These Adoption STAR prospective adoptive parent clients are the recipients of funds raised to help offset adoption-related expenses.
On Friday, July 15th, Adoption STAR had the pleasure of contacting the following two families to inform them that at our agency’s LGBT Family Scholarship Committee had selected them as award recipients!
Leslie and Danielle have been a couple for ten years, and have always known they wanted to start a family together. They readily express both excitement and enthusiasm for their adoption journey, and deeply believe in a broad, expansive definition of what it means to be a family. “We believe that love is what makes a family, not only blood. Family is also the people in your life who actively want you in theirs. Family is the people that accept you for who you are – the ones that would do anything to see you smile, and who love you no matter what!”
Leslie and Danielle have also expressed their eagerness to be working with Adoption STAR. “We are so thankful to have found Adoption STAR. When we began to inquire with different agencies, we experienced some disappointment in hearing that some of them required a lump sum of $15,000+ up front to register. When we discovered Adoption STAR, we got the feeling right away that working with them would be the right choice. The agency’s employees have welcomed us with open arms and made us feel like family immediately. Adoption STAR had truly made the process both exciting and educational.”
Marvin and Vaughn openly acknowledge that, “neither of us ever imagined that we would one day be able to get married to another man, but we did, and in doing so, it reignited the hope of one day being parents. We ultimately selected Adoption STAR to build our family because of their values around education and support, as well as their clear acceptance and encouragement of LGBTQ families.”
Going more in-depth, Marvin and Vaughn say that, “When we were researching the best agencies for LGBTQ parents, Adoption STAR came to our attention as an agency highly rated by the Human Rights Campaign, with great reviews, testimonials, and a clear, welcoming message to the LGBTQ community on their website, which put them on the short list. Through our interviewing and researching of the various agencies, Adoption STAR very clearly stood out throughout the whole process. Adoption STAR really went out of their way to make us comfortable. The staff answered all our questions with no judgment. It is clear to us that Adoption STAR staff are truly ‘family’ advocates in all senses of the word, finding and encouraging family in all its ways and expressions.”
Congratulations to our award recipients, and a huge thank you to I Do Love Buffalo for their commitment to raising funds specifically for LGBT community members interested in adopting a child with the help of Adoption STAR!