The Story Of A New Beginning Family
The Stoll Family
My husband and I first began our relationship with Stephanie Pearl, the Executive Director of A New Beginning Adoption Agency, while we were beginning the process of adopting our first daughter, Emma. Being completely new to adoption, we were anxious to begin and nervous about the process. Stephanie was assigned to be our social worker when we were feeling very discouraged by the lack of communication with the social worker who was originally assigned to our family.
Stephanie’s approach with us instantly alleviated our fears, concerns, and anxieties. She called us the very next morning and we set up our first meeting. To say that I was nervous regarding the home-study is minimalizing it. I put in new kitchen flooring, painted rooms, and re-organized our entire garage. All of that was so unnecessary as Stephanie immediately explained to us that her role was to assist us in the process of becoming parents. We were so impressed with her knowledge of adoption, but more moved by her passion about adoption. She was compassionate throughout all of our meetings and it was evident that she loved being involved with uniting children with families.
...Stephanie Pearl has created an agency that has grown from her passion. Her social workers are committed to adoption and uniting families. They are wonderful and we are so thankful to have such a terrific support system in our lives. Your family will benefit from their experience, guidance, and assistance.
Once our home-study was complete, Stephanie’s official role as our social worker was finished. But, her devotion to families is unsurpassed. We continued to strengthen our relationship and she was supportive to us during our long wait. Once we submitted our dossier to China, the wait for our referral was over 14 months! (thankfully, it is now as short as 6 months) Stephanie listened to my fears, groaning, excitement, and concerns throughout this long wait.
Knowledge is one way that parents who are in the process of adopting calm their fears during the adoption process. We wanted knowledge of what to expect, where we were in the process, what others had experienced, what other children from China were like. We wanted to feel connected. Stephanie, along with Louise Samson, a board member of A New Beginning Adoption Agency, began a Waiting Families Support Group. This group met monthly and was a godsend to many families who were waiting for their children. It allowed us to discuss our feelings, to make friends, to develop relationships with people we would be traveling with, and to gain knowledge from those families who traveled before us. We were all thankful for them for organizing this group.
We finally received our referral and then 6 weeks later, traveled to China to bring Emma home. It was a wonderful experience, made even better when Stephanie met us at the airport close to midnight to greet us. I have a wonderful photo of her giving Emma a hug. This to me is such a pure demonstration of her commitment and passion for families. She was under no obligation to greet us; she did so because she cares.
A New Beginning Adoption Agency, and Stephanie Pearl, have been a large part of the adoption of our second daughter, Ellie. Stephanie again was solid in her support of us during the paperwork process, wait, and travel to China. But her true commitment showed after we came home. Our second daughter had lived with a foster family for numerous months and had a difficult transition into our family. It was, at times, agonizing. Stephanie was amazing. She listened to me discuss my fears, concerns, frustrations, and joys. She helped me process my feelings. She helped me to problem-solve. She provided resources for me. She encouraged me, she told me that it would improve (which it has incredibly so), she recognized and told me about little improvements that she observed. She was wonderful.
Jessica Scott, our social worker with A New Beginning Adoption Agency completed our 2 post-placement reports and was equally dynamic. She was able to see the changes in Ellie and our family. She connected with both of my children immediately. She exudes all of the same qualities and characteristics that Stephanie Pearl has. Our post-placement reports were sent to our Colorado-based agency within a week of our post-placement meetings. That is unheard of, and can typically have a time-frame of 6 weeks for completion!
I think that Stephanie Pearl has created an agency that has grown from her passion. Her social workers are committed to adoption and uniting families. They are wonderful and we are so thankful to have such a terrific support system in our lives. Your family will benefit from their experience, guidance, and assistance.
If you would like to discuss anything about our experience, please do not hesitate to email me.
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