Open Arms Adoptions was awarded a grant from the Gay Community Endowment Fund of the Akron Community Foundation. This grant has been applied to combat discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community in the adoption industry.
Open Arms Adoptions is firmly against discrimination. To that end, we have developed a multi-media campaign that is running during the month of June. Be sure to check out our full page ad in the June issue of the Devil Strip. You can hear our ads on the JENY 107.3 and WKSU, in addition to a Facebook campaign.
We have made some internal changes to signal to the LGBTQ+ community that we are an affirming and accepting agency. These changes include appending our pronouns to our email signatures and our staff listing, the addition of a small rainbow flag icon on our website, and an LGBTQ+ Families page on our site.
Open Arms Adoptions will also be attending Akron Pride on August 28. Our staff will be participating in the parade that morning and we will have a booth where we will be available to discuss all things adoptions with anyone who wants to start or grow their family.
Our mission is to find families for children. Everyone deserves a family and families come in all styles.
Keep it honest, simple, and age-appropriate. Tell them a new brother or sister is joining your family, invite their questions, and validate all of their feelings. Match the details to their age, and protect the new sibling’s private story when you talk with others, including children already in your family.
Readiness looks different for everyone, but some common signs include feeling genuinely curious about adoption, imagining parenthood outside of pregnancy, and noticing that hope is slowly returning. You don’t need to feel fully healed. Emotional readiness is a gradual shift, not a sudden decision.
There is no required waiting period; readiness is personal, not time-based. What matters most is that you’ve had space to grieve and feel genuinely open to exploring a new path. Some families move toward adoption within months; others take years. Both are valid.
Open Arms Adoptions is 501(c)3 non-profit agency licensed by the State of Ohio.