DePaul University professors Francesca Royster and Ann Russo had a great life together, fulfilling careers and a busy schedule. But something was missing. “We decided that we really wanted to raise and nurture a child,” Fran said, “build a home for them and shepherd them through the world.”
The Cradle Blog
September 23,2020
On behalf of everyone at The Cradle, we offer our sincere condolences to Ardythe Sayers, the Sayers children, and the rest of the Sayers family for the passing of Gale Sayers.
July 13,2020
As Vice President of Community Outreach and Education, I am thrilled to be able to bring knowledge and training to people across the country, tackling topics that are relevant and informative for so many. While adoption-focused preparation and topics continue to be a big part of the education offered by The Cradle, we’ve
June 06,2018
A few months ago, the Our Children program, Raising Black Children Across Racial Lines brought together transracial adoptees and adoptive parents. Together, they discussed the unique issues brought about when white parents raise children of color. Some recurrent themes stood out ...
May 18,2018
Last year, The Cradle hosted a roundtable as part of the Our Children initiative. Called Raising Black Girls, the roundtable addressed the complex issues involved in parenting a Black girl in today's society.
August 08,2017
This year’s Sayers Summer Soiree on July 20 was a blast! From the silliness of the heads-or-tails game, to the surprise of extra raffle prizes, the night was full of fun, excitement and laughter. It was also full of excellent food and drink, including delicious hors d’oeuvres, wine and beer, a pizza and burger bar, and decadent desserts.
July 26,2016
A critical decision every parent makes for their child is deciding where they will go to school. We want the best for our children and know how foundational a good education is to reaching their full potential.
May 20,2016
The Cradle’s Our Children initiative launched in February of 2016 with the “Raising Black Boys” roundtable.
April 25,2016
Imagine that a child refuses to hold your little boy's hand because he is Black. Imagine shopping with your 12 and 15 year old sons and having them followed throughout the store and questioned as to why they are there. Imagine a neighbor refusing to play with your daughter because she has brown skin.
April 19,2016
Dear Sayers Families,
February 26,2016
The "Hope" episode of Blackish that aired this week was so powerful for me, as a person of color and as a mom. I found myself tearing up many times during and afterwards as I considered the impact I feel towards the topic of injustice and racism and my job as a mom to Black children.
February 22,2016
The evening of February 18th was one of the highlights of my professional career. It was the kick-off event to our multi-year series Our Children, and we started with a tough topic that needs to be discussed.
August 19,2015
Deciding to grow your family through adoption is not an easy decision. I should know; I made the decision nearly 10 years ago.
July 13,2015
Hair is a big part of how your child sees herself, and a big part of how others see her too. “What’s the big deal?” you may be thinking, “It’s just hair.”
May 25,2015
Did you know that we are always in need of prospective adoptive parents of color. Why? Because the number of birthmoms of color we work with each year always surpasses the number of prospective adoptive parents of color we have.
May 22,2015
Leading up to Mother's Day earlier this month, WCIU's You and Me This Morning interviewed first time moms about their experiences at home with their children. Two Cradle moms, Wendy Willis and Jessica Murnane, were interviewed for the special! Watch below.
April 22,2015
The documentary Closure is a story that follows the life of an adopted person in her quest to find her birth parents.The essence of the story, as I saw it, was about the need for a
February 24,2015
Adoption is such a foreign word for many African Americans. Historically, we value blood ties. Kinship adoptions are what we do. Our mother raises our sister's kids. Our aunt raises our cousin's kids. A sister takes in a niece. It’s been that way in the African American community for a very long time.