Responses by Christine Heimann
Christine Heimann is the founder and president of AdopteeBridge, a not-for-profit organization based in Roseville, Minnesota.
When was AdopteeBridge founded? What were your goals when you started?
AdopteeBridge was founded in 2017 as a response to the large number of transracial and transnational adoptees in the United States. We wanted to provide positive, post-adoption support services and give adoptees and their families an option outside of an adoption agency to receive support.
What is your personal connection to adoptee groups? How did your organization grow?
Previously, I volunteered and later worked at a large adoption agency in Minnesota. I learned a great deal from my time at this agency and my passion grew for helping adoptees find connections and answers to their adoption stories. However, I did see the agencies were focused on serving the parents, not the adoptees and the voices of adoptees were being silenced and not respected. Because of this, ethically it was too hard to work there so I left. After much reflection, I decided to found AdopteeBridge to create programs and services for transracial adoptees designed especially to listen to the voices of adoptees, something that has not been done. This is why AdopteeBridge places the adoptee first in all of our programming, with supportive staff, volunteers, and board members who are all adoptees.
What are you most proud of accomplishing as an organization?
A great achievement of ours has been when our first tour went to Korea which was a great success. Local achievements include our mentorship program for youth adoptees and discussion group for adult adoptees. Both programs have been greatly needed for quite some time in the adoptee community.
What does AdopteeBridge do in an average year?
During the U.S. school year, our organization provides in-person and online group mentorship programs and online discussion groups for youth and tween/teen transracial adoptees. Year-round, we provide a discussion group and retreat for adult adoptees and a separate discussion group for adoptive family members. Prior to COVID-19, we offered three annual birthland tours to Korea (two in the summer and one in the fall) that are available to adoptees and their family members. We hope to continue these tours in 2021!
What kind of services do you provide for your members?
In addition to the birthland tours to Korea, in-person and online mentorship programs, and discussion groups for adoptees of all ages and adoptive family members, we also offer online language classes, Korean translation services, and educational webinars. In the future, we hope to offer behavioral and mental health services.
Even though Minnesota and the United States have a large number of Korean adoptees, there are also a large number of transnational adoptees. However, they may have less resources than us Korean adoptees do. AdopteeBridge welcomes all and strives to create a warm and welcoming community because we all share the commonality of being transracial adoptees.
Connect With Us!
Website: www.adopteebridge.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AdopteeBridge
Instagram: @adopteebridge
Email: info@adopteebridge.org
Address: P.O. BOX 13552, Roseville, Minnesota, USA 55113
