By Toronto Parent Liaison, Jessica
I have had the pleasure of working as a part time Regional Parent Liaison in Toronto with Adopt4Life since December 2016. My role is to provide peer based post adoption resources and support to adoptive families, as well as foster connections within the adoption community. In addition I also facilitate a monthly support group for adoptive parents and coordinate regular social events for adoptive families in the east end of Toronto.
My passion and motivation for working with Adopt4Life comes from my personal experience. My husband and I are the parents of 3 children adopted from Toronto CAS. In November 2009 we welcomed our daughter (age 2 ½) and son (7 months). In August 2012 we welcomed our younger son (age 10 months). As a result of countless specialist appointments and assessments we have discovered that our daughter has various special needs, including a developmental disability, ADHD and anxiety/mood disorder. Our older son has ADHD and learning disabilities. Our younger son has anxiety. For the first 14 months into our adoption journey I suffered from Post Adoption Depression Syndrome often resulting in feelings of isolation. Over the years our adoption journey led us to explore various resources and supports to help us as a family along the way. I became more confident as an adoptive parent and became passionate about giving back to the adoption community.
Adopt4Life provides essential resources and support for adoptive families across the province and it is very rewarding to be able to help others with their adoption journey. One of the best parts of my job is making connections between adoptive families either though our Buddy/Mentor Program, support groups or social events. Safe and positive connections within the adoption community are so important and it’s an honour to be able to help facilitate this.
My role as a Regional Parent Liaison in Toronto also allows me to regularly learn about new local resources and supports that may not only benefit the Adopt4Life community, but also myself and my family.
I look forward to continuing to grow in this role and look forward to supporting as many adoptive families as possible along the way.
Warmly,
Jessica