Birthparent Support Alliance

This year we are challenging the entire adoption constellation to Gather Momentum for birthparent care. Our organization provides the comprehensive case-management, support, and services birthparents need, for as long as they need it, without geographical constraints, and at no cost to them, and we are the only organization in the country doing this. And we do this at no cost to birthparents, so that every birthparent who needs us can access our community.

As a primarily donor-funded organization, we can't do any of this without you. If you believe that birthparents may need support after placement, consider donating just $25 in honor of our 25 years of service so that the work we do in service to birthparents can continue. https://f.mtr.cool/oknx15b7rp

Rescheduled! On Tuesday, October 6th, you can Gather Momentum with us at Soldier Field to watch the Chicago Fire take on the Vancouver Whitecaps and help support for the comprehensive services and community we provide for birthparents!

Tickets start as low as $52.17 each, and with every ticket purchased through this exclusive offer, we receive an incredible 20% back, funding direct support for birthparents. It's more than just a game; it's a chance to come together as a community for birthparents, cheer on Chicago Fire, and spend a gorgeous fall evening building memories at iconic Soldier Field in Chicago.

https://www.gofevo.com/event/Birthparent2

Now streaming on-demand at: https://f.mtr.cool/rv4givi67m Echoes Through Generations: The Legacy of Birthparent Experience, featuring and Vicki Twomey, both of whom need no introduction - Kelsey is a co-author of and a long-time advocate for ethical reform in adoption, and Vicki is one of the founders of Birthmoms Empowered.

Whether you're an adopted person, birthparent, adoptive parent, or professional working in adoption, this conversation offers invaluable insights into the complex emotional legacies that adoption creates across generations. Join us to expand your understanding of adoption's lifelong impact and the profound connections it forges through time. Adoption is a lifetime commitment; your adoption education should be, too, and now it's easier than ever to find the exact content you need, exactly when you need it. https://f.mtr.cool/20ge6m8ne9

As the only organization in the country working to address Postpartum Mood and Anxiety Disorder (PMAD) in birthparents, we are challenging the entire adoption constellation to Gather Momentum for birthparent care by supporting us in this critical work.

PMAD is treatable when diagnosed, but the screenings for it are done by pediatricians during well-baby visits, which means it is adoptive parents, not birthparents, being assessed.

Maternal mental health matters, and that is why we are developing ways to screen birthparents, and subsequently connect them to adoption-competent mental health providers. It is a monumental task, and we cannot do it without your support. Can you help us Gather Momentum for birthparent support by donating $25 today, in honor of our 25 years of service? https://f.mtr.cool/alxm5nvvn2

This session is free to attend but registration is required in advance. https://activisminadoption.org/upcoming-zoom-sessions.html
In September, we are honored to welcome Schai Schairer to Activism in Adoption, as she revisits the moments of her life that shaped how she saw herself, her mental health, her identity, and the systems she was trying to navigate, often without the language or support she actually needed. With a background in social work, criminal justice, nonprofit leadership, and adoption consulting, Schai is known for her trauma informed, outcomes driven approach to supporting individuals, families, and institutions, and is the creator of award winning programs including the Prison to Poetry Pipeline and ARTExpress, which leverage arts and education as tools for healing, self expression, and reentry.

Now streaming on-demand at: https://f.mtr.cool/iu6m8arij1 Relinquishment, Grief, and Healing: a Birthparent Panel Discussion, featuring Marcia Lane-McGee, author and co-host of the podcast, Plaid Skirts and Basic Black; Sarah Schmidth, adoption education advocate; and Muthoni Gaciku Kittredge, co-host of the podcast, Birth Mothers Amplified.

When we talk about transracial adoption, it's often through the experiences of transracial adoptees, or adoptive parents. Muthoni and Marcia are birthmothers through transracial adoption, offering a perspective on transracial adoption that is very rarely heard. Sarah is a birthmother to two adult adoptees who were placed with the same couple, now divorced. She brings a unique insight into adoptive relationships that change over time. This panel of birthmothers is an incredible opportunity for everyone in the adoption constellation to come together in a safe space and gain a better understanding of adoption through the eyes of birthparents.

