It was Veteran’s Day of 2000 when Janet Palkon and her husband got the call. They were on vacation and still trying to get over the recent loss of their twins. A family friend called out of the blue telling them about a birth mom trying to find a home for her 1-day old newborn. Janet had previously thought adoption would be impossible for them, but she and her husband raced home and called every adoption agency in the Joliet area. “I called LCFS and Laurie Lawton took my call. You were incredibly kind and said you could have a caseworker out the next day,” Janet said.
Three days later, Janet and her husband went to the hospital to pick up the baby girl who just turned 23 this year. “I never forgot about how much LCFS did to make my road to becoming a mom painless,” Janet said. “Adoption is a beautiful thing. Since then we have adopted three more children out of foster care.”
Janet felt called to help children in her career and she is now a Family Resource Engagement Specialist at LCFS’ Joliet office. “I know how happy my daughter is to see me in a job I love. But even more so because it is with LCFS. 23 years went by in a blink but LCFS will always be part of her adoption story.”
