Personal stories

Preparing to welcome a new child is one of the most intense, emotional, demanding times in any waiting parent’s adoption journey. It’s also when friends and family are likely to have the most questions! Keeping everyone in the loop can be overwhelming. One way to handle it is to write a letter. Here’s a heartfelt and inspirational example from a waiting (now adoptive!) parent, who shared her letter on Facebook.

Holidays can be tough for adoptive families. Here are our best tips for enjoying the season.

Keep things simple, and celebrate differently (or early, or late!) if you need to. The holidays may be full of warm memories for many, but they can also be triggering and a sad reminder of losses for our kids (and their parents!)
—Sarah, AFABC Team Lead/Community Engager and adoptive mom

The Asian Adult Adoptees of British Columbia (AAABC) is a volunteer organization that serves the Asian adult adoptee community in BC. Originally formed in 2009 as Triple ABC, the group relaunched with its new name in 2016, after a hiatus of several years. In this article, AAABC president Myla Choi shares what the organization is all about.

Four long-time staff members—Karen Madeiros, Dianna Mortensen, Anne Melcombe, and Jen Hillman—reflect on their years at AFABC.

An interview with adult ally and youth in care advocate Violet-Rose Pharoah.

What inspires you to make art and be a part of art projects that focus on the experiences of foster care?

As someone who is naturally quiet and introverted, I find that art provides the opportunity for me to explore and express my feelings. My involvement with art projects focused on foster care stems from my own personal lived experience, as well as the belief that art is a powerful transformational tool in creating change.

Being adopted isn't easy. It can be a very scary process. That is normal for most people. I was very scared going through the whole process of adoption. It's okay to be scared because being adopted is a very big change that will affect your whole life.

I got over my fear of being adopted by talking to friends and family about my feelings. I talked to people who I knew have been adopted to help me get over the fear of adoption.

It’s everyone’s favourite time of year again: tax time! This year a reader asked us for help understanding how to claim Canada’s adoption tax credit. In this article, adoptive dad and financial professional John Hakkarainen returns for the third year in a row—this time, to explain the nuts and bolts of line 313.

The Kirkbys adopted their daughter from China just shy of her first birthday. In this audio interview, Sheila shares their family story and how AFABC’s education and community connections helped them feel prepared.

Click the audio player below to listen. 

The Kenos say that you're never too old to provide a family for kids who need it. Here they share their story, along with why being an AFABC Member was important to them.

Mary Ellen and her husband already had three daughters, but they knew they had more love to give.