Choose A Family : Parent Profile
Cori
Dear Birthmother,
I am at a loss for words in how to start the most important letter I will ever write. I cannot even begin to imagine what you must be going through right now. In making this decision, you are engaging in the most selfless act imaginable and I thank you.
My name is Cori and up until now, I have had a fabulous life being a woman, a daughter, a sister, an “Auntie Coco”, a mentor, a teacher, and a friend. The one piece that has been missing in my life is being a mother. As long as I can remember, I have always wanted to be a mom. I have come to realize that the absence of Mr. Right should not prohibit me from achieving my dream of having a family of my own. I hope that this letter can give you a glimpse of the woman I am, my life, my boundless love, wonderful family, and supportive friends.
“This is real. This is me… I’m exactly where I am supposed to be.”
I am from San Diego. I came to Los Angeles to go to UCLA for college and continued there to get a Masters Degree in Education. While at UCLA, I student taught in Santa Monica and loved it. After sixteen years, I continue to teach 8th grade US History in Santa Monica. Because of my love for US History and teaching, I have taken students to Washington DC for the past fifteen years. Being a teacher enables me stability, a good schedule (summers off!), and great benefits. It has also taught me to be incredibly open-minded. My middle school is very diverse and through teaching there, I developed an appreciation of different cultures and ethnicities.
Since I have been very fortunate, I believe that it is important to give back to the community. Over the years, I have volunteered for various children’s charities, including Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, St. Jude, and the Alliance for Children’s Rights. Through the Alliance for Children’s Rights, I currently mentor a young woman who has been aged out of the foster care system.
During my free time, I enjoy going to museums, movies and plays. I love music and enjoy going to live concerts. Through my life, I have been fortunate to be able to travel. I have traveled around the United States and around the world both with my family and on my own. Even now, my whole family (including the kids) gets together and does two family vacations every year to Cabo San Lucas and Hawaii. Primarily, I love spending time with my family and friends. I can often be found at my friends’ homes, hanging with their families or helping their kids with their homework.
I am a very active and enjoy the outdoors. I enjoy skiing, hiking with my dog, running, playing softball or just walking or bike riding along the beach. I also love going to UCLA basketball and football games. Go Bruins!
“It’s a dog’s life”
I share a large 3-bedroom home with my dog Ella. My brother and I adopted Ella from a rescue six years ago when she was just 8 weeks old. My brother has since gotten married and moved away and I now have sole custody. Ella (who was originally named “Cinderella” by my 2 year old niece) is incredibly gentle and kid friendly. From the moment we got her, we trained Ella be good around children. She is a very loving and mellow dog.
“We are family”
I am the oldest of three children and was raised in a very close-knit family. Rarely was it just my mom, dad, sister, brother and I - we had a very close extended family as well. My immediate family, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins were constant fixtures at every holiday celebration, graduation, vacation, and family event.
My parents who have been married for 42 years live on the beach in San Diego. My father, Chuck, is an attorney and my mother, Diane is a teacher – turned stay at home mom. My parents were incredibly involved in our lives. My dad and mom were not only present at every soccer match, softball game, and horse show, they served as my softball coach and manager for almost every softball team I played on as well. My parents’ support and devotion to their children serve as a role model to me now. Nowadays, Pop-pop and Gamma’s (my parents) lives continue to revolve around their children and grandchildren.
My sister and I are very close. I talk to my sister, niece, and nephew either by phone or Skype almost every day. My sister Julie is a Special Education administrator in Vail, Colorado. She is married to a wonderful guy named Judd and they have two beautiful children, Dani (age 5) and Max (age 3). Dani and Max are very warm and loving kids. Dani is such a girly-girl and loves playing with dolls. She is very responsible and is a great big sister to her brother. Max is the typical boy - he loves sports and getting dirty. Max is very funny and loves to make people laugh. Dani and Max are so excited for me to have a child. A new cousin is a constant topic of conversation with them.
I am also very close with my brother Robert, who is a doctor. Robert, his beautiful wife Elise and their children Adin (2 years) and Lexi (1 year) live in nearby Orange County. Adin is a very smart and sweet. He is the typical active 2 year old – he loves sports and running around. Lexi is such a happy baby – she is always smiling! Since Robert, Elise, Adin, and Lexi live so close by, I am fortunate that I get to spend a lot of time watching Adin and Lexi grow up. As you can see, I am a very involved aunt. Being an aunt to my nieces and nephews has been one of the greatest joys in my life.
Ten years ago, my family opened our home and our hearts to a foster child named Michael. Immediately, Michael became an integral part of our family. Mike is now 23 years old and we still share a meaningful relationship as adults. Although Mike and I are not related by blood, he is my brother.
“With a little help from my friends…”
A friend just gave me a picture frame engraved with the quote, “Friends are the family you chose.” I develop and nurture quality friendships that withstood the test of time - each of my eight “best friendships” have lasted decades. I have been fortunate to forge such wonderful and supportive friendships that my friends are not only the people I choose to share my life with – they are my extended family.
I have three girlfriends in particular whom I met at UCLA and they have become like sisters to me. We have spent over twenty years “playing”, traveling, talking, laughing and crying together. They have welcomed me as a part of their families; I am “Aunt Coco” to their children. I have been a witness to their children’s births, birthdays, soccer and baseball games, recitals, plays, and graduations. In fact, for quite a long time one friend’s daughter and son couldn’t understand why I did not go on family vacations with them since I was their “aunt”.
It has been said, “it takes a village to raise a child”. By making the choice to become a single mother, I couldn’t agree more. My friends are not only supportive of my decision to become a mom; they are committed to helping raise my child. My friends promise to be as involved in my child’s life as I have been in theirs. And my friends’ kids have already decided what they plan to teach my child. Not only will my child have 4 “real” cousins, they will also have 6 other cousins that will not only be a constant presence in his or her life, they will be wonderful role models.
“Every day’s a new beginning…”
After devoting myself to teaching and helping raise other people’s kids, I am so excited for the opportunity to have a child of my own. I LOVE children as you can see by me being a middle school teacher, a mentor, and my many volunteer experiences for various children’s charities. I want you to know that I have so much love to give. I promise that your child will grow up in a warm and supportive environment where he or she will be encouraged to experience all the wonderful things that life has to offer.
Thank you for taking the time to learn about me. I wish you the best as you make this brave and selfless decision.
If you would like to speak to me about adopting your child, or if you have any questions for me, please contact an Adoption Advisor at AdoptHelp by calling 1-800-637-7999, toll free.
With Love,
Cori
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