My husband and I picked Lifelong after researching many agencies, and we felt that they would best fit what we were looking when starting our adoption journey. Adoption is scary, emotional and exciting all at the same time. The team members at Lifelong are really amazing at trying to keep you informed and keeping you in good spirits during this unique time. It was nice to have the contacts we did with Lifelong, and it helped us stay focused on the bigger picture. Our adoption journey had many ups and downs, but what we liked about Lifelong is that they are about uniting families together, offering a ton of support(for both birth families and adoptive families), as well as creating connections that leave a positive impression for those involved. After 10 months from signing our contract, we were holding our baby girl. And every minute we had to wait for her was worth it. read more

Everyone has a different experience. Personally, we did not get matched to adopt a child; we didn't even get any potential matches. It was crickets the full 2 years. The loan we had to take was $30k and lifelong recommended lightstream, yet it's 13% interest. We still have the $10K to pay, and waited two years for nothing. Currently, my spouse and I are about to begin fostering through DCFS to hopefully adopt. This gives us better chances of adoption. Everyone on staff is polite, yet the overall process isn't always successful. There are much more people wanting to adopt than there is children when it comes to this approach. Good luck to you if you choose this route. We were open to all races, male or female, 0-3 years old and open to an older sibling. still not even a potential match. read more

From the very beginning of this journey life long was so supportive and helped us with every step along the way. We had been with an agency before that really took advantage of us and once we found lifelong we knew we were in the right place. Everyone that worked with us made it seamless and was always available to answer the many questions and situations that arise during the adoption process. We will be eternally grateful to lifelong for giving us our baby girl. Truly the best thing to ever happen to me and my husband. read more

To make the long story short, my partner and I could not have kids. We contacted LifeLong 2 years ago and they were patient, clear, and successful in their promises. I have utmost respect for what they do. We are so excited about our new journey with our baby. read more

Using Lifelong Adoptions to start my family was the best decision I ever made. The care and compassion all of their staff have is unmatched. They take the time and make sure everyone is doing well throughout the entire process. I always felt taken care of but the dedication and care they have for the birth parent (s) is beautiful. I would 100% recommend their agency and would use them again in a heartbeat. They are apart of our family forever. read more

I would give a zero stars if I could. They take on way more couples than they can give quality attention and guidance to. They vastly overstate their metrics. They prey on the LGBTQ community. They are also way more expensive than much more quality agencies, lawyer, and consultants. We were with Lifelong for almost 3 years with no sucess and with our first match at our consultant we placed. The difference was night and day. Save yourself the heartache and pass on Lifelong. read more

WRONG!!! I'd like the word to spread like wildfire! It's not right and it's not fair. My husband Taylor and myself have been contacted with LL for the last two in a half years. They have matched us with failed attempt after failed attempt. They promise to bring families together. But what happens when they don't do what was contracted?! Let me tell you they keep your money and say we can go month to month and pay them more. With everything we have been through and how long we've waited past what we were promised. We are left with nothing. I called to see if I could get at least half of our money back so my husband and I can finish paying off the loan we took out to originally pay Lifelong. At the end of all this they still said no. If we don't get some money back, then we can't move forward as a family. Which is what their original promise was to us, to move forward in our journey bringing families together. Yes I know in some and in most cases, this has worked out. But for us it hasn't. So now we are left with a lone to pay back and no baby. If they could help us pay off the lone, then Taylor and myself could possibly be able to move forward in our journey and possibly go a different route in adopting because this one wasn't working. Isn't that Lifelongs ultimate goal? Bringing families together. Please help us get some money back so Taylor and myself can walk away form this and try and start down a new path of trying to grow our family. Lifelongs promise.... it's been two and a half years and we are left with nothing but debt. They will gladly take your money but be careful because when your contract runs out are they there to help...? It's so sad people can't be civil and understand that we've already been through enough and we need help undoing something that didn't work. PLEASE HELP US! When a birth mother we were connected with was in breach of contract they said she wasn't under any contract with them. She was free to talk to anyone she wanted about us. And she did. We were under the impression if either party broke confidentiality we were entitled to a refund. Which it clearly states in the contract. We don't want a full refund. Just enough to pay back the rest of our loan. But they won't even try and help. They've ghosted us. It's sad really. read more

