Bellis™

We have never been more convinced of the unique value of Bellis! Today, we invite you to invest in this work for ...

Minnesota Families

In the role of educator and advocate, Bellis benefits the countless families in Minnesota whose lives include stories of adoption and foster care. How? Our dynamic and well-trained teams speak in communities and schools and at conferences to dismantle myths and dispel stigma about foster care and adoption, in all its many forms. We are proud to be a trusted resource to our communities!

Individuals

Bellis’ big-picture efforts are informed and inspired by participants in our peer-support groups and retreats. Women who attend gatherings uniquely understand the grief of being a mom whose children are parented by others. Often, their grief is wrapped in struggles with addiction, mental health, and past trauma. Beautifully, they understand each other in a way that heals at a deep level.

“I love this group and all that it represents. It has saved my life.” - weekly support group participant 

Learn more about Bellis' innovative work to serve mothers who have experienced termination of parental rights by reading this MinnPost article and viewing this KARE 11 video.

Our expertise is creating safe places to talk openly and honestly about ambiguous loss, which is when we mourn someone who is alive but not in our lives in the way we hoped. It’s a unique grief with no ritual (such as a funeral) to mark the loss and with little chance for closure. We know that birth mothers – no matter how it came to be that someone else parents their children – find solidarity in Bellis support groups and retreats. They chart ways to make meaning of their grief, and they share that with adopted persons and with adoptive and foster parents. The roots of our experiences weave the community together.

Bellis leadership is guided by careful evaluation of all programs, guidance from high-caliber experts, and the life stories of participants told in a safe environment. We take these steps seriously because serving the adoption community is not only an honor, but also a responsibility. You won’t be surprised to learn this takes funding – and we need you to help.

We enthusiastically encourage you to make a tax-deductible financial contribution to help Bellis deliver programs unique in the country and offer a hand of compassion to women who need and deserve it, more than we can express.

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