In 1956 Lois Nelson, a 16-year-old high school junior, walked into the Salvation Army Booth Women’s Home and Hospital, a safe haven for unwed mothers, in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Before she knew she was pregnant, Lois ended her relationship with the child’s father. By the time she told him, he had married his new girlfriend.
Our COVID-19 Response
Due to the rapidly changing nature of the situation, we will continue to post updates to our website. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns. This page was last updated on 2.18.21. Because we care about you, our staff and the greater community we have taken precautionary actions to mitigate exposure
Best Practices for Connecting with Birth Family via DNA Search
Many people have reunited with children, siblings and biological parents with the help of DNA technology. You may have heard their stories and decided that now is the time to do your own search. Because DNA search is connecting humans, and possibly initiating human relationships, each person’s experience will be different. Your search may be
Gaining Family and Insight through Post Adoption Reunion
Christina, adopted as an infant, spent her life wondering if her birth mother thought about her. She enjoyed a happy childhood with her adoptive parents, who adopted her in the late 60’s. Yet, throughout her life, she struggled with unanswered questions about her biological parents. Christina found answers to her questions when she began her
Adoptee Starts Company to Inspire Others
Lee Arnold, an adult adoptee, is driven to motivate others to live their lives to their fullest. “I’ve had a lot of opportunities to meet really inspiring individuals who are doing great things. I wanted to create a platform to highlight them and teach through them,” he shares. That’s exactly what he is doing. This
Adoption Support Fund Grants
Our Adoption Support Fund is a unique grant program open to anyone using our adoption or post adoption services. Those interested complete a short application process and a grant committee consisting of staff from all of our program areas reviews each application and determines the award amount. We prioritize grants for post adoption services and for
Letter to My Mother
Dear Mother, Writing “Dear Mother” seems so formal, yet I never met you so I can’t call you “mom.” I don’t even know if you would have wanted me to call you “mom.” Let alone if I would have been comfortable with that either. How strange all of this is—and to think that at my
A Letter from My Birth Parents
The following is an excerpt from How Did You Find Me, a sweet story about love lost and found again. Crossing over decades, the book weaves together the narratives of an adopted woman, her birth mother and birth father, highlighting how the adoption affected each of them and their relationships over the years. Though the narratives
Do Everything You Can to Participate in Tour Korea!
Do everything you can to participate in the Tour Korea! Birthland Tour. Your experience, and most importantly the experience with your child, sibling, parent, spouse, friend, or loved one, will forever be a treasured shared experience in your lives. More than any adventure or vacation you have taken, Tour Korea has a depth of layers
Are You My Mother? Adoptees are in reunion whether they’re searching or not
During a recent presentation at an adoption conference, I had the members attending my session participate in a quick exercise before they took their seats. I asked them to walk around the room and find the person they thought they most closely looked like. The room instantly filled with nervous laughter as the participants met