We spoke with Lifelong and when we asked what their success rate was, they told us in writing that it was 95-98% After interviewing so many different agencies, we were assured that Lifelong's facilitation/marketing agency is the best option for non-traditional families and because it wasn't a full agency, would be financially the best alternative to a traditional agency. If for any reason we did not have a child, we were told they would extend our contract at no cost. We asked how our preferences would impact our probability to be selected and our coordinator informed us that preferences do not impact the success rate (95-98%). 4 months in, we started communication with a BM but weren't selected. A couple more months passed, and a BM decided to work with us. I looked at the pictures she sent and noticed they were all screenshots. Her phone number didn't match the region she said she was from. She asked when she would be paid. We asked lifelong to verify the information before moving forward. She disappeared. Almost a year later, our monthly reports kept getting delayed or missed. Our second coordinator wasn't with the company anymore and we were shuffled to a new coordinator. During this time we were repeatedly told to "Trust the process". After a year we got picked again! There were no issues until she asked us when she would be able to get her daughter back. She didn't know adoption was permanent. Obviously lifelong didn't tell this mom adoption is permanent. With six months remaining in our contract, we got picked again. We found out she had planned to adopt out her second child and changed her mind. We started paying rent, bills, medical treatment... Then it all came crashing down. The biological father didn't know she was pregnant. Communication became harder. We found out she had severed communication with lifelong weeks prior. They never told us this, while we were paying for everything, because they "didn't want us to be concerned". Lifelong was holding back information while we were fronting all the payments for a questionable BM. They didn't know what was going on and thought it better to not tell us that this was the case. A week before the birth she stopped communicating with us. We were told to "Trust the process". Now we have come to find out that our profile was only shared on social once in the 20 months we had been with lifelong. They were just letting our profile sit on their page hoping someone would pick us. We couldn't get our monthly report because our 4th coordinator at this point, thought monthly updates were no longer helpful. They wouldn't put anything in writing until we demanded communication by email. We had to apply for an extension. After a very challenging conversation, we were promised just 3 months of additional time. We never matched again. They asked us to extend our contract for another $3000. Their letter they sent stated they matched us with 5 BMs over our two year contract, and they are not responsible for the matches failing. They stated their marketing is a success due to their matching 5 BMs in two years. We only had one match that failed in the last week, three "matches" that were not screened and dropped off before retaining any legal or social workers, and that 5th...there wasn't a 5th. We had 4 coordinators over two years, each one being less effective than the last. We lost thousands. We are stuck with a loan that is still being paid off. The process we were told to trust failed over, and over, and over and then we were abandoned to start over again. Their 95-98% success is not successful adoption....their 95-98% is matching you with any person who picks your profile, despite them being non-vetted. This was the worst decision of our lives to trust a group who took our money and left us with empty promises. We were nothing more than another one of many families that were treated like a number, a business, a source of revenue. (Beware of Lifelong Adoptions and Angel Adoptions; they share staff since they're sister companies) read more

This "agency" is a fraud! In fact, it is nothing more than an organizaton that makes big promises based on an app that they compare to Tinder. They stole $20,000 from us. We will soon share a forum to join us in ensuring this does not happen to others. For two years, this organization strung us on with no return. Please be aware. I wish this allowed a zero ratin! read more

Avoid this Agency. We fell into their trope of helping LGBTQ+ families. We started our journey with them four years ago. Four years resulting in 10 failed adoptions. $30,000 in lost wages, four years of home study costs. Four years of roller coaster emotions. And we have nothing to show for it. No baby of our own. Do not fall for their marketing machine. They will take your money and start out making you feel secure. Then things shift. They ask you to open up options more and more and more. Then you are willing to take anything as you feel it's you. It's not you. We dealt with all three categories of closed, semi open, and open situations all of them fell through. The common denominator? Zero birth mother vetting. Something we realized after five failed ones. You start to ask questions at that point. Their answers will frustrate you. As they tell you to just open up your options more. We couldn't open up more. We have since interviewed with other agencies to find a fit for us. As we are pretty emotionally spent after 10 failed attempts with Life Long. Every interview said a similar thing about their tactic. They take any birth mother with no vetting, hoping it's a lotto and maybe you will get lucky. With zero wages lost recuperation. And they will make you do your own attorney and agency find. Zero help. Just some numbers to call. But they want you to lock into it without all of the information. They guilt you to commit to a match. If you get ghosted they tell you to wait it out and you have to fight to go back into rotation. They also play god with minimal algorithm for matching. Limiting birth mother choices. Save yourself the emotional and financial hardship here. You can find full service agencies for the same cost as them and they will vet birth mothers. They will help or provide social workers. They will help or provide lawyers. Taking that part of the stress off of the table. And tons of agencies are LGBTQ+ friendly these days. And the pandemic has helped that. So do not fall for Life Longs trope. Go with reputable and not an agency that is costing you thousands just to hand out your profile. If they hadn't given us a free extension after so many failed adoptions we would have left sooner. Unfortunately it took time we can not get back towards the family we still want to start. We are just swapping to an actual agency and letting this marketing firm stay in our past, cutting our losses, and moving on to an actual agency who will help both the birth mother and show her support and the adoptive families. I can not stress enough about how bad this agency is. Look elsewhere, save yourself the heartache and financial loss. read more

