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Maggie and Chris knew that they wanted to be a family but they were uncertain which path was right for them. From the very beginning our social workers at Catholic Charities West Michigan educated them and assured them that open adoption was the way to go; that it would break down walls that can so easily exist in adoption, that it would create a healthier sense of identity and belonging for their child, and that more people to love a child was never a bad thing. Maggie and Chris still wrestled with this concept for a while. They were sure that it was too risky, too confusing, and just too difficult.

As they got to know their children’s birth families upon being matched, they knew that open adoption was for them…..200% for them. They grew to love them as their own, saw how rich their lives could be with the children and their birth families in it, and that it was absolutely true that more people to love a child and invest in them was a healthy, life-giving, and beautiful thing.

Six years later, it still couldn’t be more true. Maggie recalls her experience with our adoption program and staff in Grand Rapids saying, “I am so appreciative that Catholic Charities West Michigan took the time to invest in us, our children’s birth parents and ultimately our children by educating us, walking with us, and showing us how incredible open adoption can be.”