News and Notes - November 2025

Dear Friend,

As National Adoption Month begins, I am filled with gratitude and excitement for what lies ahead. Thanks to your incredible generosity at Greenlight Gala 2025, the coming year will again be full of legal finalizations for forever families. Your support makes it possible for children to find the safety, stability, and love they deserve through adoptions and guardianships.

This month, Greenlight is sponsoring the annual Adoption Day Celebration at the Richard J Daley Center, where we will honor families who have come together by choice, dedicating themselves to loving each other. You are invited to join us for the festivities! Please read below for details.

Additionally, we have welcomed two more board fellows from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. We are thrilled to continue this collaboration!

Sincerely,

Maria Nanos, LCSW, PhD

CEO

ADOPTION DAY!

Join us on Friday, November 21 at 10am to celebrate Adoption Day at the Richard J Daley Center. You'll hear from prominent speakers in the local adoption world, including:



• Chief Judge Timothy Evans
• Judge Ward Kirby
• DCFS Director Heidi Mueller
• Greenlight's Director of Legal Services and Chair of the Chicago Bar Association Adoption Committee, Karin Carli
• Greenlight CEO Dr. Maria Nanos, LCSW, PhD

Then together, we will witness a very special moment for 12 children being adopted into seven families!

REACHING OUT ACROSS CHICAGO

Throughout October, Director of Programs & Client Services, Angela Berger, LCSW, spread the word about Greenlight's high-quality adoption, guardianship, and counseling services.



At the Morton West High School Options Fair, Angela shared adult guardianship resources for teen students with developmental delays or disabilities.

At the Loyola University Wellness Fair and the Daley College Purple Thursday program, Angela raised awareness about the 20 free sessions of therapy available to college student survivors of sexual assault through Greenlight Counseling.

UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO BOOTH SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

BOARD FELLOWS

Greenlight welcomed two new board fellows, Eshita Sangal and Arissa Kumasi, to the team today.

Both students will provide valuable insight and craft effective deliverables to support Greenlight's mission. Over the next seven months, they will complete a project with the help of a mentor from Greenlight's board of directors.

We are excited to see what we can accomplish together!

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