Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange - MARE

10/27/2026

Last Friday, we gathered at the Worcester Art Museum for Fostering Creativity to celebrate the voices of youth who've been impacted by foster care. Thank you to everyone who attended, supported the artists, and helped make this year’s showcase meaningful. We’re so grateful to our youth artists for sharing their creativity and perspectives with us!

You can help continue to support Fostering Creativity by shopping our merchandise inspired by this year’s artwork, with all proceeds supporting MARE’s programs and future youth art showcases using this link: https://hubs.la/Q04Cv60G0

You can also see the exhibit at the Massachusetts State House from November 9–13 in the 4th Floor Exhibit Area, in recognition of National Adoption Month.

Thank you for being part of this community and helping us celebrate the voices and experiences of young people in foster care!

📸Photos by Tabitha G.

10/19/2026

Registration for Pasta and Possibilities is still open! If you're looking for a fun evening of pasta creation while connecting with youth 12 and up, make sure to check out this event. Link to register below.

Pasta & Possibilities is back! Join MARE for the second Pasta & Possibilities event, a special opportunity for pre-adoptive families to meet and connect with teens ages 12 and up while cooking and enjoying a delicious meal together.

You’ll make fresh fettuccine and ravioli, share a meal, and most importantly, have the chance to get to know teens who are looking for permanent families.

This event is open to pre-adoptive families who have completed MAPP training.

📅 Saturday, November 14, 1pm-3:30pm
📍Provided after registration
🔗 Register: https://hubs.la/Q04yJKtY0

Please let us know about any food allergies when you register.
Come for the pasta, stay for the possibilities! We hope you’ll join us for this special event.

10/16/2026

Join us on Friday, October 23, from 6–8 PM at the Worcester Art Museum for the 5th Annual Fostering Creativity Art Showcase!

This year marks five years of sharing the creativity, perspectives, and voices of young people who have been impacted by foster care. Come explore artwork from all five years of the showcase, hear spoken-word poetry, take part in a youth panel, and connect with the artists and their work.

Inspired by this year’s artwork, our theme is “Even in Darkness, We Bloom.” We’ll also be showing off this year’s Fostering Creativity T-shirt design!

Admission is free, and everyone is welcome! You don’t need to be connected to MARE or have experience with foster care or adoption to attend.

📅 Friday, October 23, 6–8 PM
📍 Worcester Art Museum, 55 Salisbury Street, Worcester, MA

Free parking is available in the museum’s Salisbury Street and Lancaster Street lots. Find directions and parking details at https://hubs.la/Q04BqRlf0

Register: https://hubs.la/Q04BqSnj0

10/16/2026

There’s still time to join MARE’s Mental Health and Adoption Virtual Training Series!
The first session has passed, but two more virtual trainings are coming up for adoptive parents. These sessions will focus on two particularly challenging parts of the parenting journey: staying connected when your child cannot safely live at home and supporting your teenager as they move toward adulthood.

Parenting From a Distance
Maintaining Connection with Your Child When Mental Illness Has Made It Too Unsafe for Them to Live at Home
with Anna Bernacki
📅 October 26 | 7:00–8:30 PM
What does it mean to parent when your child cannot safely live at home? This session will explore maintaining connection, advocating for your child, and nurturing your relationship when a child is in residential treatment or another living environment.

Parenting Teenagers Toward Independent Adulthood While Navigating Mental Health Struggles
with Melissa Smallwood
📅 November 5 | 7:00–8:30 PM
As adopted teenagers move toward adulthood, supporting their independence while navigating mental health challenges can bring new questions. This session will explore ways parents can support their teens while continuing to nurture relationships, connection, and emotional well-being.

Both trainings are virtual and free, and Foster/Pre-Adoptive Training Certificates are available.
You don't need to have attended the first session to participate. Join us for one or both of the remaining trainings!

Learn more and register: https://hubs.la/Q04yCc-H0

10/06/2026

Registration is open for MARE’s Winter 2026 TBRI® Training Series! 💙

📅 November 7–December 8
💻 Virtual via Zoom

Parenting a child who has experienced trauma can come with unique challenges. Understanding how trauma can affect a child’s brain, body, behavior, and relationships can help caregivers respond with greater connection, compassion, and understanding.

This winter, MARE is offering a five-part virtual TBRI® training series, facilitated by Fostering Hope’s TBRI® Practitioner Trainers. The series will cover the foundations of TBRI® and take deeper dives into the Connecting, Empowering, and Correcting Principles.

We encourage families to attend the full series, but you are welcome to register for individual sessions if you can't make them all. The trainings are interactive, with opportunities to participate through the Zoom chat and discussion.

The series is intended for Massachusetts pre/adoptive families who are in MAPP training or beyond, as well as families who are already parenting through adoption. Certificates of participation will be provided for training hours.

