Fifteen Years of Supporting Delaware’s Children and Families
You’re a part of something that stays.
This year, A Better Chance for Our Children proudly celebrates 15 years of serving children and families. It has been a privilege to strengthen permanency for vulnerable children by preparing foster and adoptive families and walking alongside them long after children join them. Reaching this milestone is both a celebration of growth and a testament to the unwavering commitment of our staff, board, partners, and supporters.
Over the past 15 years, we have expanded our programs, strengthened our training, and deepened our impact. We believe that strong permanency begins with thorough preparation; equipping families with the knowledge, tools, and confidence they need before welcoming a child into their family. Just as importantly, we remain steadfast in our belief that support does not end at finalization. Our commitment to “never-ending” post-permanency services reflects our understanding that adoption and guardianship are lifelong journeys. Families deserve consistent, compassionate support at every stage.
As we reflect on where we started and celebrate how far we have come, we are filled with gratitude and renewed purpose. The need continues, and so does our commitment. Together, we will continue building strong families, strengthening permanency, and ensuring that every child has a better chance.
Meg Garey Executive Director
“Our commitment to never-ending post-permanency services reflects our understanding that adoption and guardianship are lifelong journeys.”
My Dream Come True
Written by: Mary Lou Edgar, Adoptive Parent and Founder
As children, many of us spend time imagining what we’ll be when we grow up. All I knew was that I wanted lots of children, boys, girls, twins, triplets, whatever came my way. Of course, I didn’t understand what that truly meant yet. But even then, I knew there were children in need of homes and basic necessities.
I was nine years old when I first learned about adoption, and from that moment, it shaped the course of my life. Suddenly, I knew that my future children had to be adopted. I remember asking the men I dated whether they would consider adoption. Most looked at me like I was crazy. But Dan Edgar, my husband and partner in this journey, actually gave it some thought and said he’d be open to it. I’ve often wondered if he truly knew what he was agreeing to.
After the birth of our two wonderful children, I began searching for the children I hoped to adopt. At my first visit to an agency, I asked about adopting a child with special needs. The worker asked if I could “birth.” I remember feeling dehumanized.
At that time, infertility was often considered a prerequisite for adoption.
Soon after, Dan was recruited by DuPont, and we moved to Wilmington. I was hopeful that this new chapter would bring us closer to growing our family. Once we unpacked, I resumed my search. When our social worker came for her first home visit, I nervously kept wiping down the kitchen table. The house was so spotless you could eat off the floors. Looking back now, I laugh because the families I later worked with weren’t living that way, and I didn’t expect them to. I wanted to know about their children, not how polished their floors were.
One of the greatest lessons adoption taught me was to learn as much as I could but never lose my sense of humor. Those two things carried our family through many unexpected moments. Over the years, I learned that people often ask surprising, and sometimes insensitive, questions. I also learned how I responded mattered, because my children were always listening.
Mary Lou pictured with husband, Dan Edgar, ABCFOC Board member and Chief Financial Officer
When our youngest daughter first came home, she didn’t speak English and had very low muscle tone. One day she was lying in the grocery cart when someone stopped, looked at us, and asked in a rather nasty tone, “Where did you get her?” I assumed the question came because we were not the same race. I smiled sweetly and replied, “Aisle 13, if you hurry, they may still have some.” The person huffed and walked away, but moments like that reminded me that humor could protect both my dignity and my child’s.
I also learned that parenting humbles you quickly.
People would often look at our diverse family and say, “Aren’t you
Continued on page 4.
You’re a part of something that was missing.
My Dream Come True continued...
wonderful?” I would be ready to tell them how wonderful my children were, but one day before I could say a word, one of my children blurted out, “No, she’s not.” She had just lost the Cocoa Krispies battle and was not at all pleased with me. In that moment, I had no choice but to laugh.
My children also taught me never to underestimate what they were capable of. One of my daughters has a visual impairment, yet she would walk through the front door and immediately announce, “Someone in this house had Hubba Bubba gum.” She could smell it instantly. She had a remarkable nose, and even more remarkable gifts.
