Foundation Supports DC's First Free Adoption Resource Center

February 3, 2004 — The Freddie Mac Foundation recently joined Washington, DC Mayor Anthony Williams as well as child welfare advocates, adoptive families, and members of the community in celebrating the opening of the city's first free adoption resource center, the Adoption Resource Center located in Northwest, Washington, DC.

Designed to meet the needs of individuals and families in all stages of the adoption process, the Center is a warm, comforting place with a home-like environment. Free, confidential services including referrals, counseling, support groups, a 24-hour help line, and parent and professional training are provided to anyone who adopts a ward of the District or who has their adoption finalized in the city.

Freddie Mac Foundation's $60,000 donation will allow the Center to enhance its current programs and services. "From the moment that our Foundation was established, we have been committed to helping find permanent, loving homes for foster children," says Maxine B. Baker, President and CEO of the Freddie Mac Foundation. "We are proud to also invest in institutions like the Adoption Resource Center to ensure the stability of these adoptions even after the final papers are signed."

With nearly 1,000 District children awaiting adoptions and 315 adoptions finalized last year, there is a great need for such a center to serve the city's adoptive families. "Because the Adoption Resource Center offers services long after the adoptions are finalized, it is our hope that we will be able to inspire more people to adopt the city's waiting children," says Center director Fe'lecia Holley. "Our goal is to educate, serve, and support individuals and families who adopt in the District—before, during, and after the adoption process."

The non-profit organization Family and Child Services of Washington, DC, Inc. operates the Adoptions Resource Center through a contract with the District's Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA). "We are pleased to have the opportunity to provide adoptive families with the support and resources they need," said Family and Child Services' Executive Director Charlotte L. McConnell. "Caring for children at risk and strengthening families is a part of our mission, which is why we've been placing children in adoptive homes for more than 100 years."