BINGHAM FARMS, Mich (WXYZ) — It's the end of an era for one local organization, that's spent more than three decades bringing metro Detroit families together.
“Think of all the lives that have been changed for the better," said the proud father of three children adopted through Child and Parent Services, Dave Meinhard.
There's a million reasons to adopt, but whatever the reason is, finding the right agency can make all the difference.
35 years and more than 6,000 adoptions later, Child and Parent Services in Bingham Farms is closing its doors. Co-founder and director Cathy Eisenberg told Action News she's not passing the torch, but rather closing the book on this fulfilling chapter.
“It’s heartwarming, to see the families and to see their children and to listen to their stories," Eisenberg said.
Jane Lindell-Meinhard still remembers those three phone calls that changed her life and completed her and Dave's family.
“You sit at this table and wait. And you can hardly wait. And then when they bring that baby in, it’s just.. it’s magic," she said.
Baby photos of their now adult children still line the walls of Child and Parent Services where filing cabinets are looking more and more empty as Cathy prepares to move on.
“The majority of the adoptions that we’ve done, we didn’t just place one child we placed two or three or sometimes four," she said.
“They connected us with three little babies that needed a family.. and we needed some kids," Dave said.
Over the years, so many families were completed with Cathy's help.
“Katelyn is 11, William is 10, and Hope is 8," said Annmarie Chupa proudly, pointing out her three children she and husband Michael adopted.
One of the things adoptive mother Kitty Hjelmroth takes away from her experience with Cathy is the special bond she helped facilitate between the families and birth mothers. Kitty and her husband Lars are the proud parents of two boys, Kian and Kobie.
“I’m so thankful for both of them for choosing us," she said of their birth mothers.
Cathy said couples or individuals still in the process of adopting will be referred to other agencies.