All of the above. I was asked to take down my yelp review. All stated with facts. How's that a realistic request?

I cannot recommend the services of Lifelong Adoptions. My two plus year journey with them ended with more emotional heartache than joy. I am still not a parent as I hoped to be. Now Lifelong Adoptions is a marketing and facilitator company. So they do a few things really well: 1) Creates a beautiful profile for you and gets you advertised as they are top hitting company on Google search. 2) Tries to educate on difference aspects of adoption. Now the bad: 1) They are facilitator which means they do no due diligence on checking into the expectant mother stories. I was scammed a total of 3 times during my journey. The first the woman was not even pregnant. The second had no intention of placing and just wanted a friend. The third was a woman working with multiple agencies. 2) Communication from their staff is spotty. When I got scammed the first time I called the case coordinator for guidance she literally hung the phone up on me and said it was my call. I often would not hear from them months at time. I found out later they share staff with Angel Adoptions so no wonder my latest coordinator never really had time to talk to me. 3) They work with several families. So the chances of you truly being picked is not as great as they advertise. 4) There current Director of Adoptive Parent Services is emotionally abusive to hopeful adoptive parents. I got scammed at the very end of my contract. She asked for additional funds to extend the contract though I had not got refunded from the scam. She also stated it was my fault that I never successfully matched because I always asked for information on what funds were needed before signing additional contracts. She lacked compassions and showed she was only in for making money for Lifelong. In conclusion yes they met their contract but the contract they wrote only protect them and not hopeful adoptive parents. They are no better then an advertising agency and based on what I know now I would of not proceeded with them. I would say look for better organization to help you in your adoption journey because Lifelong is not there to truly support you. read more

This is not an adoption agency. I also had an experience with this company where they swore by their 98% success rate. "Send the Check" ... sounds easy right? We make a good living and we have a nice home etc. We were debating between carrying a child or adopting. They market this company towards gay people especially - gay men have the highest household income in the country. We had a video call where I really liked my interviewer - I don't need anyone to tell me we would be great parents etc. but he was a very nice man. Then, without verifying anything about me or doing a house check etc they wanted me to send a check. They want to verify the money first. Don't worry if I live in a shoe or have a criminal background. Don't worry if my partner who lives with me is stable. Don't worry about anything other than if you can have my money and promise to "Fill that house with babies lol"...gross. This is a marketing agency that works to "pair" you with adoptable babies not an adoption agency. You are paying them to market your profile and there are absolutely no guarantees. I have plenty of money to throw at whatever I want but this company is a predator in our community. Look up LifeLong adoptions in Newport Beach, CA. there are many other people across the country that have experienced the same. They are not just doing this in IL. read more

LifeLong Adoptions changed our lives for the better and we will forever be grateful to them for that. I promise, I'll TRY to keep this short(ish)... From the start, Mark was helpful and informative. At the time, we were at the very beginning of the process - just wanting to learn more about their program. What we especially appreciated about Mark, was that we never felt rushed into making a decision. We had our first meeting in October and didn't sign the contract until March. Once we were officially on-board, we met the broader LL team and they supported and guided us every step of the way. So much about adoption is up in the air and it's all very complicated, so having a team of people that we knew we could always reach out to was reassuring. Dina, Liz, Kay, and Dawn are just a few of the names of the people that really helped us through this process. They also paired us with excellent adoption professionals (home study agencies and lawyers). All that said, we were unusually lucky - our profile went live in April and were matched with our birthmom by the end of May. Assuming everything worked out, we hoped and planned for an open adoption of one child. Imagine our surprise when our birthmother informed us that she was carrying twins! It was a complete shock - but in the best way imaginable. We now have two healthy baby girls that are turning 10 months old in a few days. They are crawling everywhere, attempting their first steps, and can say "mama", "dada", and "baby". We keep in touch with our birthmom (our hero) and her family via a shared FB profile and are planning our first reunion. Our adoption journey ended up being everything we hoped and prayed for and it wouldn't have been possible without LifeLong Adoptions. Thank you LL! read more

