Thank You for Your Support!
Thank you for your donation to Open Adoption & Family Services. Your transaction has been completed and a receipt for your purchase has been emailed to you. You may log into your account at www.paypal.com/us to view details of this transaction.
Your support is greatly appreciated and needed to fulfill the mission of our pro-choice nonprofit agency. We are a charitable organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, so your contribution is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Keep In Touch!
We like to hear from members of our open adoption community. Please keep in touch and let us know how you're doing!
To subscribe to our free, quarterly newsletter, please Click Here.
Annual Reports
Open Adoption & Family Services (OA&FS) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) adoption agency licensed in Oregon and Washington. We offer free, all-options pregnancy counseling for pregnant women and couples in our service area. We plan open adoptions for birthparents at no cost to them.
Read More About Our Recent Work:
- 2011 OA&FS Annual Report (PDF)
- 2010 OA&FS Annual Report (PDF)
- 2009 OA&FS Annual Report (PDF)
- 2008 OA&FS Annual Report (PDF)
Media Inquiries
Thank you for your interest in writing or producing accurate information about open adoption or Open Adoption & Family Services (OA&FS)!
Please contact us: amy@openadopt.org or 1-800-772-1115.
OA&FS In the News:
Contact Us
Any time, day or night at: 1-800-772-1115 or by sending an e-mail to information@openadopt.org.
Para Español: 1-800-985-6763
In Oregon:
Portland
5200 SW Macadam #250
Portland, OR 97239
503-226-4870
Eugene
315 West 10th Ave.
Eugene, OR 97401
541-343-4825
Medford
541-608-6134
Bend
541-388-2535
Salem
503-540-5832
In Washington:
Seattle
200 West Mercer St. #E-508
Seattle, WA 98119
206-782-0442
Vancouver
360-254-7236
Olympia
360-352-3063
Online:
Web Site: www.openadopt.org
Facebook Page: www.Facebook.com/OpenAdoptionFS
Twitter Feed: www.Twitter.com/OpenAdoptionFS
Youtube Channel: www.Youtube.com/OpenAdoptionFS
Stories On Video
These videos trace the experience of people who accessed our services: all-options pregnancy counseling, open adoption planning, and open adoption as an alternative to state adoption. Thanks to clients of Open Adoption & Family Services (OA&FS) for their help in creating these unique stories on video for you!
About OA&FS: Our Mission
Open Adoption & Family Services (OA&FS) supports pregnant women/couples making decisions about parenthood in an atmosphere of dignity and respect. When the choice is adoption, we help plan child-centered open adoptions. We assist birthparents and adoptive parents as they create healthy, long-term relationships that address the ongoing needs of the child.
Please see our Contact Us page or call 1-800-772-1115 to find a location near you.
We are a private, nonprofit adoption agency with a progressive approach to building healthy families. We began providing services to birthparents and adoptive parents in 1985. OA&FS is licensed by the states of Oregon and Washington and has offices in Portland, Eugene, Medford and Seattle. Since we were established in 1985, we've completed more than 1,200 open adoption placements.
OA&FS Staff
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Shari Levine, Executive Director; Co-Chair and president of the Coalition of Oregon Adoption Agencies for 12 years. Backline advisory board member since 2004. Oregon Teen Pregnancy Task Force board member since 2008. Co-Chair of the Multnomah County Teen Pregnancy and Young Parenting Network since 2008.
Portland
- Jess Gibson, Counselor
- Cindy A. Lee, Fiscal Manager
- Lori Maas, Client Services Manager
- Katie Niemeyer, Counselor
- Sari Prevost, Counselor
- Samantha Rinker, Administrative Assistant
- Suzie Williams, Program Manager
Eastern Oregon
- Angie Lunde, Counselor
Eugene
- Robin Francisco, Administrative and Outreach Assistant
- Irie Hoffman, Counselor
- Jan Jamieson, Regional Supervisor and Counselor
- Linda Kostur, Counselor
Seattle
- Heather Goldy, Counselor
- Courtney Gray, Counselor
- Lisa Koblenz, Office Manager and Outreach Coordinator
- Katie Stallman, Regional Supervisor
- Maria Villegas, Counselor
Eastern Washington
- Marianne Harris, Counselor and Outreach Coordinator
OA&FS Board of Directors
- President Roy Abramowitz, CPA; Perkins & Company
- Vice President Erik Bergman, Adoptive Parent and Editing Manager; Waggener Edstrom Worldwide
- Secretary Elizabeth Carroll, Program Specialist; Multnomah County Health Department
- Grayson Dempsey, Founder of Backline
- Karen Enns, Program Manager; New Parent Services of Hood River County; Families First of Wasco & Sherman Counties
- Andrea Hardy, Birthmother, Parent and Pediatric Nurse
- Kathryn Olson, Adoptive Parent and Attorney at Law
- Mark Spaur, Adoptive Parent and Senior Engineer; Kennedy Jenks
- David Tilchin, OA&FS Open Adoptee and Computer Programmer
- Alex Trotter, DHS Permanency Worker
- Melissa Valencia-Manerini, Birthmother and Student
- April Vanderkamp, OA&FS Open Adoptee and University of Portland Nursing Student
How You Can Help
Your donation to Open Adoption & Family Services (OA&FS) helps birthparents, adoptive parents and children.
