Building Families Through Adoption in Lenawee County
Every adoption begins with a story. Maybe it’s a nervous couple sitting in a courtroom, hands clasped, waiting to hear the words that will change their lives forever. Or a grandparent stepping up to raise a grandchild, ensuring that family stays together. Sometimes it’s a foster parent who thought they were only offering temporary care—until that child became part of their heart and home. In that moment when a judge smiles and declares an adoption finalized, it’s more than paperwork. It’s a promise of belonging, stability, and unconditional love.
Adoption takes many forms, and no two journeys are alike. Some children join their families through the foster care system, while others are welcomed by relatives, stepparents, or through private or international adoptions. Some adoptions are open, allowing ongoing contact with birth families, while others are closed, providing privacy for all involved. Each path has its own process, challenges, and joys, but all share the same goal: to create a safe, loving home and a permanent family connection. Understanding these different types of adoption helps families and communities see the many ways lives can be changed—and love can grow.
Types of Adoption
Adoption isn’t one-size-fits-all. Families grow in many ways, and each journey has its own rhythm and meaning. Foster care adoption offers children in the foster system a permanent, loving home when reunification with birth parents isn’t possible. Many families start by fostering and later adopt the child they’ve come to love and nurture.
Private domestic adoptions typically occur through an agency or attorney within the United States. These adoptions often involve close coordination between birth parents and adoptive families. Some are open adoptions, where both families maintain contact through letters, emails, or visits, helping children maintain a sense of connection to their roots. Others are closed adoptions, where identifying information and contact remain private, allowing families to start anew with a sense of privacy and closure.
Relative or kinship adoption happens when a child is adopted by a family member—such as a grandparent, aunt, or sibling—helping maintain family continuity and providing stability within a familiar environment. Similarly, stepparent adoptions occur when a stepparent legally adopts their spouse’s child, creating a secure legal relationship that solidifies family bonds and simplifies important rights like decision-making and inheritance.
Adoption isn’t only for children, either. Adult adoption allows one adult to legally adopt another, often formalizing long-standing family relationships or providing legal recognition for deep emotional bonds. And for families with an international focus, international adoption provides opportunities to welcome children from other countries, though it involves additional coordination with both U.S. and foreign authorities to meet all legal requirements.
Each type of adoption carries its own joys, challenges, and rewards—but they all share the same heart: love, belonging, and the creation of family.
Adoption in Lenawee County: By the Numbers
Adoption continues to make a lasting impact locally.
In 2024, a total of 63 adoptions were finalized:
- 39 foster care adoptions
- 1 relative adoption
- 15 stepparent adoptions
- 1 direct placement adoption
- 7 adult adoptions
In 2025 (through October 1), 31 adoptions have already been completed:
- 9 foster care adoptions
- 3 relative adoptions
- 12 stepparent adoptions
- 1 Safe Delivery of Newborn adoption
- 6 adult adoptions
Each number represents a story of hope, love, and new beginnings—a child or adult finding a safe, permanent home.
The Importance of Adoption
Adoption strengthens our community by providing children with stability, love, and the chance to thrive. It fulfills the dreams of adoptive parents, reassures birth parents, and creates bonds that extend beyond biology. Each adoption—whether for a newborn, a teen, or an adult—represents hope fulfilled.
Family isn’t defined by DNA; it’s defined by love, commitment, and the courage to say, “You belong with us.” Here in Lenawee County, dozens of families open their hearts every year, each adoption adding another thread to the fabric of our community.
If you’re thinking about adoption or simply want to learn more, reach out to one of the organizations above. You never know whose story you might help write next.
Adoption Resources
Families interested in adoption can explore the following resources:
- Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS):
Guidance for foster and adoption licensing, and support for adoptive families. - Catholic Charities of Jackson, Lenawee & Hillsdale Counties:
Provides adoption, counseling, and family support services. - Fostering Solutions:
Supports children in foster care and helps families through the adoption process. - MARE (Michigan Adoption Resource Exchange):
Connects adoptive families with children in Michigan awaiting adoption. - Questions not of a legal nature:
Contact Cathy Hopper at cathy.hopper@lenawee.mi.us