Last summer, Sandra and Gary* were gathering together paperwork in order to adopt their second child. They also had to create an autobiographical book to tell their family's story to any prospective birth parents. Their book was titled, "To a Brave, Young Couple: Our Journey of Love and Family."

Their efforts were rewarded when they received a phone call in November from an adoption agency they had been connected to by JF&CS Adoption Resources. Sandra and Gary had been chosen to adopt a baby girl born in Kentucky. "I was in Dunkin Donuts when I got the call," Sandra shared enthusiastically. "I just started crying because I was so excited. Strangers were hugging and congratulating me." Just 24 hours later, Sandra, Gary, and three-year-old Jacob, also adopted, were in a hospital in Kentucky, meeting their new daughter's birth parents and holding baby Emily for the first time.

Three years prior to meeting Emily, Sandra and Gary adopted newborn Jacob. When the couple first decided that they wanted to adopt, they attended an adoption conference in Bellingham. There, they participated in adoption workshops and learned more about other adoption-related resources. They met Betsy Hochberg, Director of JF&CS Adoption Resources, and instantly felt a connection to her. "I don't know what it was. We felt relaxed when we spoke with Betsy and that it was right. We just exhaled and said that's what we're going to do. With Adoption Resources, it wasn't about the business, it was about the baby," Sandra remarks.

Shortly after, Sandra and Gary got the process started. They were introduced to out of state agencies that had a quicker adoption process than what was available in Massachusetts. Betsy put them in touch with A Chosen Child, an adoption agency in Florida. Then the wait began. Almost a year had passed when Sandra got a phone call from Florida. "They told us they had a baby for us! It was one of the best days of our lives," she marvels. Jacob joined their family in December 2012 and the adoption was finalized the following March.

Currently, the family is awaiting Emily's adoption finalization, something that usually occurs six to eight months after placement of a child. Although they do not yet have a date, they recently received the paperwork necessary to begin the finalization process. Brother Jacob has been nothing less than excited since Emily came into the picture. "We included him in everything so he wouldn't feel left out and he's been wonderful. He holds her, he kisses her, and he calls her ‘his' baby," adds Sandra.

"I've recommended Adoption Resources at JF&CS to at least three different [couples] who want to adopt. I tell them, ‘This is where you need to go. You will not find a better place,'" Sandra emphasizes. "Betsy changed our lives. If not for her and JF&CS," adds Sandra, "we wouldn't have our family."

*Last names omitted for privacy.

Jon Federman is the JF&CS Staff Writer.
A practicing attorney for more than 15 years, he is thrilled to bring his legal and persuasive writing skills to the JF&CS Marketing Communications department. Jon has a BA from Tufts University and a JD from Boston College Law School. In his spare time he is an exhibiting photographer and an award-winning cartoonist. Jon lived in London, England for five years before returning to Boston in 2011.