Donate DNA tests to Adopted Adults
Donation protected
I'm an adoptee! I'm one of more than 8 million adoptees in the United States today. Adoptees are one of last remaining groups of citizens that are discriminated against because in 43 of our 50 states, we cannot get access to our original birth certificates. While this may not sound like anything important to many people, it can mean the world to an adoptee. It means being able to finally answer the question of "Who am I?"
When an adoption is completed, the adoptee's birth certificate is amended with the names of the new parents as their biological parents and the original is sealed and locked away forever. This amended document literally ends the family lineage for an adoptee. It causes what is being called "ancestricide", and for the genealogist, creates erroneous paper trails. An adoptee also needs their medical information which was not considered as important decades ago as it is today. The step-child who is adopted by the step parent is not immune to this process either. The 8 million mentioned above explodes in number with the addition of step child adoptions.
With states taking their time in changing legislation and adding stipulations on providing original birth certificates to adoptees, many of our adoptees are running out of time trying to find answers. Many go to their graves each day not knowing who they really are or where their family came from.
My goal is to help those adoptees get and take a DNA test if they are searching for answers. A typical DNA test costs about $100. In addition to their day to day living expenses, many adoptees do not have excess funds for a significant test like this. There are three main labs that perform DNA testing. Taking a test will give the adoptee hope for answers and will produce results for years to come. It is not a fast process but in light of the current legislative climate, it is an adoptee's best chance for success as DNA tests do not lie.
Personally, I have taken three tests and by analyzing the results and triangulating relative matches from these tests, I have been able to identify a set of grandparents for my biological mother, who was also adopted in the 1920's. While I did find my mother, she has been deceased for more than half of my lifetime and now, finding her family and that of my father is still a mystery, but I am getting closer to an answer each day. From the results of just one lab, I have over 1600 DNA cousin matches and about 50 of them are also adopted and looking for family. If I am related to that many adoptees, it would stand to reason that each of us are as well.
In my frustration of not being able to open the birth records of my deceased mother, it has led me to create a website that can help adoptees find family members. It can also help the biological family find their lost adoptee. This website, www.AdoptionFamilyFinder.com lets the adoptee or their biological parent, siblings, etc. write a story of the adoption, their life, their search, and even leave a message for any family looking for them. The funds produced from this campaign will go to provide a DNA test for those adoptees who are looking and who have posted a story on the website. As funds come in, they will be used to purchase tests for these adoptees as they sign up. All funds received from GoFundMe are passed through for the cost and purchasing and shipping DNA test kits to adoptees.
I know the excitement of connecting with distant cousins to find answers. I want to share this with others like me that may not have the ability to do so on their own. It is estimated that between 2% and 5% of our population is adopted, but if you consider that we are all related to many adoptees, the adoption process affects each and every one of us as family.
By donating funds to help an adoptee and you are helping a member of your own biological family . If you are not adopted, please take a DNA test. One of your adopted DNA relatives will be on the path to finding answers.
Thank you so much,
Baby Bennett (a.k.a. Aleta Gerard)
When an adoption is completed, the adoptee's birth certificate is amended with the names of the new parents as their biological parents and the original is sealed and locked away forever. This amended document literally ends the family lineage for an adoptee. It causes what is being called "ancestricide", and for the genealogist, creates erroneous paper trails. An adoptee also needs their medical information which was not considered as important decades ago as it is today. The step-child who is adopted by the step parent is not immune to this process either. The 8 million mentioned above explodes in number with the addition of step child adoptions.
With states taking their time in changing legislation and adding stipulations on providing original birth certificates to adoptees, many of our adoptees are running out of time trying to find answers. Many go to their graves each day not knowing who they really are or where their family came from.
My goal is to help those adoptees get and take a DNA test if they are searching for answers. A typical DNA test costs about $100. In addition to their day to day living expenses, many adoptees do not have excess funds for a significant test like this. There are three main labs that perform DNA testing. Taking a test will give the adoptee hope for answers and will produce results for years to come. It is not a fast process but in light of the current legislative climate, it is an adoptee's best chance for success as DNA tests do not lie.
Personally, I have taken three tests and by analyzing the results and triangulating relative matches from these tests, I have been able to identify a set of grandparents for my biological mother, who was also adopted in the 1920's. While I did find my mother, she has been deceased for more than half of my lifetime and now, finding her family and that of my father is still a mystery, but I am getting closer to an answer each day. From the results of just one lab, I have over 1600 DNA cousin matches and about 50 of them are also adopted and looking for family. If I am related to that many adoptees, it would stand to reason that each of us are as well.
In my frustration of not being able to open the birth records of my deceased mother, it has led me to create a website that can help adoptees find family members. It can also help the biological family find their lost adoptee. This website, www.AdoptionFamilyFinder.com lets the adoptee or their biological parent, siblings, etc. write a story of the adoption, their life, their search, and even leave a message for any family looking for them. The funds produced from this campaign will go to provide a DNA test for those adoptees who are looking and who have posted a story on the website. As funds come in, they will be used to purchase tests for these adoptees as they sign up. All funds received from GoFundMe are passed through for the cost and purchasing and shipping DNA test kits to adoptees.
I know the excitement of connecting with distant cousins to find answers. I want to share this with others like me that may not have the ability to do so on their own. It is estimated that between 2% and 5% of our population is adopted, but if you consider that we are all related to many adoptees, the adoption process affects each and every one of us as family.
By donating funds to help an adoptee and you are helping a member of your own biological family . If you are not adopted, please take a DNA test. One of your adopted DNA relatives will be on the path to finding answers.
Thank you so much,
Baby Bennett (a.k.a. Aleta Gerard)
Organizer
Aleta Gerard
Organizer
Palm Coast, FL
