The season of giving and the season of gratitude go hand in hand. With both, the concept of ‘family’ is more important than ever. ‘Family’ is at the heart of Adoptions Together. Janice Goldwater has spent her entire career as a social worker helping create and build families. After identifying gaps in the system and the limited opportunities available for the community, Goldwater founded Adoptions Together in 1990. She notes, “After identifying the need, it was only because the community stepped forward to support this critical mission that the agency has been able to settle thousands of children in families of their own.”
With a tagline of ‘Every Child. Every Family. Every Step of the Way.,’ Adoptions Together works to place all children – regardless of age, race, health, or any other variable. No child in need is ever turned away. To do this, the organization welcomes and serves a diverse base of prospective parents including single parents, and same and opposite-gender couples who provide connections built on emotional stability, maturity, and overall security. By encouraging the world of adoption to be more inclusive, Adoptions Together is fostering relationships and connections, leading to the development of more and more families.
Since its inception, Adoptions Together has impacted the lives of thousands of children in the Potomac area and beyond. The approach is multifaceted. For families hoping to adopt, Adoptions Together manages local, national, and international placements for families living in Maryland, Virginia, and DC. With four locations, expectant parents can readily access the resources they need, including food, clothes, transportation to medical appointments, counseling, and assistance navigating services. Adoptive parents find the support they need, from parenting classes to home studies, counseling, support groups, and resource referrals.
In an average year, Adoptions Together serves 400 expectant parents, 65 families hoping to adopt infants, and another 30 families seeking to adopt children and teens residing in state foster care. Considering that every night more than 2,000 children in our region go to sleep in state foster care, this work is especially crucial. Additionally, families at all stages of life obtain ongoing support from Adoptions Together through educational programs, support groups, and counseling.
Goldwater and her team have developed a range of resources specializing in the complex needs of adoption, attachment, and trauma. During the pandemic, an increase in reported crises among families raising children with histories of trauma has meant wrapping additional levels of support around them. Creating stable families, especially in difficult times, is a challenge the organization has chosen to meet.
The work for Adoptions Together is accredited and lauded. The US Department of State, through the Intercountry Adoption Accreditation and Maintenance Entity (IAAME), recently renewed the accreditation of Adoptions Together to provide adoption services for intercountry adoptions. The organization has achieved the level of Gold Transparency from GuideStar, the national database of information regarding a nonprofit’s legitimacy, impact, reputation, finances, programs, and governance. This year, Adoptions Together was recognized by the Human Rights Campaign as an “Innovator” in supporting and serving LBGTQ+ youth and families.
For her part, Goldwater received the Congressional Coalition on Adoption “Angel in Adoption” award in 2001. And in 2010, Goldwater was among ten individuals and organizations nationally to receive the “Adoption Excellence Award” from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Most recently in October 2022, Senator Chris Van Hollen nominated Adoptions Together to receive the “Angel in Adoption” award from Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute.
How can you help in this season of giving? You don’t have to adopt or be adopted to support the work of Adoptions Together. If you care deeply about family, there are a variety of ways to help to ensure that all families can thrive. First and foremost, monetary donations are always extremely beneficial to Adoptions Together, whether through one-time donations, monthly donations, planned giving, or legacy giving. The organization provides a wide variety of services at no or little cost to the participants, so donations are crucial to maintain and enhance programming to meet the needs of the community. There are also a number of volunteer opportunities, from serving on the Board of Directors, participating in event committees, working at a special event, and assisting in administrative and business capacities.
Over the past 32 years, Adoptions Together has fulfilled its mission because of contributions from our entire community. In this season of giving, they are so grateful to every person who has joined in supporting Every Child. Every Family. Every Step of the Way.
To learn more about how you can give your time and resources, please visit AdoptionsTogether.org or contact Margo Devine at mdevine@adoptionstogether.org.