Now that my children are grown, I can see even more clearly how much joy was woven into the challenges of parenting. It was hard work, and it required patience, flexibility, and endless energy. But holding onto humor helped us weather the hard days and treasure the beautiful ones.
My husband and I learned to laugh together and to hold tightly to the funny moments, because
those became the memories we cherished most. Even the hard moments eventually became part of the story we loved to tell.
I remember one day when our son announced that he liked his birth family best, then his friends, and then us. My husband was crushed. I also remember our son telling a social worker that his birth mother smoked pot. In that moment, I jokingly thought that having some myself might help me cope.
But through every challenge, every unexpected moment, and every joy, the dream that began in my childhood never changed. I wanted children to know the love and security of belonging to a family.
In 2011, I had the privilege of helping start ABCFOC, and in many ways, it was the fulfillment of that nine-year-old girl’s dream. I may not have been able to welcome every child into my own home, but through this work, I have had the honor of helping children find the families they deserve. That dream grew from building my own family to helping build families for others. What once felt like a childhood hope
became a lifelong calling.
Today, when I see families formed, children embraced, and parents stepping forward with love and courage, I am reminded that dreams really can come true. And now, through this agency, other families have the chance to become part of that dream too.
Just as my dream came true, you may become the answer to a child’s dream, a family to call their own.
“But through every challenge, every unexpected moment, and every joy, the dream that began in my childhood never changed. I wanted children to know the love and security of belonging to a family.”
Honoring Fifteen Years of ABCFOC and Thirty Years of Mission Notable Moments
1996
Mary Lou Edgar began her journey supporting adoptive families by bringing Tressler
Adoption Services to Delaware
2002
Our nationally-recognized Rec-n-Respite program began
2014
Received Drenda Lakin
Memorial Award for Continuing Services to Adoptive Families
2015
Innagural Music from the Heart event
2011
A Better Chance for Our Children was founded
2012
ABCFOC served 245 families in its first year
2016
Mary Lou retired and Meg Garey became Executive Director
2025
Recipient of The NASCAR Foundation’s Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award $25k
Parenting After Trauma and Separation
Written by: Celeste Bishop, Permanency Specialist
When families finalize an adoption or guardianship, many believe the hardest part is over. In some ways, that’s true. The uncertainty is behind them. Permanency is established.
But permanency is not the end of the story.
As children grow, they understand their histories differently. A five-year-old’s understanding of adoption is not the same as a tenyear-old’s. Teenagers revisit loss with new awareness. Questions about identity, belonging, and birth family often resurface at each developmental stage.
I often hear parents say, “Things were going so well. What changed?”
Nothing went wrong. Growth happened.
Parenting a child who has experienced early trauma or separation is layered. Alongside love and commitment, families may navigate emotional outbursts, school challenges, anxiety, grief, and complex birth family dynamics. Many parents feel exhausted and unsure whether what they’re
seeing is typical development or something more.
What I want families to know is this: you are not alone, and you are not failing.
Post Permanency Services exist because support should not end at finalization. In Delaware, families formed through adoption, guardianship, and permanent guardianship can access ongoing services at no cost until their child turns eighteen.
That support may look like crisis response during a particularly hard season. It may mean connecting a family with an adoption-competent therapist. Sometimes it’s respite care so a parent can rest. Often, it’s sitting in a support group where no one has to explain trauma-related behaviors because everyone in the room understands.
I have watched parents walk in feeling isolated and leave feeling steady again. I have seen the relief that comes when someone says, “What you’re experiencing makes sense.”
Celeste at a day of Rec-n-Respite.
family stability and parent-child relationships. We see that truth lived out every day.
But these services do not sustain themselves.
When public funding has limits, community generosity ensures that families continue to receive the steady, responsive care they need long after finalization paperwork is signed.
Your support makes it possible for a parent to make that first call. It makes it possible for a child to remain safely connected to their permanent family.
It strengthens families during the seasons when they need it most.
Research consistently shows that informal social support strengthens
Permanency is a lifelong journey. Thank you for walking alongside our families.
“Research consistently shows that informal social support strengthens family stability and parentchild relationships. We see that truth lived out every day.”
You’re a part of something that grows.
