MARE Hosted Events

Throughout the year, MARE hosts events statewide to connect and support social workers, waiting children and prospective adoptive families. Please subscribe to our events newsletter to be notified of upcoming opportunities as they are scheduled.

Adoption Matching Events – These casual, interactive mixers provide families the opportunity to learn more about foster care adoption, meet waiting children and network with social workers. Some events are open to families at any stage of considering adoption, while others are limited to families with an approved homestudy who are ready to meet waiting children. Some events are planned for specific populations of waiting children (such as teens, children with special needs, or siblings) or specific populations of families (LGBT families, families of color, or single parents). We encourage families who are licensed to bring a hard copy of their Family Profile to in-person events or to email it when attending virtual matching events. To download a template of the Family Profile click here.

Family Support Events – Through trainings, webinars, panels and peer to peer support, prospective adoptive families at any stage in the process can continue to build their knowledge and network of support.

Fundraising Events – Be a part of bringing a child or teen home to their adoptive family by participating on one of MARE’s fundraising and community building events.

Understanding and Supporting Your Transracial Adoptee with Isaac Etter

This virtual training is offered to pre-adoptive and adoptive Massachusetts families open to the placement of a child of a different race than the adoptive parents or families already parenting a child of a different race.

In this two-hour presentation, Isaac Etter will share with families his experiences as a transracial adoptee, ways parents can prepare for transracial adoption, best ways to support their transracial adoptee, and a practical guide for conversations about racism and cultural identity formation. Isaac will share resources and leave time for Q&As.

Parents will walk away with:

- A deeper understanding of bias and how and where it shows up.

- A understanding on how racial identity development occurs in transracial adoptees.

- Practical steps to support your adoptee’s sense of self and racial identity.

- Practical steps you can take from the time your child is adopted through adulthood to encourage and support them.

Bio:

Isaac Etter is an activist and social entrepreneur. Isaac was transracially adopted at the age of two. He is the founder of Identity a startup focused on using technology to help adoptive and foster parents thrive. Isaac has used his story of being adopted and growing up in a white world to curate deep conversations about race in America where everyone learns to value each other and their experience, while learning about racism, privilege, and their role in it.

In order to register for events, you first need to log in or create an account.