Recognizing National Adoption Awareness Month w/ Ty Cliffel, Director of Programs at the Adoption Network of Cleveland

5 Plays11 months ago

November is National Adoption Awareness Month and while many organizations recognize it as a celebration of the beauty that can come with adoption, there are several sides to each story of adoption. The adoption Network of Cleveland is one organization that advocates, supports and educates the different sides of the story.

In this episode of Family By Heart Podcast, host Dustin Gruss sits down to talk with Ty Cliffel, the Director of Programs at the Adoption Network of Cleveland.

Among topics discussed are:

- The various reasons adoption becomes an option for families on the different sides of the adoption triad

- The importance of including the awareness aspect in November being National Adoption Month - The support groups offered for the various members of the adoption process.

- DNA discovery services and what that journey searching for the birth family could reveal.

- Why inclusiveness is one of the main core values at Adoption Network of Cleveland.

- How coming to terms with the process of adoption is a lifelong journey.

- The different family outings and different upcoming events available through the Adoption Network of Cleveland.

Gruss and his wife adopted their two toddlers boys out of foster care in January 2022 and turned to the Adoption Network of Cleveland later that summer for support as the boys started to display low self-esteem due to their skin color being different.

Ty Cliffel serves as Director of Programs and is responsible for the overall administration of programs, including the creation, planning, development, coordination, and evaluation of programs and services.Ty has served children and families in a variety of settings including residential treatment, group homes, schools, and private practice. She has overseen the recruitment and training of foster and adoptive parents, conducted home studies, and provided support services for families throughout the placement process. Ty has served on the Board of Directors with Adoption Knowledge Affiliates for the past three years and is an adoptee who has been in reunion with her birth family for over 25 years.