Hello, my name is Jay, and I have had the privilege of working for HFS for the last 7 months in my time with Holy Family Services as their Social Media Manager, I have learned an overwhelming amount of information regarding Foster Care and Adoption. So you can only imagine how moving it was when they asked me to be a part of a relinquishment during an open adoption. You might be asking yourself, “What is a relinquishment exactly?” I had the same question, but allow me to explain. A relinquishment is when a parent or parents independently decides that he/she would like to terminate his/her parental rights to his/her child. They weigh all options including foster care, open adoptions, etc. People are quick to judge birth parents’ reasoning for giving up rights to their child but I’ve seen firsthand how selfless birth parents are when making the best and sometimes hardest decision for their child to live and have a better life.
I was called early in the morning to meet with one of our social workers and our executive director at a nearby hospital because they were in need of a witness during one of their relinquishment procedures. I was greeted by a 15-year-old girl who had just given birth and wanted to relinquish her newborn because she couldn’t provide the newborn a life they deserved. I looked over to the bassinet and saw the cutest little boy staring at me with the clearest eyes I have ever seen. She was looking through our awaiting family list and wanted a family that had a similar background to her. It was very important to this birth mother that they rooted for the same baseball team. At last, she found the perfect family for her perfect child. Once I helped our social worker and director organize the paperwork and her rights were read to her, I met with the awaiting family that the birth parent had chosen. Their eyes were filled with joy, knowing that their dream of becoming parents had finally come true. I have never witnessed such tenderness between two families who moments ago were strangers but now, will forever be bonded through love. I have never witnessed such selfless love and I am thankful to work for such an incredible organization that touches so many lives and helps create forever families.
Jay Orozco
Social Media Manager