Adoption is a lifetime commitment; your adoption education should be, too, and now it's easier than ever to find the exact content you need, exactly when you need it. https://f.mtr.cool/5xu94hqx4z

We get real about adoption, adoption trauma, the false narratives surrounding adoption that harm birthparents, adopted people, and adoptive parents, why our work doesn't expand to support expectant parents (we get asked this a lot), why the work we do with birthparents is so critical, and how you can help make that happen. https://birthparentsupportalliance.org/education-outreach/newsroom.html/article/2026/09/15/adoption-still-exists-this-is-why-we-are-gathering-momentum

Now streaming on-demand at: https://f.mtr.cool/3f4270069p Adoption & Intersectionality:
Navigating Race, Culture, Class, and Queerness as an Adoptee. Joe is a well-known LGBTQIA+ and adoptee advocate who has served as the Board Chair for Annapolis Pride is also on the Board of Directors of Adoptees With Guatemalan Roots , a Board Director of OUT for Sustainability , and is a Senior Fellow at Environmental Leadership Program .

In this session, Joe discusses his experiences as a transracially international adopted person with Guatemalan Roots growing up in a White family. Transracially adopted people often feel that they do not fit in because they do not 'match' either their family or the culture they are being raised within, and can struggle with identity and self, and they do so while navigating challenging conversations with their parents around race and class. As a q***r person, Joe also discusses navigating coming out, being authentic, and living a truthful life with both adoptive parents, and as an adopted person in reunion with birth family.

Adoption is a lifetime commitment; your adoption education should be, too, and now it's easier than ever to find the exact content you need, exactly when you need it. https://f.mtr.cool/7f3vtud7h2

Make 2026 the year we all join together and Gather for Birthparents! From Memorial Day weekend to Labor day, we invite our community to join us in ensuring that every birthparent in need of support can access our comprehensive services and community.

By joining Gather Momentum, you can turn almost anything you already love to do into a fundraiser for the Birthparent Support Alliance: a walk with friends, a swim challenge, a birthday fundraiser, a yoga class, a neighborhood gathering, a book club, a pickleball tournament, or simply a goal that matters to you.

Every mile, every gathering, and every act of support helps us provide critical resources, community, and mental health support for birthparents and families navigating complex journeys.

No event is too small. No idea is too simple. If it brings people together, it can create change.

It couldn't be easier: join Gather Momentum here: https://f.mtr.cool/93ut1dz59p
Then create your own fundraiser, based on whatever activities you already enjoy. Invite your community. Build momentum for families who deserve to feel seen, supported, and never alone. Together, we can turn passion into impact.

Not sure where to start? Visit the Gather Momentum website, where we've curated a quick list of ideas to spark your creativity! From karaoke night to yoga in the park, boardgame tournaments to pickleball, there is no end to what you can do to raise the funds necessary to ensure that every birthparent in need can find the support they deserve, without financial or geographical restraints. https://f.mtr.cool/l63rdksd9r

This session is free to attend but registration is required in advance. https://activisminadoption.org/upcoming-zoom-sessions.html
Adoption is treated like a one-time event that happens in infancy, instead of what it actually is: the catalyst for a lifelong experience woven into the lives of birthparents, adoptive parents, and adopted people. Adoption trauma starts with a birthparent’s crisis pregnancy, continues through the separation of a child from their biological mother, and extends into an adopted child’s growing awareness of that separation, while their adoptive parents bear witness to how typical childhood milestones can trigger unexpected grief, anger, and confusion in the children they love.

This session teaches every member of the adoption constellation how to anticipate triggering experiences and milestones before they happen, giving them the tools necessary to improve outcomes for everyone in their own adoption triad while centering the needs of adopted people. The act of adoption is trauma, trauma doesn’t just go away on its own, and it cannot be healed by love alone, making it vitally important that everyone in the adoption constellation understand when, how, and why trauma may manifest in both birthparents and adopted people throughout their lives, in order to build a personal toolkit that supports healing.

Our panel of experts are members of the Birthparent Support Alliance: Hope Helder (birthmother and BSA board co-chair), Danielle Kist (adopted person and BSA board member), Katy Finn (adoptive mother and Shared Journeys case manager), and adoption-competent therapist Billy Kaplan, LCSW (BSA board member), who join us to explore one question: If I knew then what I know now, what would I do differently?