Adoption Connection Brings Families Together

The Fischer family (Emma and Jake seated center)

Emma Fischer and her younger brother, Jake, thought they were in trouble when their caseworker brought them into her office. Instead, she gave them news—very good news. At the time, the siblings, then 16 and 13, were in foster care, and the news they received was that a couple wanted Emma and Jake to come live with them.

“We couldn’t believe it,” Emma, now 26, said. “Jake thought that we were being ‘punked.’”

Emma and Jake were adopted by Erin and Ralph Fischer in 2014 with the assistance of Adoption Connection, PA. According to Jackie Pleska, Recruitment and Outreach Supervisor, that is what they do—foster hope and a future for children and families.

Adoption Connection, PA was founded in 1995 as an adoption agency, then reincorporated in 2008 as a nonprofit.

“We offer free services to mothers considering making an adoption plan and work with families who seek to adopt,” Pleska explained. “We also are a full-service foster care agency, an affiliate of the Statewide Adoption Network, provide supervised visitation, offer parent coaching services, and operate a Community Family Closet.”

Through the Community Family Closet, they have served thousands in need throughout the year with gently used and new clothing, hygiene supplies, diapers, and more.

“We serve children from 17 counties in Pennsylvania and families within a two-hour drive of our main office in Beaver,” Pleska said.

Adoption Connection staff

As Pleska explained, they work with both pregnant women needing help and support, and families such as the Fischers hoping to foster and/or adopt. Women considering their options for pregnancy can receive free, confidential counseling.

“We provide support and education. We can assist in making an adoption plan, or we can find assistance for women who choose to parent the child,” Pleska said.

For those hoping to adopt—either singly or as couples—Adoption Connection will complete the required paperwork for a home study and assist with other services.

“We recruit and train foster parents. The primary goal of foster care is reunification with the birth family, but when this cannot happen, children will become adoptable,” she said. “Some people are interested in ‘foster to adopt.’ In this case, they work with our matching department to get to know children already in foster care who are closer to adoption. We can also assist in adopting children in foster care from other states, as long as they are free for adoption.”

Emma Fischer

When the Fischers decided to add to their family after adopting three other children, they looked for a reputable source for help.

“We had been scammed twice before and didn’t want to go through that again,” Erin Fischer said.

Adoption Connection, PA helped the Fischers with the home study and offered advice throughout the process with Emma and Jake.

“We already had three younger children (whom they had adopted at birth), so we were cautious about bringing teens into our family. They helped us with the long process and going through all of their history. We were never rushed, and they were very patient with us,” she said.

The children weren’t notified the Fischers were considering them until that day when they were summoned to their caseworker’s office. “They had already been through so much,” Fischer said.

One aspect that the Fischers really liked was the fact that Adoption Connection was a smaller organization with staff who truly care about the children and families, offering assistance throughout the process.

“The staff became like family—they are there to guide and assist you every step of the way and even after the adoption,” Fischer said.

The Fischers and Emma and Jake were able to learn more about each other through life books.

“Our SWAN (Statewide Adoption Network) services include writing documents needed for legal adoption finalization, working with children to help them through the adoption process, and creating life books for children in care,” Pleska said. “We also draw up PACA documents. This is a Post-Adoption Communication Agreement and is a legal document outlining a plan for the birth and adoptive families to continue communication in the best interest of the child after adoption.”

The Community Family Closet assists with providing clothing for foster children, many of whom arrive in care with only the clothes they are wearing, Pleska said.

“Our caseworkers visit within 24 hours with clothing, age-appropriate toys, and any other needed supplies. Due to the overwhelming support from our community donors, we now serve thousands in need throughout our community,” she said.

According to Pleska, on average, there are 15,000 children in foster care in PA—and many of those are older children (age 9+), sibling groups, and children with special needs. Emma and Jake fell into two of those categories, but their age wasn’t a deterrent for the Fischers.

“I know many people are afraid of teens who are in foster care, but I looked at that from an opposite perspective—they weren’t a mystery, they already had their personalities, and we could see that they would be a good fit,” Fischer said.

For Emma, not only did the agency help her find her parents and a home, it also led her to a job. She now works at Adoption Connection as the Wendy’s Wonderful Kids Adoption Recruiter through the Dave Thomas Foundation. In this role, Emma speaks with groups, families, and caseworkers about fostering and adoption.

“People should know that 98 percent of the time, kids are in foster care for reasons that are not their fault. That doesn’t mean that they don’t deserve a family, that they don’t deserve love,” she said.

Emma knows through her own life experience and her professional work that everything doesn’t always work out perfectly.

“We never paint a fairy tale ending. But in my case, it was like that for us.”

Emma said she is often asked how adoption changed her life. “For me, it was breaking a cycle. Every female in my biological family dropped out of school, and many were having babies very young,” Fischer said.

Emma was the first in her biological family to graduate from college and will soon be pursuing a master’s degree. Jake also recently graduated from college.

For others considering fostering and adopting, Fischer offered some advice. “Do your research and work with a reputable, great agency like Adoption Connection. Of course, you will have some fears, but overcome them. It can be scary, but it can be an amazing thing,” Fischer said.

Pleska also offered some advice. “Many of our programs are available only by referral from County Children and Youth Offices, but pregnant women can call us 24 hours a day for support,” she said.

Those interested in fostering or adopting children should call 724-371-0671 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. or contact info@adoptionconnectionpa.org. For more information, visit https://adoptionconnectionpa.org/.