to her birth mother who we have great respect and compassion for. We will honor her and thank her for her selfless gift to us.

You can contact Bernadette & Ruth at bshades@yahoo.com if you have any questions about their adoption experience.