Favorite Bible Verse: Isaiah 40:31 “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
Favorite Adoption Story: My favorite adoption story is my family’s. My daughter, Annabel, joined our family through adoption in 2015. She was seven years old when we first met her, and those early years of her life were full of trauma. She and our family continue to feel the impact of what she endured when she was younger. We learned very quickly that the road to healing from childhood trauma is long and full of ups and downs. It’s been through our own adoption journey that we’ve witnessed God at work, through stages of Annabel’s healing and also by shaping and molding us into His image. This is the beauty of adoption, that my daughter and her story would teach me so much about God’s love for His people. Professionally, I’ve also had the opportunity to share my personal experiences with adoptive families and remind them that they’re not alone in the many struggles that adoption brings.
Education: Bachelors of Social Work from Anderson University
Responsibilities: Angela is responsible for the on-going home study assignments and support of the Home Study Coordinators in the Indiana office. She completes Indiana home studies and Post Adoption reports. Angela also supports families in various stages of their adoption journey.
Favorite Bible Verse: Ephesians 3:20-21 being proven as truth over and over – “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever, Amen.”
Favorite Adoption Story: Our newest and youngest daughter, adopted from Ukraine, came to us through a hosting program. We received a call from MLJ Adoptions asking us to consider hosting a 7-year old for three weeks as her initial family was unable to fulfill the hosting agreement. Having a mere two week notice was not a problem for us as we had experienced this once before by hosting a 12-year old on short notice. Yuliia quickly stole our hearts. One month after she returned to Ukraine, my entire family was relieved to hear we had decided to start the official adoption process to bring her home forever. God completely orchestrated her entrance into our home, and once again He provided all the funding. We thought we were done adopting; however, God had a wonderful surprise for us! Within ten months, we journeyed to Kiev for our first trip to bring her home. I am now the blessed mama of 6 children, 3 through adoption.
Education: Camie holds an education degree from Indiana Wesleyan University and a double master’s degree from Ball State University in elementary education and early childhood. In the adoption world, she has completed “Trust-Based Relational Intervention” from Texas Christian University and is an affiliate trainer for “Trauma Competent Care” from Back2Back Ministries.
Responsibilities: Camie works with adoptive families in adoption funding. She keeps updated on grants and fundraising opportunities for all types of adoptions. She teaches seminars on “Affording Adoption” and speaks at conferences and church events on working with vulnerable children using best practices through TBRI and Trauma Competent Care.
Favorite Bible Verse: Ecclesiates #:1 “To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under the Heaven.”
Education: I have taken many training courses for adoption having had my social work license since 1993. However, I feel more importantly is my experience as I was employed for 27 years at Gateway Woods Family Services until my retirement in 2020 as a residential houseparent for troubled teens, foster care manager and adoption program manager. My husband and I were also foster parents for a teen-age boy who is still a part of our family.
Responsibilities: My job responsibilities include domestic and international home studies, home study updates, post adoption reports, snowflakes evaluation, birth parent background reports and working with birth parents in northern Indiana.
Favorite Bible Verse: Fear not, for I have called you by your name. When you pass through the waters I will be with you; and through the rivers they shall not overflow you; when you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned. For I am the Lord your God. Isaiah 43:1-2
Favorite Adoption Story: I enjoy when I get to work with a family on their home study and then their post adoption report. It is a blessing to see their journey from the beginning of their adoption story until their adoption is finalized. One of my favorite stories is a family who had chosen a child and were pursuing adoption. When I completed their home study update there had been some challenges with the adoption. They decided to change countries and ended up adopting a sibling group from another country. They also adopted a child from foster care who they knew through their community. This family touched my heart and it was amazing to see their challenges and then the additions to their family that were meant to be.
Education: BSW, MSW
Responsibilities: Supervise Social Services staff; review and approve home studies and post adoption reports; conduct referral reviews with adoptive families; oversee foster care program
Favorite Bible Verse: Matthew 25:40 "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."
Favorite Adoption Story: Favorite adoption story: About six months into my career in adoption, in September, 2013, the Democratic Republic of Congo stopped issuing exit letters which allowed the adopted children to leave the country. Many of the adoptions were already complete in-country, so they were legally members of these U.S. families, but they were stuck there, a world away from their new homes. Parents who had received the wonderful news that their adoption was complete and had flown there to bring their children home had to return without them. Over the next two years, they would occasionally allow a child to leave, often because of a medical condition. Then in early 2016, the Congolese government began producing lists of children approved for exit letters. There was a flurry of parents and escorts traveling for a few months, then such relief when the last child finally made it home!
Education: Bachelor of Science in Business majoring in Accounting from Indiana University
Responsibilities: Payroll, human resources, and general office duties for the Indiana office
Favorite Adoption Story: Since starting to work in international adoptions, I have been able to be a little part of our families' adoption journeys. I would say my favorite adoption story would be meeting and sitting down with a Burkina Faso family going over their travel consultation with Sonja, the program director. Once the family traveled and brought their sweet little boy home, they brought him in to the office to meet everyone. Looking into the little boy’s eyes and being able to shake his little hand will be a memory I’ll never forget. This is exactly why we do what we do!
Education: Bachelors of Art in Psychology, currently working on Masters in Social Work
Responsibilities: My responsibilities are managing our Bulgaria and Haiti programs out of the Indiana office. My duties include dossier assembly, immigration filing assistance, documentation tracking and updating, receiving referrals from the country’s Central Authority and providing assistance with court and travel for families bringing home their children.
Responsibilities: Conducting home visits to prepare home studies for adoptive families or couples in the Snowflakes program, and post adoption reports for those who have brought their children home.
Favorite Bible Verse: Psalm 16:11 and Jeremiah 33:3
Favorite Adoption Story: My favorite adoption story is the story that brought my little cousin to our family from Samoa.
Education: BSW, IUPUI
Responsibilities: Assisting in the development of the Indiana foster care program; Recruitment of foster parents; case management and service coordination for children in foster/foster adoptive homes.
Favorite Bible Verse: Psalm 82:3 Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.
Favorite Adoption Story: Working in international adoption you visit many countries, with some orphanage facilities being worse than others. Many years ago while visiting an orphanage in Africa, I met an older boy who was rail thin and with hollowed eyes who grabbed my arm and asked me to find him a family. You could see the desperation in his face. The attorney we worked with at the time told me every time she visited the orphanage, the boy asked her why she was only placing babies and toddlers with families and why families only wanted young children. He pleaded with her to find him a family too. This story broke my heart, we made it our mission to find this child a home and within a few months, we were able to find that family for this child. That was many years ago and today this child is thriving.
Education: MA
Responsibilities: Executive Director of the Indiana office. Oversees the programs in the Indiana office including the Bulgaria, Ukraine, Haiti, Samoa, Burkina Faso, Dominican Republic, Liberia, Portugal programs in addition to overseeing Anchored in Hope and Birth mother services in Indiana. Ensures compliance with state and federal laws and regulations. Provides guidance and assistance to the Advisory Board and fundraising activities.
Education: Viktoriia is originally from Ukraine, where she obtained her Specialist in Law degree in 2007 and PhD degree in 2010. In the USA she received her Master of Laws degree from Indiana University McKinney School of Law in 2016.
Responsibilities: Viktoriia is working with prospective adoptive parents hoping to adopt from the countries of Ukraine, and Samoa. She is assisting families throughout their international adoption process.
