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.