I started the DNA kit donation program a year ago shortly before Giving Tuesday. Since then, and thanks to donations of more than $1,600 from 27 people, I have purchased 24 AncestryDNA test kits. Twenty of them have been sent off so far, all to adult adoptees, and most to people who were born in states (or countries) where they do not have an absolute right to their own original birth certificates. A map of where they have gone is below and here are the financial stats if you want to know where we stand (we actually have a balance of $124.02, and I have a few requests still ready to process and send).
I cover all transaction fees and the shipping of the kits from my office. I track them and also follow up and even refer people to search angels if they feel that is the next step they want to make.
As I implored last year, here’s what I still ask of you, whether an adoptee, adoptive parent, birthparent, stepparent, sibling, LDA, ICA, friend, descendant—whatever identity you have worn or celebrated or endured during this past November of “adoption” awareness. Please consider donating a bit to assist adult adoptees. Five bucks is enough if many of us donate. Do so here or at the button below, and for motivation I’ll also leave you with some of the feedback I received from the people we all assisted in the last year.
The DNA kit is the greatest gift I could ever receive and I’m sure you’re going to be blessed abundantly for doing what you’re doing for others. I will pay it forward as soon as I can.
—Louisiana Adoptee
It has answered questions I’ve had for 28 years about my identity and it’s seriously amazing to know even just one more piece of my life puzzle.
—Brazilian-born intercountry adoptee
I got my results back on Sunday . . . and I found my family yesterday! I’m still trying to wrap my head around this and get things straightened out but I’ll let you know more when I have more to share, but I wanted to text you and tell you that if it hadn’t been for you I probably couldn’t have gotten this done!
—District of Columbia Adoptee
With the kit I was able, with help, to make a family tree and see most of my birth relatives. It helped with a lot of closure with my adoption, and I am able to move on with my life.
—New York adoptee
States of Birth
The following map represents the U.S. states where those who received a donated kit were born. Two recipients were intercountry adoptees from Brazil and the Philippines.
I want to thank you for helping us out. I’m in the process of finding my birth parents and getting closer no thanks to CT. Monday I have to send $200 to get my non I’d info. To get just a little bit more info my birth name would be great to see if that solidifies our journey with this search. I have done 2 DNA kits one from my heritage and the other from ancestry and it has helped but what really helped me was this awesome lady from Washington State who is with a genealogy society and offered through messenger to take on my case along with 4 other women. This lady is opened up so much for me and I am very grateful. I have found a cousin even though he’s a third cousin he is still a cousin and met him last month and it was so awesome to know that I have met a blood relative for the first time it was pretty emotional. I was born in Hartford Connecticut in 1969 through Catholic Family services and was born at St Francis hospital and was not given much info by my mother because she had lost the information that she had because my dad and her divorced in 1974 and he stayed in Connecticut and we move to Canada and he died in 91 and never gave us the paperwork and we looked but didn’t find it. I now live in northern Maine and just want this law to pass because it is so dumb that anybody after 1983 can get this and we can’t it is a travesty I just can’t believe they even would do that. I have two children who are in college and would love 2 have them know my true identity. They know me but they don’t know my missing story as I don’t either. So I hope that are all the work that you are doing is enough to get these politicians to pass this bill. I want to thank you again for helping us and not letting them forget about us want to send lots of love to you and your staff and I myself will donate some money after my search is over for now I have to save in order to do this $350 search fee that they charge after my $200 fee for non ID.