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How Companies Can Help Adoptive Parents

Legatus

Legatus members share stories of the financial strains of adopting children and suggest executives make adoption benefits a pro-life employee perk

Eighteen years ago, Chuck and Dotty Kearns were parents to two young daughters when Dottie received 
a phone call from a 15-year-old teen she knew. The girl, who has struggled with drug abuse and has been in and out of jail, had a12-week-old son she had conceived with her 16-year-old boyfriend, and Child Protective Services was on scene threatening to put the neglected baby into the state foster system. The teen asked: would Dotty and Chuck take custody of him? 

Dotty called Chuck, who was taken by surprise but had to make a quick decision.“I said, ‘Oh, man. We’ve never talked about adopting. It’s expensive and we haven’t saved any money,’” recalled Chuck, the CEO of an ambulance company. “But then I told her, ‘Say yes, and we’ll figure it out.’ I believed God was telling us to do it.’” 

The Kearnses, members of Legatus’ Savannah Chapter, then faced a legal“nightmare.” They needed to find an adoption attorney to make sure the adoption was final — otherwise, when the mother turned 18, she could ask that her son be returned to her.

The teen mom would go on to give birth five more times, with four of the children put up for adoption. The Kearnses later adopted her second child when the boy was 27 months old. The teen had intended to parent him, Dotty recalled, “but with no education, job, or money, the best thing was to give him up to us and have a fresh start in life.”

A pricey process
There were some adjustments. The second boy had suffered neglect and had hygiene problems. His language was delayed. Dotty also noticed signs of neglect. At the park, for example, she could tell that going down a slide was a new experience for him. 

Also, there were a slew of adoption expenses. The Kearnses had to undergo a home study by a social services agency. Social workers interviewed the adoptive parents and asked many questions to ensure that they would be suitable parents. The home study took six visits at $450 per visit. There were also more legal fees and court costs. Chuck had begun an out-of-state job, so there were travel costs. The pair estimated that their first adoption cost $19,000, the second more than $30,000. 

There was one financial silver lining: Dotty was working for a global company, and among its employee benefits was a $5,000 stipend to pay for legal fees should an employee adopt. Chuck recalled, “It was a wonderful surprise. It relieved the financial pressure.”

Challenge to CEOs
All is well with the Kearns family today; the biological daughters are 21 and 19, the adopted sons 18 and 16. Chuck and Dotty love their sons as their own biological children. The boys are attending Catholic  schools, and both are looking at a promising future. Recalling the tremendous help the $5,000 adoption stipend was when his adoptive children were young, Chuck has become a crusader in challenging CEOs to offer a similar benefit to their employees. “From a business standpoint, it is an easy thing for which to budget,” he explained. “It’s not a lot of money, and as an adoption is not quick, you have plenty of time to plan for it.” Chuck offers the benefit in his company. While three employees have inquired, no one has yet started the adoption process.

‘Incredible gift’
Andy and Jamie Oreffice are president and treasurer of Legatus’ North Atlanta Chapter. Like the Kearnses, the younger two of their four children are adopted. They also promote adoption through their website Catholics 
Adopt Project ( catholicsadopt.com). Jamie’s mother was also one of six adopted children. The couple “felt the call of the Holy Spirit” to become adoptive parents after they became more serious about their Catholic faith. 

“There is no way to fully describe the rewards of having another child,” said Jamie. “A child is an incredible gift.” 

The rewards of being an adoptive parent have been “incredible,” agreed Andy. “I’ve discovered that I can love an adoptive child as much as a biological child.”

The Oreffices, too, spoke of the high cost of adopting a child. A private adoption, like that of the Kearnses, may cost $25,000; an adoption through an agency could be as  high as $65,000. 

For couples considering adoption, the process can be daunting. He explained, “The process is a maze, with many different agencies and consultants with whom you have to work,” said Andy. “While the  financial hurdles are the most tangible, there are other intimidating factors as well.” 

The couple’s Catholic Adopt Project is a tool couples can use to better understand the adoption process, he explained. Prospective adoption couples can view materials on the site and contact the Oreffices, who can offer a wealth of information to make the adoptive process easier. In the three years since they’ve launched the ministry, he said, they have been regularly contacted by couples seeking information. 

Benefit advocated
Like the Kearnses, the  Oreffices also encourage companies to offer an adoption benefit to employees who adopt. “Not everyone is called to adopt,” Andy said, “but there are alternative things like this one can do to support adoption.

”Andy has also approached companies offering to pay expenses of employees traveling to abortionfriendly states for abortions after the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs decision striking down the Roe v. Wade decision, suggesting that they offer an adoption benefit as well. So far, this effort has met with little success.

Catholic Charities, once a leader in providing adoption services, has largely retreated from adoption, Jamie added, as governments increasingly mandate that agencies place children with same-sex couples in contradiction to Catholic teaching. 

Jamie also noted that adoption in the U.S. is in decline. Foster care adoption from 2019 to 2022 dropped 19 percent, which she speculates is due to more widespread use of contraception and abortion. Adoption from other countries has dropped 57 percent since 2019, she continued, as foreign governments are increasingly resistant to having their children raised by American parents. 

There is still a great demand for adoptive parents, however. “There are a half-million older children in the foster system waiting for their ‘forever home,’” said Jamie. “There is definitely an opportunity there for couples who are interested.”

Pictured : The Oreffice family in May 2025 (from left): JP, Jillian, Andy, Jamie, Kyle, and Lila.