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…

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…