When Voices Unite: Adoptees, Birth Parents, and the Path Towards Justice

Join us for a powerful conversation with Renee Gelin, President and Co-Founder of Saving Our Sisters (SOS), Katie Burns, Founder of The Family Preservation Project and Resource Coordinator for SOS, and Anna Sarkitova, adoptee and advocate for adoptee rights. Together, they will explore truth, loss, and justice in adoption.
Since 2011, Saving Our Sisters has grown from the lived experiences of birth mothers who were misinformed and pressured into adoption into a national nonprofit that empowers expectant families to make informed choices and avoid permanent solutions to temporary crises.
Working alongside SOS, The Family Preservation Project provides critical, family-preservation-focused resources for expectant mothers, including adoption FAQs, information about subtle coercion and deceptive practices, and facts such as the trauma an infant experiences when separated from their mother and the sealing of the infant's original birth certificate upon finalization, details the industry rarely, if ever, discloses.
Renee and Katie will share their journeys, the mission behind SOS, updates on the accomplishments and activities of SOS this year and their support of an initiative centered on getting justice for mothers who were forced to give up a child for adoption during the Baby Scoop Era where the Episcopal Church admitted playing a role. Together with Anna, they’ll discuss how recognizing birth parent injustice connects to adoptee rights and how empathy and unity can drive healing and change.

AAOM Speaker Series, hosted by Anna Sarkitova Presented by the Adoptee Advocates of Michigan (AAOM)
This interview is the first in our new speaker series hosted by Anna Sarkitova, international adoptee, advocate, and proud Adoptee Advocates of Michigan board member. In each session, Anna will sit down with powerful authors, community leaders, and changemakers who are advancing justice, visibility, and equity for adoptees and their families.
The AAOM Speaker Series is part of our grassroots fundraising campaign in support of our activism, community building, educational and legislative outreach where we work hard to bring adoptee voices directly to the people, families, and policymakers who need to hear them. As a volunteer-run organization, your support helps us compensate our speakers and sustain these vital conversations within the community.
Whether you are an adoptee, a member of the adoption constellation, or a passionate ally, this series is a great opportunity to stay informed, get inspired, and support the voices that too often go unheard in adoption.

Suggested donation: $10 (or more if you are able)
Get Tickets Here
Can’t donate? Come anyway- your presence matters.
We can’t wait to see you.
— The AAOM Team