Adoption Advocates’ mission is to serve the best interests of children, build families through adoption, treat all touched by adoption with honor and respect, and to serve as a resource to our communities.
Our Birth and Evolution
AAI was founded by adoptee and attorney Jane Hall and molded by experienced social workers. We are committed to respecting the rights and showing equal consideration to all involved in adoption – expectant and birth parents, adoptive families and — most importantly — adoptees.
Our founder’s background influenced our core value of providing ethical adoption practices that serve the child’s emotional needs. She sought the most experienced adoption social workers in the field to craft the agency’s policies and mission. Over the years, AAI has incorporated feedback from our clients and new research studies, and have used them to update our practices. We acknowledge that adoption is a continuously evolving field and pride ourselves in our ability to adapt to those changes.
Our Promise to Respect
AAI and its staff are firmly committed to respecting all members of the triad. We know that expectant parents come to us with many fears and feeling alone. We gently guide them through the process with warmth and support ensuring that they have explored their options fully before initiating their adoption plan. We know that adoptive parents have often suffered tremendous losses with their infertility. We educate and inform our adoptive parents as they take time to make their adoption decisions. Ultimately, Adoption Advocates places the child’s best interest first and are committed to our adoptees for a lifetime.
Our Education and Training
Director of Education, Janie Cravens, has worked in adoption since 1979. She provides training to adoptive parents to prepare them for the ups and downs of the journey, how to manage their emotions, and what to expect in the future. Her workshops include understanding open adoption, life book training, talking with your child about adoption, talking with birth parents in open adoption, dealing with infertility grief, loss and separation for all members of the triad, and identity and cultural issues in adoption.
Our Open Adoption Practices
AAI is committed to open adoption in which the birth parents and adoptive parents having an authentic relationship — including meeting, sharing information, and maintaining contact after placement. AAI recognizes that all clients are different, therefore, there are varying degrees of openness depending on the clients’ needs and desires. We believe this benefits everyone involved, especially the adoptee.
Our Legacy
Adoption Advocates is truly a family business. Jane Hall founded the agency and affectionately refers to it as her “baby.” Watching the agency grow and take on a life of its own has been a great pleasure for her and after 20 years, she handed over the reins to her daughter, Rory. Rory Hall says, “Taking on this responsibility has been one of my proudest moments. I intend to honor my mother’s legacy by providing the best and most honorable services that an agency can offer.”
