Honoring Sue Shaw

Adoption STAR Birth Parent Department Supervisor Sue Shaw was the 2015 Recipient of the Michele Fried Founder’s Award.

Folks in attendance at Adoption STAR’s “15 and Fabulous: Fifteen Years of Touching Lives” event earlier in this month had a chance to see Adoption STAR’s Sue Shaw receive this award live. However, we want to take an opportunity to even more publicly share the news of this honor and thank Sue for all she’s done for countless agency clients.

The first Michele Fried Founder’s Award was presented to Michele herself on May 1st, 2010 during “Dazzling Decade – A Night of Stars,” Adoption STAR’s 10th birthday gala. On May 16th, 2015, the second Michele Fried Founder’s Award was presented to an individual whose contributions, expertise, and dedication to adoption mirror Michele’s. It should come as no surprise that the individual selected for this honor is Susan Shaw. Sue has been in the human services field for twenty-four years. In 2003 she began working as an Adoption Caseworker and Homefinder at Catholic Charities. She joined Adoption STAR in 2006 as an Adoption Caseworker working within the Birth Parent Department. Today, Sue supervises the Birth Parent Department and continues to follow her passion by working with pregnant clients as they review and consider their options. Sue works with birth parents and their families and develops special bonds that have positively impacted so many. Sue’s clients have found the strength, amidst their own journey filled with grief and loss, to realize how much she cares about them.

Here are just a few of many messages that convey incredible “thank you” sentiments that have been sent by clients directly to Sue:

“I can’t thank you enough for how easy you made all of this…I can tell how much you love your job from the amount of effort and love you put into it.”

“The person you are cannot be found anywhere else and your love and hard work has changed my life forever.”

“Sue’s compassion and expertise is realized by her co-workers as well. I found myself completely falling apart and trusted Sue with my experience and feelings of loss and fear. She lifted me up by not only providing emotional support and all the right words, but also a plan that I didn’t initially see as being possible. I will thank her always for her guidance and support on that day and always.”

“Sue has an innate ability to connect with people of all backgrounds and experiences. She genuinely connects to so many people, having no expectations of her clients. Those who know Sue also know she is gentle, sensitive, and funny! Her love of people and animals is a gift – and something we should all strive for.”

Congratulations Sue!