In 2025, more than 500 children spent at least one day in foster care. Not every story fits neatly into a statistic, but these numbers offer a glimpse into the impact we achieved together this year.
144 Delaware children who received post-permanency services
109 Children supported through adoption or foster care services
54 Children helped in family court cases
107 Kids supported through ICPC (Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children)
400
Total families served
You’re a part of something that heals.
You Make It Possible
Written by: Nicole Outten, LCSW
I sit with kids who have learned not to trust adults. Some were adopted at birth. Some came into care as teenagers. Some have moved from home to home. Almost all of them carry grief, even when they can’t name it yet.
Many of the children we serve need more than a standard 55-minute therapy session once a week. Their trauma lives in their bodies, in their nervous systems, in the spaces between relationships. Traditional models, the kind most insurance companies are built to reimburse, don’t always fit.
Insurance may cover a diagnosis. It rarely covers the healing. I’ve worked with preschoolers who were asked to leave daycare because their behaviors felt “too big.” I’ve sat with caregivers who are exhausted and ashamed because they love their child deeply, and still sometimes feel angry, overwhelmed, or helpless. Trauma shows up as aggression, lying, stealing, shutting down, panic at school, or refusing to attach to the very adults trying to keep them safe.
Sometimes therapy means getting on the floor to play because that’s the only language a child trusts. Sometimes it means joining an IEP meeting to explain that what looks like defiance is actually fear. Sometimes it means longer sessions, more frequent touchpoints, or walking alongside a family for years, not months. Much of that work isn’t billable, but it is absolutely necessary for these families to stay intact.
In therapy, we make space for the things that feel unsayable. A child might whisper, “I’m mad at my birth mom… but I love her. And I love my adoptive mom. I don’t know how to feel both.”
We tell them it’s okay to hold both.
Many of our kids believe everything is their fault. They try to protect the adults around them by hiding their pain. Building enough safety for them to tell the truth can take months, sometimes years.
But when a child who once wouldn’t make eye contact begins to risk connection, when a caregiver shifts from shame to understanding, when a family decides to stay and keep trying instead of giving up… that’s the work your support makes possible.
This work is slow. It is layered. It rarely fits neatly into an insurance code.
“This work is slow. It is layered. It rarely fits neatly into an insurance code.”
Nicole pictured with her family at Music from the Heart 2025.
2025 marked our most successful Music from the Heart event yet. Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of our community partners, sponsors, donors, and attendees, we raised more than $76,000 in unrestricted funding to support our postpermanency services.
We provide these services at no cost to any family in Delaware who has adopted or been granted guardianship. They are essential to helping families stay together, strengthening parent–child relationships, and preventing children from reentering the foster care system.
Special thank you to our generous sponsors and leadership donors.
Arthur Hall Insurance, a Marsh & McLennan Agency
Barclays
Chuck and Elsje Bean
Beau Biden Foundation
Katie and Michael Beyer
Lori Captain
Robert Coonin
Dewson Construction
Robin Duquella
Dan and Mary Lou Edgar
Frederica Pizza
Brian and Susan Gallagher
GFP
Companies
Meg Garey and Mike Karpyn
Gonser and Gonser
Ed and Veronica Gordon
John and Meg Grieshaber
David and Sarah Holliday
Larsen and Landis Construction
Benjamin Mell and Heather Holiday
Morton, Valihura and Zerbato, LLC
Gina and Tyler Robinson
Jess and Matt Sinarski
St. Thomas Knights of Columbus
Unlimited Construction
Every child, family, and success story represented in this report is made
FOUNDATIONS
America’s Charities
Beau Biden Foundation
The Benevity Community Impact Fund
CAF Charities Aid Foundation of America
Delaware Community Foundation
Delaware Community Reinvestment Fund
The Discover Brighter Futures Fund
The NASCAR Foundation
Speedway Children’s Charities, Dover Motor Speedway Chapter
United Way of Delaware
MATCHING GIFTS
Bank of America
Edward Jones Matching Donation
Johnson & Johnson
JP Morgan Chase
UBS Matching Program
INDIVIDUALS AND BUSINESSES
A. Kitchen
Accidentally Wes Anderson
Annette Alessi Fine Art
John Alessi and Annette Alessi
Jane Andrews
Greg Andrews
Tiffanie Andrews
Gwendoline Angalet
Anna Marie Dance Studio
Anne Annone
Daniel Arkins
Lymari Arkins
Patrick Arkins
Angi Arnold
Bachettis
Dianna Ball
Linda Ball
Scott Ball
Sean Ball
Shane Ball
Lisa Ball
Barclays
Elyse Barnes
Jonathan Baylin
Caroline Bean
Chuck and Elsje Bean
Steven Beard
Tom Bensley
Michael Beyer and Katie Beyer
David Bickel
Celeste Bishop
Emily Bishop
Chonnie Blair
Blue Rocks
Board and Brush
Camille Bohner
Courtney Boney
Sean Bonyum
Michael Bradshaw
Paul Breitschwerdt
Suanne Breitschwerdt
Christina Brenner
Robert Broesler
Linda Bryant
Bob Bryfogle and Sons
Dennis and Kimberly Bryfogle
Jennifer Burnett
Bernie Busby
Calico Inc.
