Brian, Assistant VP of Corporate Communications at Rockefeller Group, and his wife never planned on having children. They had been together for more than 10 years and were content with their lives. They traveled and experienced new adventures together, but when they were given the opportunity to become foster parents, they never looked back.
The couple’s journey into fostering began when a friend, unable to care for their children, reached out to Brian and his wife for help. Although the children were eventually placed with relatives, this experience inspired the couple to become foster parents.
Shortly after receiving their license to foster, the couple received a call that would change the course of their lives. A 3-year-old boy named Nicholas needed a home. Brian and his wife opened their home and hearts to him. After five years of fostering, they became a family of three.
Throughout the fostering and adoption process, Brian leaned on his employer for support. The process included many appointments, court dates and training, all of which required Brian to take time off work. Through the organization’s adoption benefits, Brian was able take parental leave to attend every appointment.
“The reason that I love Rockefeller Group and our adoption policy, is time. Yes, financial help makes the burden lighter but having a company that understands that training, fostering, family visits, appointments, court dates and just being parents takes time,” said Brian. “I never feared I’d lose my job because I knew I had the backing of my supervisor but most importantly, Human Resources, who enacted the program.”
Rockefeller Group offers a robust adoption benefits program and was named a 2023 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplace by the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption.
“We are so pleased to be recognized by the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption as a Best Adoption-Friendly Workplace,” said Patricia Glorioso, Executive Vice President, Human Resources. “Our vision and values incorporate the aim of improving lives, at home and work, and having a comprehensive policy for adoption and foster care really supports that objective through the strength of the family.”
The Foundation is proud to recognize organizations, like Rockefeller Group, who make adoption and foster care a supported option. Start the adoption benefits conversation in your organization by downloading the Foundation’s free Adoption-Friendly Workplace toolkit.
