Independent Adoption Center

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9 April 2007 – Los Angeles, CA. Kim and Steve of Los Angeles had been through the emotionally and financially draining experience of fertility treatments in an attempt to build a family. Then, another idea
presented itself: open adoption. The couple, who live in Aliso Viejo – an hour south of Los Angeles – learned about the Independent Adoption Center in the spring of 2001 and attended their first IAC
introductory meeting in June of that year. By early September they had completed their paperwork and posted information online. On October 5th they were contacted by a potential birthmother.

“She seemed to be a real fit for us,” said Kim of the woman who would bear their child. “We flew to Florida to meet her and her parents. Then in early December we flew her and her mother to California, where our daughter Summer Noel was born on December 13, 2001.”

Since then, they have become advocates for – and partners in – the open adoption community. For their second adoption, they heard about a potential birthmother through a family friend. In the spring of 2004 Kim and Steve flew out to Arizona and met with her. They connected immediately and stayed in close touch throughout the pregnancy. In fall 2004 they traveled again to Arizona for the birth of their son, Sailor Reagan, on September 24. Kim and Steve have since adopted three babies through open adoption and are about to adopt a fourth.

Marcy Tajkef, Regional Director for the Los Angeles Independent Adoption Center said, “Kim and Steve are very positive about open adoption and the IAC. We will enjoy working with them again on their fourth adoption.”

“We are huge proponents of open adoption,” said Kim. “ Not only have we grown our family, but we have also created a lifelong bond of love and respect with each of our babies’ birthmothers. Open adoption is a blessing for all involved. For our third adoption we were notified only three weeks before delivery. We packed our bags and headed for Texas bringing Summer, Sailor, and Steve’s mother. On March 7, 2006, Soldier Brigham was born.”

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As a nonprofit organization, the IAC’s mission is to create open adoptions: that is, completely voluntary adoptions where birthparents select the family they want to adopt their child. It is a viable and accessible
alternative to unplanned pregnancy throughout the United States. IAC will celebrate its 25th anniversary in May 2007. Each month, IAC – a nationally recognized nonprofit education and counseling agency – will present a profile of birthparents, adoptive parents, or children who have been adopted. A pioneer in open adoption, Independent Adoption Center (IAC) is nationally recognized as a leader in the field, having facilitated almost 4,000 successful adoptions in 35 states. Headquartered in the Northern California town of Pleasant Hill, IAC has a southern California office in Los Angeles, and also operates centers in Indiana, North Carolina and Georgia. For more information, please call 1-800-877-6736 or visit www.adoptionhelp.org.

Media Contacts: David Perry & Associates, Inc. / David Perry & Barbara Webb (415) 693-0583 / news@davidperry.com