Kai Campbell
Kathleen Canning
Lori Captain
Tonia Carpenter
Jeffrey Carroll
Diane Louise Casson
Lloyd Casson
Deborah and Vaughn Charlton
Kevin Chatman
Chez Nicole Salon
Child Inspired Therapy
Susan Cicala
Shannon Cipolla
Complete Tree Care, Inc.
Kelsey Condron
Robert Coonin
Mitchell Cooper
Continental Jewelry
Cripple Creek Golf & Country Club
Steven Crooks and Brian McCurdy
Kimberly Crossley
Shari Custin
Sonya Davis
Delaware Art Museum
Delaware Theatre Company
Traci Delisser
David DelVecchio
Alexa Dembek
Lori Demkovich
Dewson Construction
Janice Distefano
Russ Douglass
Justin Duquella
Madison Duquella
Robin Duquella
Linda Duvall
Daniel and Mary Lou Edgar
John Edgar and Family
El Diablo
Kelly Ensslin
Kim Eppehimer
Aaron Falkenstein
Family Hope Coalition
Curtis Fenstermacher
Mary Jo Fernald
Barbara and Ed Fersht
John and Tommy Fisher-Klein
Suzanna Foehl
Fork
Frederica Pizza & Pasta House
Brian and Susan Gallagher
Elizabeth and Mike Garey
Meg Garey and Mike Karpyn
Kelly Gates
Kimberly Genau
George, Miles and Buhr, LLC
Shelby Gessaman
GFP Cement Contractors LLC
Arnita Gibson
Mark Gibson
Danielle Giddens
Traci Goldsmith
Gonser and Gonser, PA
William Gonser
Martha Gopal
Ed and Veronia Gordon
Yvonne Gordon
The Grand
Christine Grandell
Carol Graybill
Patty Green
Sharia Greene
Yolanda Greene
John and Meg Grieshaber
Todd Guidry
Shauna Hagan
Patricia Hampton
Lela Hardin
Deborah Harmon
Harry’s Savoy
Donna Hartsoe
James Heller
TaNia Hensob
Tionne Henson
High Street
Cheri Hochstedler
Mary Holland
David and Sarah Holliday
Tracy Ignatieff
Saundra Johnson
Asha Josiah
Shalissa Josiah
George Jurgensen
Linda Kahn
Michele Karpyn
Ann Kawa
Laura and Joe Keenan
Amber Kennehan
Timothy Kenyon
Deborah Kerley
Kid Shelleen’s
Cindy Klein
Cindy Knapp
Janice Kolbeck
Doug Kook
Korb Counseling
Larsen & Landis
Aaron and Laurie Lattomus
Crystal Lentelle
Fred and Julia Lentz
Sharon Leyhow
Link Logistics Real Estate
Martin Locraft
Gene Longo
Longwood Gardens
Loop
Robert Madonna
Gina Madrid
Tammy Magee
Jill Mairn
Ernest Mann
Lori and Joe Maramante
Nabil Massouda
Ellen McDaniel
Paula McEvoy
James McGiffin
Benjamin Mell and Heather Holiday
Donna Mell
Metanoia Counseling
Cliff Miller
Dawn Miller
Barbara Miller
Rosanne Miller
John Milroy
Eric Mitchell
Ann Monroe
Thomas Moore Jr. and Mariann
Kenville-Moore
Amy Morgan
Lisa Morgan
Mary Morgan
Tracy Morgan
Morton, Valihura & Zerbato. LLC
Katy Mowers
Liza Nasir
Newark Symphony Orchestra
Maria Nicholson
Christine Nordone
Ann North
Noreen O’Grady
Susan Oldenburg
Nancy Outten
Amber Patti
John Payne
Peco’s Liquors
Penguin Mechanical
Shandry Peugeot
Mandy Prowitz
Philadelphia Museum of Illusions
Victor Phillips
Christine Pratts
Dave Ramig
Angela and Pietro Randazzo
Stephanie Redden
Pamela Reed
Brittany Reed
Rehoboth Art League
INDIVIDUALS AND BUSINESSES
CONTINUED...
