For birth parents who choose adoption, finding a community that understands their journey can be transformative. On Your Feet Foundation provides that space — one where birth parents are met with empathy, lifelong support, and resources that empower them to move forward with confidence. As the only secular, independent organization in the U.S. dedicated to this mission, On Your Feet is a critical lifeline, offering comprehensive support that’s entirely free of charge.
“Over the course of my nine years with On Your Feet, I have been entrusted with stories from so many birth parents who never felt safe enough to share their experiences until they found On Your Feet Foundation,” said On Your Feet’s Executive Director, Alexis Eyler. “I learned that the rainbows and unicorns picture that is so often painted about adoption is full of complications and contradictions and complexities — a full spectrum of emotions from joy on one side to grief on the other. I learned that adoption is a human rights issue, and we need to do better for everyone whose life is impacted by adoption — and that we all have someone in our lives whose life is touched by adoption. When you support On Your Feet, you support improving outcomes for all members of the adoption constellation — including your family member who is adopted, your co-worker who is a birth parent, your friend who adopted a child.”
In 2020, On Your Feet started a new educational program, Activism in Adoption. This program brings adoption education into the 21st century by handing the microphone to adopted people and birthparents, the two groups most impacted by adoption, and giving them a platform to share their voices and lived experiences to improve outcomes for every member of the adoption constellation.
Demand for On Your Feet services grows every year. In 2023, the organization saw a 40% increase in client numbers from the previous year — including 102 new clients in 46 states and two countries. According to census data, with roughly 4.5 million adoptees currently living in the United States, the potential population of birth parents in need of services is roughly twice that number.
To celebrate and sustain this work, On Your Feet Foundation held its annual fundraising gala, Gather, on Aug. 23 at Evanston’s historic Dawes House. This year’s speakeasy-themed soiree featured food provided by Green Spoon Kitchen, a silent auction, prohibition-era cocktails by local mixologists, jazz music by The Chicago Jazz Dads, tarot readings by Ella Kist, and more.
This year’s Gather honoree was Indiana University PhD candidate Torie DiMartile. Her work in adoption education seeks to educate adoptive parents from an adoptee’s point of view. Over the past year, she has lent her expertise to help with Activism in Adoption as it expanded into a monthly speaker series.
The event raised more than $65,000 to support the organization’s mission of supporting birth parents.
Gather’s success could not happen without the help of supporters, including James Wimmer and the Patrice Campbell Education Fund, Verismo Financial, Cheryl & Mike Del Campo, Hilldale Tower Apartments, Knektar, Connected Neuroscience, Wellness Revolution, Nature’s Perspective Landscaping, Evanston Lumber, and more.
On Your Feet operates as a standalone non-profit organization outside the adoption industry, providing birth parents with a supportive, neutral space to navigate their journey. It is primarily funded by private donors who recognize how essential it is for birth parents to have access to resources and a caring community. This support helps them engage meaningfully within open adoptions and contributes positively to everyone in the adoption constellation.
How To Help
Contributions at every level to On Your Feet help ensure that no birth parent is ever turned away from the help they deserve due to a lack of funding. You can support their mission in several ways, including setting up a monthly, recurring gift, planned giving, attending events, and more.
