In Illinois in the 1960's, a need existed to coordinate the services delivered to the hundreds of Illinois children available for adoption and the 71 adoption offices serving these children. On September 29, 1969, the Child Care Association of Illinois (CCAI) Board of Directors voted to sponsor an Adoption Coordinating Project (ACP) for three years.

The purpose of the privately funded ACP was to change the focus of Illinois adoption from finding children for families to serving children, particularly African-American children, who needed permanent homes. The specific goal was to help place 1,000 waiting children with adoptive families during the three-year project.

On May 1, 1971, the Child Care Association appointed the Reverend Charles Filson to head the project as the first Adoption Coordinator.

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The Adoption Listing Service

It was Reverend Filson, borrowing from the concept of the Realtors' Multiple Listing Service, who introduced the idea of having the state's Adoption Exchange Bulletin include photos of waiting children. (The bulletin described waiting children and families and had been periodically distributed by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services [IDCFS] since 1964.) As a gift to the Adoption Coordinating Project, the Springfield Board of Realtors committed to weekly printing of the photos and descriptions of waiting children.

On September 7, 1971, the Adoption Listing Service (ALS) book was distributed to all agencies and groups that had previously received the Adoption Exchange Bulletin. Tawanda Jones was the first child listed in the ALS book and she hosted the ALS twentieth anniversary celebration.

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The Success of the Project

An evaluation of the Adoption Coordinating Project in 1974 revealed that during its first three years, 818 waiting children found homes, including those most needing services: African-American children. Based on its success, the ACP continued as the Adoption Program of the Child Care Association of Illinois.

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Setting the Stage for the Adoption Information Center of Illinois, Inc.

Rev. Filson remained the Adoption Coordinator until 1978, when Marilyn Panichi assumed the position. In 1980, Panichi wrote a proposal to create a central organization to operate the Adoption Listing Service, initiate statewide adoption education campaigns, and act as the central source in Illinois for adoption information.

In January 1981, the Adoption Information Center of Illinois (AICI) opened its doors in Chicago. The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services funded AICI through a contractual agreement with the Child Care Association of Illinois, which employed the Center's staff and administered the program.

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The AICI Agenda

The Adoption Information Center sought to recruit, refer, and retain prospective parents for children who wait to be adopted, to link the waiting children with adoptive parents, and to provide support and/or referral services to adoptive families. These efforts were accomplished through a number of AICI initiatives, including Adoption Recruitment and Education Services, Adoption Referral and Retention Services, and Post Adoption Services.

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Reaching Out

For 20 years the AICI has used a variety of methods to bring the needs of waiting children to public attention. The Center, in conjunction with Illinois DCFS, launched two successful multimedia campaigns: "I Want to be a Son." and "Give a Kid a Future." in 1982 and 1986, respectively. The "Son" campaign won an Effie Award for Advertising Effectiveness.

In 1990, the AICI joined Wendy's International and the White House Special Needs Adoption Initiative in a multimedia campaign, "Consider Adoption."

Using the power of television, the AICI worked with WGN-TV, Chicago in 1981-2 and from 1992 to 2006 and with NBC-TV, Chicago from 1999 to 2005 to spotlight waiting children. Segments aired during the stations' evening newscasts or throughout the week, resulting in thousands of calls and hundreds of children finding adoptive homes. Also, during the 1990s, the AICI produced videos of waiting children to show prospective adoptive families, as well as a cable TV show featuring waiting children and hosted by children who had been adopted. Appearances on the Phil Donahue and Oprah Winfrey programs in the 1980s sparked interest on a national scale among families seeking to adopt.

The print medium proved to be a significant source of adoption awareness and education. National magazines -- including Ebony, Country Woman, and Shop Talk - published adoption articles in the 1980s. Newspapers throughout Illinois profile children awaiting adoption; the Chicago Sun-Times has carried its "A Family for Me" series for more than 30 years. Company newsletters have carried waiting children stories.

Since 1990, the AICI has produced its own publication entitled Adopt Me. Each edition features a selection of waiting children along with timely articles that address questions and concerns of adoptive parents and provide information for prospective adoptive parents.

Through a series of community events, the AICI directly approached families interested in the adoption option. In 1984, an Adoption Fair was held in the James R. Thompson Center. In following years, Chicago neighborhood festivals, "talk-a-thons," library exhibits, community and workplace meetings, and a variety of other forums were used to bring more families into the adoption process. From 1985 through 1999, the AICI sponsored "matching parties" to bring waiting children and waiting families together in activity-filled settings to create opportunities for adoption matches.

In 1992, the AICI received a federal grant for Project Dream, a child -specific recruitment project. The AICI received a federal grant in 1994 to operate the Village Investment Project. In 1995, the AICI received a federal grant to create the Post Adoption Clearinghouse. Illinois expanded its post adoption services and the AICI operated the Post Adoption and Guardianship Information and Referral Service, replacing the clearinghouse. In 1998, the AICI received a contract from the IDCFS to operate the Foster Parent Inquiry Line. The two contracts – the Adoption Listing Service and the Foster Parent Inquiry Line – were combined into one contract in 2005.

As of July 1, 2001, the Adoption Information Center of Illinois became a division of Adoptions Unlimited, Inc. a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that was founded by Marilyn Panichi and other staff members of AICI.

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Looking Forward

As long as there are waiting children in Illinois, the Adoption Information Center continues to carry the adoption message to families throughout the state and to work with the child welfare agencies that serve the waiting children and potential adoptive families.