Lauren Rennie
Amy Renwick
Jeff Rhodes
Ericka Ricketts
Jenn Robart
Gina and Tyler Robinson
Joey Roszel
Salon Flora
Simon Schatz
Schellville
Virgina Schiavelli
William Seyler
Lynn Seyler
Jennifer Simon
Arlene Simon
Jessica and Matt Sinarski
Laura Singewald
Michelle Skoranski
Samantha Smith
Sister Mary Smith
Yasmine Smith
Edward Sokira
Bonnie Sokira
Anna Sollenberger
Southern Brewing Company
Michael and Michelle Speechley
Deborah Spivack
Pam Starling
Alverna Staus
Grace Stockley
Vincent Stockley
Jason and Lois Stoehr
Beth and Chris Swan
Mary Swan
Seth Thomas
Jennifer Thompkins
Tonya Thorpe
Stephen Toton
Kathy Trzaskos
Christopher Turner
Kaddy Turner
Twain and Abel Ceramics
Unlimited Construction
Cherie Uribe
Ellen Uzelac
Bernard Van Ogtrop
Mary Van Ogtrop
Danielle Varrasse
Angela Wagner
Peter Walker
Mary Lou Walker
John Walsh
Tina Walsh
Wawa
Andrew Watt
Karin and Mark Weining
Candice White
Kalimah White
Zachary Wilson
Winterthur
Mary Jo and Michael Wolfe
Corey Wright
Donna Yascko
Bonnie Zahn
Ron Zambrano
GIFTS IN HONOR AND MEMORY
We are especially humbled to receive donations in honor and in memory of your loved ones.
John Alessi in honor of his parents
Jean and John Alessi
Chuck and Elsje Bean in honor of their friend Mary Lou Edgar
Celeste Bishop in honor of Oscar Bishop
Courtney Boney in memory of her friend Sandy Sokira
Kathleen Canning in honor of her mother Helen Ann Holiday
Lloyd Casson in honor of his wife
Diane Louise Casson
Natalie Galinskie in memory of her friend Sandy Sokira
James Heller in memory of Carole
Ann Heller
Mary Holland in memory of her husband Andy Meyer
Gina Madrid in honor of Nicole Outten
Cliff and Dawn Miller in memory of their friend Sandy Marcie
Rosanne Miller in honor of her friend Auri Quinn
Susan Oldenburg in honor of her friend Sonny Leo
Penguin Mechanical in memory of their best friend Sandy Sokira
Amy Renwick in memory of Jamie
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
- Margaret Mead
Upcoming Events
June 6 Family Picnic and Open House (Milford Office) Come out for a casual celebration of 15 years of ABCFOC, and meet some of our team and families.
July 18 Community Open House (Wilmington Office) Come out for some cake to celebrate 15 years of ABCFOC, and meet some of our team and families.
Nov 6 Music from the Heart The Waterfall, Claymont DE
“I give for a lot of reasons... sharing what I have, bringing joy, easing pain, providing an opportunity or just helping someone feel that another person cares about them.”
- John Alessi, ABC’s newest board member
John pictured with his wife Annette at Music from the Heart.
