Adoption

Gould Grieco and Hensley: Granting Wishes for Illinois Youth At Greenlight Family Services, we believe that every child deserves the opportunity to grow up in a safe, loving, and supportive family, and every student survivor of sexual harm deserves a…

Addiction. Incarceration. Death. These are a few factors that can render parents unable to care for their children. While foster care is a haven for some, many children find themselves adrift without a permanent home or struggling to bond with…

Kinship Care What is ‘kinship care’? Sometimes, parents become unable to care for their children due to substance use, incarceration, financial struggles, lack of family planning, deportation, death, and more.  It’s at these times when relatives are asked to raise…

Greenlight Honors Black History Month February is Black History Month. Greenlight Family Services recognizes that black youth and families too often face greater challenges within the child welfare system. We are here to help. Love is the foundation of every…

Adoption Day 2023 On Friday, November 17, 2023, the sound of pitter-pattering steps filled the halls of the Circuit Court of Cook County. These happy feet belonged to the children of seven families appearing at court to finalize their forever…

Adoption vs Guardianship Adoption and guardianship are legal terms that are often used interchangeably, but they have distinct meanings and implications. The main difference revolves around whether or not you need to terminate the biological parents’ rights to their children….

Back-to-School for Grandfamilies As the back-to-school season begins, it is essential to remember the thousands of grandparents across Illinois who are the caregivers that will be sending off their grandchildren to school. It is an important time to recognize the…

National Foster Care Month May is National Foster Care Month, a time to recognize the thousands of children and youth in foster care across the United States who are waiting for a loving, permanent home. According to the Department of…

Older Americans Month May is Older Americans Month, a time to celebrate and recognize the contributions of older adults in our communities. This year’s theme, “Aging Unbound,” encourages us to rethink aging and the possibilities that come along with it….

A Fresh Start At the beginning of the new year, you might have set some goals for yourself, decided to try out a hobby, or chosen a different career path. For some adults, this is the year they will embark…

Exciting Illinois Adoption Updates An Unforgettable Adoption Day To kickoff the Chicago Adoption Day festivities on Friday, November 18, 2022, Greenlight Family Services’ CEO Dr. Maria Nanos LCSW, Phd, joined Chief Judge Timothy Evans and Cook County Board President Toni…

By Sarah Thompson, LCSW Why was I placed for adoption? Didn’t my birth parents love me enough to keep me? What did they look like? I asked myself these questions during my childhood in Western Nebraska, where I was raised….

Since 2017, Greenlight Family Services has been designated by the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption as an Illinois partner for Wendy’s Wonderful Kids, a signature program of the foundation that brings children waiting to be adopted from foster care one…

“It Was Challenging, It Was Exciting, and It Was Worth It” As Told By Felicia Stratten Adoption begins in your heart. When Felicia Stratten and her husband Sean decided they wanted to expand their family, they envisioned adopting a 5-year-old…

By Katie Friend, MA Adoptions Listing Service and Inquiry Unit and Wendy’s Wonderful Kids Adoption Supervisor Katie Friend says after 25 years in social work, building trusting and genuine relationships with our most vulnerable youth is not only important but…

By Ashley Reed, Greenlight Attorney-At-Law Why would anyone delay his or her retirement and step back into the role of raising children? The answer is simple for grandparents raising their grandchildren: the children are worth it. The reality of grandparents…