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In continuation with my giving back series, today I’d like to introduce you to Cindy. 
I had the pleasure of first meeting Cindy in May at the South Carolina Counsel for Adoptable Children Conference. She was one of the few birthmothers in attendance along with Lani and I.
Cindy became a birthmother when she was 18. She had just started college and knew she was not ready for a baby. She chose a family and an open adoption for her son who now lives about two hours away. She sees him several times through out the year.
Cindy went on to complete her studies and get two bachelor’s degrees and will graduate with a master’s degree in social work in May of 2007. Almost immediately after relinquishment, Cindy realized that she wanted to work in the adoption community. She originally thought she wanted to be an adoption attorney but after a year of law school, she realized that she wanted to be a social worker and counsel pregnant women considering adoption one on one.
Cindy currently works as the program director for a non profit agency and a certified adoption investigator. Her duties include working with expectant moms, meeting with hopeful adoptive parents, doing home studies, and writing grants for the agency, just to name a few. Cindy finds it rewarding to help other women in similar positions as she once was and important to educate adoptive parents about the sacrifices a birthmother makes.
Cindy says being a birthmother has made her more compassionate. She really understands what expectant mothers in unplanned pregnancies are going through and hopes that they can find comfort in talking with another birthmother. When she is conducting a home study or interviewing perspective adoptive parents, she enjoys telling them that she is a birthmother and often can change the stereotypes they have in their minds of birthmothers.
Cindy truly is giving back to other birthmothers by helping them make adoption plans and by educating adoptive parents about birthmothers and open adoption.
to tie your two posts together…. Im thankful for the people like cindy who are proactive about getting people informed about bmothers.