In 1949, something magical took place in downtown Los Angeles. A newborn baby was handed to a couple in a car – an “adoption” in the streets if you can imagine. The miracle was that Dr. George Piness of St. Anne’s Maternity Hospital, and Dolores Hope (yes, Bob’s wife) witnessed it, and felt there had to be a better way to facilitate an adoption. Together, they created the agency now known as HFS Adoption & Foster Care.
In the last 26 years, I have witnessed my share of policy changes and shifts in the dependency system, but one constant remains unchanged: the desperate need for foster homes. The sheer numbers are staggering and disheartening. In Los Angeles County alone, approximately 30,000 children are caught in the intricate web of the foster care…
After military service in Germany (1960–1963), I traveled from New York City to California with a stop in Chicago to visit relatives. It was while in Chicago that I met Marilyn, and three years later, in 1966, we were married in California in a non-denominational church, although Marilyn was Catholic and came from a large…
Donating stock instead of cash can be a smart way to express your generosity during this extended holiday season.
On May 23, 2024, HFS will celebrate seventy-five years of creating forever families. It’s an amazing accomplishment, and a testament to the agency’s resilience, that HFS has continuously provided high-quality adoption services to birth parents and adoptive parents for almost eight decades. HFS’s origin story began when Dr. George Piness, then associated with St. Anne’s…
For as long as we can remember, we – Megan and Joseph – have always wanted to be parents. For 8 years we worked on starting our family. Years of failed fertility treatments, multiple rounds of IVF, even surrogacy, brought on a season of grief and loss for us. We were feeling defeated, our hope…
By Lydia (Sid) Johnston Not flesh of my flesh, nor bone of my bone, but still miraculously my own. Never forget for a single minute, you didn’t grow under my heart but in it. Fleur Conkling Heyliger Julian and Jennie Sid were married after the war and in time learned they would not have biological…
We are excited for Phil and Mary, as they bring history and energy to our board.