Marshall and Cheryl Goff's first son was born when they were both still in high school. He was adopted by a family in Indiana and they haven't seen him in 32 years -- but according to an Aug. 5 article in the Charleston (W.Va.) Daily Mail,that's about to change.

The Goffs have two more children, Nathen Clarence and Kristen Rae. But they never forgot about their first child or the desire they had to see him again. ...

The Goffs searched the Internet and found forms that could be completed and sent to the courthouse in Indiana. They also completed a waiver form for the adoption agency in case their son ever looked for them. ...

They will make the nearly 400-mile trip to Indianapolis, Ind., on Aug. 7 to see the son they had to give up for adoption at birth. Jon Christopher Hutsell, 31, is now married with three children of his own, with the newest addition, Bryson, arriving July 9.

Adoption laws in the 1970s required that all adoptions be closed. But recent changes to those laws made it possible for Marshall and Cheryl to at least begin the process of searching for their son. Now that they’ve found each other, the families have made plans to spend several days together in Indianapolis.

Labels: adopted children, reunions

Television shows like "Oprah" would have us believe that reunions between biological parents and the children they placed for adoption always end with happy tears of reconciliation. But a woman from New Jersey has ended her reunion with a lawsuit.

"According to the complaint, the woman ... received a letter from the Division of Youth and Family Services in August 2008 saying that an adopted adult was seeking information about her birth parents," the Philadelphia Daily News reported. "In the letter, DYFS asked her to confirm her identity and whether she wanted to pursue the matter."

A June 23 article on the AOL News website reported that "the Atlantic City woman, whose name is being withheld from the press, gave up her child after being raped. The lawsuit, filed June 18, claims she felt 'violated, in shock and short of breath,' after her biological child showed up at her home in December."

The woman assumed her lack of response would close the matter, but her adult daughter showed up on her doorstep four months later. This is a situation that highlights the continuing debate over allowing adoptees to access previously sealed information about their biological parents.

Labels: laws, reunions

Started in the late 1800s in response to a growing number of abandoned infants, the New York Foundling is getting ready to celebrate 140 years spent helping children find permanent homes.

"The organization has arranged more than 10,000 adoptions over the years, [Executive Director Bill] Baccaglini estimates, while undertaking new ventures ranging from a Bronx charter school aimed at foster children to a Head Start program in Puerto Rico."

About 65 people who were adopted through Foundling plan to attend a reunion that will mark the organization's 140th anniversary. Source: Hamilton (OH) Journal-News

Labels: agencies, reunions, school

Once every four years, they gather at the base of Mt. Hood in the small town of Welches, Oregon, for a family reunion. But this group of 245 people from 71 families isn't related by blood; rather, they've all adopted children from the Yangchun Orphanage in China.

"The first adoptions from the Yangchun Orphanage took place in 1995. The orphanage has since undergone some changes. When [Kelly] Kneeland went to pick up [her daughter] Grace in 2001, there were about 120 babies and only 12 caregivers... Today, the orphanage has about one caregiver for every four babies."

At the reunion, the children are given matching T-shirts and enjoy games, crafts, and other activities. Parents can attend adoption- and culture-related classes. The group is hoping to hold it's 2012 reunion in the place where it all started - the Yangchun Orphanage. Source: PNW Local News

Labels: cultures, families, reunions