Many people share the sentiment that a house isn’t a home without the presence of the people you love. But what happens when you’re unable to grow your family the traditional way? That’s what Emily Vrzak—local Rockwall resident, founder, and executive director of Adoptable—found herself thinking about back in 2018 when she was diagnosed with infertility. After receiving the news, Emily and her husband were exhausted physically, mentally, and emotionally, having endured rounds of fertility treatments.
But their journey to become a family wasn’t finished. She recalls, “In February of 2019, God opened doors, and a baby girl joined our family,” thanks to the gift of adoption. It was Emily’s own experience adopting her daughter Ellie that led her to founding Adoptable, a nonprofit organization specializing in fundraising and event planning for families who are actively pursuing adoption. Each year, the organization takes in applications and helps adoptive families by spearheading fundraising efforts and working with other charitable organizations to help lighten the financial burden of adoption. According to Adoptable, adoption fees in the U.S. can vary greatly, costing upwards of $70,000, which can feel insurmountable for willing adoptive families.
Emily explains, “When we get connected with potential fundraising families, each and every one of them comes with the most sincere, grateful attitude. The fulfillment of adoption expenses is often a very daunting task, especially because they know that they're up against a timeline, so to be offered any kind of assistance is life-changing for them.”
It’s this life-changing assistance that Emily and her team have dedicated themselves to for the past two and a half years. Since their founding in 2023, Adoptable has helped fourteen families and has raised more than three hundred thousand dollars.
The Cyrs are one family whose life was changed by the organization. Mom, Brooke, a kindergarten teacher who lives in Forney, says, “My husband and I are in the process of adopting, and we’d been praying for a way to help with raising funds. Then God sent us Emily and her amazing crew of people with Adoptable. They worked with us and helped us navigate the fundraising process. They were so supportive and helped the process not seem overwhelming. My husband and I are incredibly thankful for her helping us bring our baby home soon."
Adoptable is successful thanks to the community who supports their fundraising efforts. Emily explains that “Although raising money in an ever-changing economy is a huge challenge in and of itself, often the most difficult thing is raising money for families that don't have a huge village to support them.” Emily and her team use their local community resources to support these families, ensuring that each Adoptable family has a village in the Rockwall area.
One of Adoptable’s biggest events of the year is scheduled for the end of April: the Third Annual Adoptable Golf Tournament. At this event, attendees can have fun while raising money to subsidize fundraising event costs and Adoptable’s family grants for the year, a special program in which each Adoptable family receives $5,000—regardless of how much money the fundraiser itself brings in.
Emily explains, "I truly enjoy planning events and watching the weeks and months of hard work come to fruition. As stressful as planning events can be, when I get that photo update about the first time they met their child or when they finalize their adoption, and everything in between, it makes every ounce of what I do the most rewarding part of being in the nonprofit world!"
To learn more and help support families working towards their dream of adoption, visit www.joinadoptable.com.