There are so many wonderful things that I can say about Lifelong Adoptions, but for the sake of the reader's I will try to keep it short. Lifelong will forever hold a place in our hearts. They made our dreams of becoming parents a reality and it is because of them, I'm sitting here with our son and listening to him cooing and "talking" as I type this. And I wouldn't trade this for the world. From day one Mark, Nicole and Jenee were nothing short of reassuring, compassionate, caring and supportive. Not only to us but to our birthmother. I know that our experience is not a typical one (matched in 4 months and were parents 4 months after that), but it was such a wonderful experience - we're already considering doing it again. And we would go the exact same route! Thank you to the Lifelong team for everything!! read more

My husband and I had a terrible experience with LL and lost a significant amount of money. Do your heart and wallet a favor and look for a reputable agency! A year after we signed our LL contract we started to question things because we had not been matched once. Finally we did get a match but it turned out to be an EM trying to scam us. After only 2 weeks we lost $5,000+ between her "living expenses", the lawyer, and her agency we decided to cut ties with her because she had presented fraudulent documents. I kid you not when I tell you she wanted us to buy her a car! After all the craziness from this situation we decided to change gears. We hired a reputable adoption consultant that helped us find multiple agencies that were happy to take us as a waiting family. From the time we starting applying to these agencies it only took 3 months for us to be matched and take placement of our beautiful baby born. It was the best day of our lives! read more

I have nothing but praise for Lifelong Adoptions. They helped make my dream of motherhood a reality. Nicole and Jenee were complete godsends throughout my process. With each match they were encouraging and hopeful and completely supportive when things didn't work out. I think they were sometimes more upset than me when a match failed. But each time I knew they would be back out there looking for the perfect situation for me and it came in December 2017. I was matched with the amazing woman who gave my daughter life. I can't tell you how many times talking to Jenee got me through some tough times! If you're a single parent looking for an agency Lifelong gets my vote of confidence. read more

Our journey started with being told that there is an interview process and they only take a select few per month. They keep their family pool small so they can have such a high success rate. We had some of our close friends fill out their lengthy reference paperwork and we were sitting at the edge of our seats to wait and hear if we were going to be picked. My wife and I were at work and we got a call from Mark Doyle and he patched us through a 3-way call so he could tell us both the good news at the same time...we were accepted! It was one of the happiest day of our lives and we immediately went out to start getting ready for our baby! Unfortunately that was the last and only happy day we had with Lifelong. As time went on we were connected (3) times and (2) of those times were scams for money. Although you will be told that they will do their best to screen birth moms and support you through this entire process, that is not the case. When we were caught in these scams and trying to get get help from Lifelong and question their screening process - their answer is that they are not social workers and it is up to us to do our due diligence. Whenever we would call them or get a call for an update there was a different person - turn over is really high. When we first joined they claimed to have a 98% success rate, but as time went on it is clear that their stats are wrong. They increased the number of families beyond the 100 they told us they stayed at.. then, simple math on the number of adoptions completed per month, and number of waiting families demonstrates their 98% success rate within 18 months is NOT accurate. Whenever you question them on their stats or ask to see them, you get a small sliver of data (only on your stats of inquiry - never on agency data). Then you get a phone call or email from Mark Doyle, the executive director, yelling at you and making you feel like it is your fault the phone isn't ringing. Bottom line is if you have the money to pay you will be accepted as a family, then left to chance on a match - their statistics are 100% false, If you question anything expect a phone call that will break you, oh yeah and this also ends without a baby and without your money! You can do better- look at Adoptomist.com or other sites that you can create your own page- we have had the same number of contacts from them- with no less screening and a fraction of the cost. So in the end, this is a journey and don't be sold that LifeLong has any of your interests at heart or that they are any better then you can do on your own. If you want a professional, then look to the Adoption Attorneys that are certified in adoption- there are several in every area of the country. It has been the hardest 2 years of our lives because of Lifelong. Unfortunately 2 years ago there was not as much info on review websites about them as there is now. LISTEN TO THE REVIEWS they are real! read more

