By Rachel Tibbetts, VP of Operations at The Adoption Exchange

Just minutes before a recent All-Staff meeting of employees of The Adoption Exchange was set to begin, I found myself in one of those self-contained bubbles that happens occasionally. As if viewing a movie, I watched staff members gather and make their way to an empty space at our large conference table. The cacophony of soft chatter about upcoming vacations, favorite desserts, the complications with a placement family, a burst of laughter, the beeping of the conference phone line in its notorious fickleness washed over me. The wave of affection that suddenly overcame me might have left me with a bit of mist in the ol’ eyes…

I am inspired every day by these incredible people who come to work with hope in their hearts that they can change the world. I wanted to know…what inspires them? So I asked, “What’s your ‘why’? Why did you choose to come to work for The Adoption Exchange, and why do you stay?” Here are some of the amazing answers I received.

What’s your Why?

From our Child-Focused Recruitment and Mentoring Teams:

From our Family Support Team:

From our Development, Finance, and Operations Teams:

From our Executive Team:

Why do staff stay? Here’s what staff said:

What’s my own why? I want to leave the world a better place. I want children to know the security and love I myself felt as a child with the most amazing parents, and I want families to know the unadulterated joy of loving a child. I want to pick up the pieces of our youth’s broken hearts and make them whole and healthy and beating for a better tomorrow.

Why do I stay? I am challenged every day. I truly feel I am part of something incredibly important and much bigger than I am. And I get to work with the most generous, kind, supportive staff who put me in awe.

Darn it… There go those misty eyes again. Thank you, team!