About Our Name

Sam was adopted as an infant through an agency-assisted open adoption. Open adoption is a promise—an ongoing commitment between two mothers to include the birth family in the child’s life at a level that feels comfortable for everyone.
 

What began as occasional texts soon grew into shared meals and, eventually, a deeply cherished friendship. We became more than a birth mom and an adoptive mom. Sam’s birth mom celebrated his baptism, his first birthday, and was welcomed into our home as family. She plays an important role in Sam’s life, and he is better for it. Sam knows who she is and where he came from.

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Recognizing and honoring a child's name and identity is an important part of adoption.  Although his full name is Samuel Thomas, he's collected quite a few nicknames.  When asked what he prefers, he smiles and says, "I'm Sam... just Sam."  Thus, The SAM Center for Open Adoption.​​