Welcome from
        the Executive Director

Welcome to the Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange (MARE) Web site. You may be new to learning about adoption or be an experienced adoptive parent. Wherever you are in your journey, we hope to be an ongoing resource for you.

Founded in 1957, MARE is a private, non-profit organization that works with public and private adoption agencies to recruit adoptive families for children in foster care. The great joy of our work comes from seeing these deserving children find families and overcome the challenges life has presented. One inspirational success story is the story of Crystal, who had been in foster care for more than eight years. Despite multiple placements, Crystal held on to her hope of finding a family, and so did her social worker. Crystal’s wish finally came true when, in December of 2001, a single experienced adoptive mother saw her on the WB56 special coordinated by MARE and sponsored by Jordan’s Furniture. After nearly aging out of foster care, Crystal was placed in her adoptive home at the age of 17 and her adoption has since been finalized.

If you are just beginning to look into the process, please be assured that most people are eligible to adopt children from foster care. You can be any age (at least 18), single, partnered or married, gay or lesbian, own or a rent a home and be of almost any income level (a financial subsidy is often available). The Department of Social Services (DSS) requires all prospective adoptive parents to attend a standardized training, known as MAPP (Massachusetts Approach to Partnership in Parenting), and have a homestudy conducted. This training better familiarizes individuals and families with the needs of the children in foster care, and many find it to be helpful in determining the type of child or sibling group they wish to adopt. DSS does not charge for the training and homestudy, and the private agencies that are contracted by DSS generally waive their fees.

You will find detailed information about MARE, the adoption process and a partial photolisting of children available for adoption. There is also other news of interest to both families and social workers. Please check back often as we update the Web site regularly, especially the Events and What’s New sections.

If you need further information, we encourage you to use our Information Request Form or call us at
617-54-ADOPT (617-542-3678) or 1-800-882-1176. We have staff available to answer your questions and provide referrals Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Additionally, if you have any suggestions about this site and how we can best serve you, please let us know.

Thank you for your interest in MARE and, more importantly, in the children we serve.

Lisa K. Funaro