We are a nonprofit organization. Our all-options pregnancy counseling is free for pregnant women and couples in Washington and Oregon. All our services for birthparents, including open adoption planning and unlimited post-placement counseling, are also free for birthparents. About twenty percent of birthparents who come to us for options counseling plan an adoption. We connect the other 80% to local resources that support their decision.
Your gift supports this free, no-pressure options counseling and support for all birthparents. It also supports groundbreaking OA&FS educational workshops, our annual OA&FS Birthmothers Retreat for women who placed through our agency, ongoing mentor and support groups, free post-placement counseling for all clients and more.
Thank you for your support!
The Birthmom to Birthmom Connection
By Liane, OA&FS Birthmother
Two years ago, I attended my first OA&FS Birthmother Retreat in order to connect with other women who had also chosen an open adoption. I had never been in a group like this since my son David was born 25 years ago, so it was quite powerful. No one else quite understands one’s experience like another birthmom.
The retreat is a safe and welcoming environment within which birthmoms can share their experiences. My son is an adult now, while some of the moms had recently placed infants or toddlers, so they were very raw and fresh with their experience. By attending, I was reminded of what my experience felt like when it was also new for me, and I was able to share stories that hopefully helped others. Some of the newer moms who were struggling with various aspects of their choice found my years of experience valuable, so I think it was rewarding for everyone.
The day was organized around a fun, creative and expressive project, which I later shared with my son. Counselors facilitated some very open dialogue. I walked out of the retreat feeling like there were others who really understood the unique feelings associated with being a birthmom including the counselors. That was a powerful feeling.
The birthmom to birthmom connection is unique. Unless you’ve been there, it’s unlikely one can really understand what it’s like to make a choice like this and live with it every day for the rest of your life.
Donating to the OA&FS Birthmother Retreat is a wonderful way to support a birthmom. Some birthmothers are financially strapped, which may have been a factor in their adoption decision. They couldn’t afford to go on a retreat like this if others didn’t make it possible. It’s a truly unique way to give back, if you can.
With the help of donations and in-kind gifts from the open adoption community, OA&FS organizes a one-day retreat each year for women who placed children through the agency.
Please type Birthmothers Retreat in the Address 2 or “Add Comments” box to dedicate your donation to support this ongoing program. OA&FS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Your donation is appreciated! It’s also tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Other Ways to Support OA&FS
Find Us On Facebook
Pregnant women and couples frequently use social media Web sites to learn about their options and locate the services they need. Help them find us on Facebook by joining our growing group of community on Facebook. First, check out the OA&FS Facebook Page, then click the “Like” button to participate in our Open Adoption Awareness Campaign, share and read articles with other members of our open adoption community and hear the latest agency news.
Purchase OA&FS Items
Rain or Shine
Check out one of the first children’s books written from the perspective of an open adoptee! Published by OA&FS, Rain or Shine was written by adoptive mom Hilary Horder Hippely and illustrated by former OA&FS counselor and birthgrandmother Margaret Godfrey.
Finn has a happy life with his mother and father. Every summer he looks forward to the birthday celebration that will reunite him with his rich extended family, particularly his birthmother, Lisa. But when clouds threaten, Finn wonders how his much-loved birthday traditions can continue. With warmth and honesty, Rain or Shine celebrates the possibilities of life, love, and family.
Read reviews of Rain or Shine!
Other Items
Check out our store offering OA&FS Clothing and Accessories.
Volunteer
Is open adoption a part of your life? If so, please join your open adoption community and volunteer to help!
Donate Photos
OA&FS is currently seeking family photos from our open adoption community members for our Web site, social media channels and print materials. We’d love to see what you’ve got! Especially those high resolution digital photos! Please send photos to information@openadopt.org.
Agency News
Below are some resources about open adoption. Please contact Open Adoption & Family Services (OA&FS) at 1-800-772-1115 or information@openadopt.org for additional information.
Open Adoption Stories
Please enjoy these stories from members of our growing open adoption community. Hear from birthmothers, birthfathers, open adoptees, adoptive parents and birth grandparents who came together through Open Adoption & Family Services (OA&FS) and are now living open adoptions. Thanks to our clients for allowing us to share their inspiring, real-life open adoption stories with you!
Newsletters
Want to keep up with what’s new in open adoption? Click here to subscribe to the Open Adoption & Family Services (OA&FS) Open Page, a free quarterly e-newsletter.
To also receive printed editions sent by mail, please enter your mailing address when confirming your subscription. Or, subscribe by calling 1-800-772-1115 or by sending an email to: information@openadopt.org.