Registration is open! Visit MARE’s website to learn more about each training and register. Please remember to log into your MARE account for the registration buttons to appear.

🔗 https://hubs.la/Q04z9bxF0

10/05/2026

Registration for The Adoption Option is still open! Whether you’re just beginning to explore adoption or you’re already in the licensing process, The Adoption Option has something for you. Register today at https://www.mareinc.org/event/60804960410

Registration is now open for MARE’s annual Adoption Option Meet & Greet!
Join us Sunday, October 25 at Jordan’s Furniture in Reading for an opportunity to learn more about adopting from foster care, connect with social workers and experienced adoptive families, and meet children and teens in need of adoptive homes.

Whether you’re just beginning to explore adoption or you’re already in the licensing process, The Adoption Option has something for you:
🏠 New families can learn about the adoption process, connect with local social workers, hear from experienced adoptive families, and learn about post-placement supports.
🤝 In-process families can meet social workers from across Massachusetts, learn about children and teens in need of adoptive homes, connect with experienced families, and participate in activities with youth ages 5+.

With thousands of children and teens in need of adoptive homes, this is a great opportunity to take the next step toward building your family.

📅 Sunday, October 25
📍 Jordan’s Furniture, Reading, MA
🎟️Learn more and register: https://hubs.la/Q04wLYKc0

10/02/2026

Join us Sunday November 8th from 1-3pm for an in-person Meet & Greet to meet youth ages 7+ from Western Massachusetts!

Activities will be offered throughout the morning, giving families and youth an opportunity to get to know one another. Activities will include basketball, karaoke, arts and crafts, jewelry making, giant board games, and more. Pizza will also be served.

This event is open to all families, both in-state and out-of-state, who are currently in the home study process and to those who are already licensed to adopt from foster care.

Register today! https://hubs.ly/Q04z3bBl0

09/30/2026

Pasta & Possibilities is back! Join MARE for the second Pasta & Possibilities event, a special opportunity for pre-adoptive families to meet and connect with teens ages 12 and up while cooking and enjoying a delicious meal together.

You’ll make fresh fettuccine and ravioli, share a meal, and most importantly, have the chance to get to know teens who are looking for permanent families.

This event is open to pre-adoptive families who have completed MAPP training.

📅 Saturday, November 14, 1pm-3:30pm
📍Provided after registration
🔗 Register: https://hubs.la/Q04yJKtY0

Please let us know about any food allergies when you register.
Come for the pasta, stay for the possibilities! We hope you’ll join us for this special event.

09/29/2026

Parenting an adopted child or teen while navigating mental health challenges can bring questions that don't always have easy answers.

How do trauma, attachment, and loss affect mental health? How can you stay connected when your child is receiving residential treatment? And how do you support an adopted teenager toward independence while navigating mental health struggles?

This fall, MARE is hosting a three-part virtual training series for adoptive parents exploring these questions and more. Each session features a presenter who brings both professional expertise and lived experience.

The Connection Between Adoption and Mental Health Struggles
with Dr. Courtney Vezina
📅 October 13 | 7:00–8:30 PM
Explore the connections between adoption, trauma, attachment, disruption, loss, the developing brain, and mental health.

Parenting From a Distance
with Anna Bernacki
📅 October 26 | 7:00–8:30 PM
Learn about maintaining connection, advocating for your child, and continuing to parent when a child is in residential treatment or another living environment.

Parenting Teenagers Toward Independent Adulthood While Navigating Mental Health Struggles
with Melissa Smallwood
📅 November 5 | 7:00–8:30 PM
Explore how parents can support adopted teenagers as they develop independence while navigating mental health challenges, relationships, and the transition into adulthood.

Attend one session or join us for all three! All sessions are virtual, and registration is available individually. These trainings are free thanks to generous funders, and Foster/Pre-Adoptive Training Certificates are available for all three trainings.

Learn more and register: https://hubs.la/Q04yCbw30

09/25/2026

Meet Irene, MARE’s newest team member!

Irene recently joined our team as a Specialized Recruitment Recruiter, working alongside Kristina Russell to help find permanent, supportive families for youth in foster care who are often waiting the longest for connections.

Irene brings more than a decade of experience in social services, including work in supportive housing, after-school programming, Head Start, and CASA of Essex County, where she served as a supervisor supporting volunteer advocates who worked on behalf of children in foster care.

She also brings personal experience to her work as a transracial adoptee, which has informed her understanding of child welfare, adoption, identity, and belonging. Outside of MARE, Irene serves as a board member for the Disability Rights Center in New Hampshire and remains involved as a CASA advocate.

And when she’s not advocating for children and families, you might find Irene singing with New England Voices in Harmony or spending time with her dog, Zuko, who apparently takes his role as work-from-home supervisor very seriously.

We’re so excited to have Irene on the MARE team! Help us give her a warm welcome in the comments.