b'19 BARKER ADOPTION FOUNDATION 2024 ANNUAL IMPACT REPORT WHY WE GIVE 17FROM ANNIE JENKINSWhen we began our adoption journey, Ino matter where you fit into the adoption knew deep down it couldnt just be aboutcommunity.the paperwork and the placement. AdoptionI give because we need ongoing doesnt end there. Its layered, lifelong, andeducation and support ascomplex.parents. I give because adult Barker launched our adoption journey inadoptees need community, care, 2013. Even though we didnt finalize our adoption through Barker, they were with usand support. I give because every step of the way. As your child grows older children in foster care need from toddlerhood and school-age curiosity topermanent families. teenage identity and young adulthoodthe questions deepen, the emotions evolve, andIt all hit home for me recently, when I invited the need for support expands. a friend, an adult adoptee, to a Barker event. She walked away feeling something We have always felt, and continue to feel,she hadnt felt in a long time: seen. Thats embraced. Barker creates space not justwhat giving does. It helps build a world for adoptive parents and birth parents,where belonging and lifelong learning arent but for adoptees themselves, especially inmaybes, theyre givens. adulthood. Barker shows up with no strings attached, builds community, and makes sure no one feels alone. Thats what makes Barker so different; this sense of belonging, Annie Jenkins Adoptive Parent, Member of the Barker Board of Trustees, and a Barker supporter since 2015'