I think the biggest thing that one needs to consider when choosing an agency is the fact that everyone's story and journey is different. An agency cannot guarantee you with an exclusive date of when you will be chosen by a birthmother. However, even though everyone's journey is different and varies, one thing that is consistent throughout the process is Lifelong's support and guidance. From start to finish, lifelong supports both the adoptive families and the birthmothers. They care about you and your ambitions to make or add to your family and they do everything in their power to make your feel valued and respected. Mark Doyle, the director, did our initial interview and he was extremely kind and knowledgeable. He made us feel so welcome and provided us with an understanding of the adoption process. After talking with him, we decided to sign with Lifelong for a two year contract. Little did we know, we'd have our beautiful son in less than a year. Lifelong provided us with referrals that empowered us to move through the adoption process. From choosing a social worker to hiring the lawyers, Lifelong guided us. We had many emotions throughout our journey, but never once did we feel alone. Once our home-study was completed, Dawn Graaf assisted us with creating a profile to present us to expectant mothers. Dawn was super professional and supportive and was able to get us live on the site quickly and efficiently. From there, Liz Niemiec assisted the next few months with educational classes related to adopting. She was so thoughtful and personable and answered every question we had. Her support and encouragement kept us optimistic and excited for our future family. After our profile was finished, it wasn't long before we were connected with an expectant mother. Kay Wilemon, the Adoptive Parent Coordinator, served as a guide for us through this stage of our journey. She was so kind and sweet to us as she guided us through the process. We loved that we had Kay as she made us feel valued as potential parents. Our beautiful son is a year now and still to this day, I send Kay photos to keep her updated! Timeline wise, we signed with Lifelong in September of 2018. We were live on their site by the end of January 2019 and we were connected in April of 2019. We brought our beautiful son home in July of 2019. Last month, Lifelong sent A card for our son's birthday. I wholeheartedly recommend Lifelong Adoptions without reservation. The entire team holds similar values and they are all working towards the same vision and mission of their organization: to create families through adoption by preparing, nurturing, supporting, and advocating for all those involved in the infant adoption process. They are the reason we have our beautiful son and will always hold a special place in our hearts. read more

Words cannot express how grateful my wife and I are for LifeLong Adoptions. They were able to match us with an amazing birthmother (in January) resulting in the birth of our beautiful son, Brixton (in December). What an incredible journey. We had such an amazing experience with LifeLong that we have recently signed with them again, in hopes of adopting baby #2!! We were thrilled to find a facilitator that that supported LGBTQ families. The LifeLong team is responsive, they are honest, and they take pride in the great work that they do. It is apparent that a great deal of time is spent on matching birthmothers with adopting parents. They take the time to find that "perfect match" just for you and it shows. Adoption is a daunting process but Lifelong was there with us throughout our entire journey. We had absolutely no idea what we were doing but we did exactly what LifeLong told us to do. We utilized the resources that they provided and honestly, we could not have wished for a smoother adoption process. Adopting a child is such a blessing. Do yourself a favor and let these people make it easier for you. Let them support you. Let them help you to make your dreams a reality. Luck & Love, Shana, Brittany and Brixton Vander Kooy :) read more

Please be careful. They claim to have a 90% success rate. After two years, we have not been successful with them. It appears that they need to screen the possible birthmothers better and only send real opportunities. Maybe they take on too many clients at $16,000 plus each? read more

What a journey we had with this organization. In the end we were matched and successfully adopted the most precious baby boy after almost two years. We had many blow ups with them because they just don't understand the emotional roller coaster of waiting to be matched and when asked for help it was so combative. Follow up is dismal. We lost hope of forming a family many times. We finally had to talk to the top of the ladder to get anywhere or be taken seriously. Mark Doyle specifically was challenging and a nightmare to work with. If your ok with constantly following up and advocating for yourself then this is the right adoption facilitator (not agency) for you. read more

During our informational call with Mark Doyle from Lifelong Adoptions, we were assured that they would provide significant support and guidance to us and our birthmother through the adoption process. Mark answered every question with "Absolutely..." We were very naive, but excited about our adoption journey. Unfortunately, we did not receive the guidance we were promised... Nor did our birthmother. We were completely lost in the process and it led to significant emotional and financial stress for my partner and me as well as our birthmother. The process was beyond horrible. We were so dissatisfied with the organization's lack of support that we spoke with Sue Chaffee, the Executive Director and Mark Doyle to request a partial refund to provide additional support to our birthmother who did not receive the support she was promised. They both spoke badly about birthmothers and stereotyped them as liars. They also said that they have never had anyone ask for a refund, and said we need to be thankful that we adopted. It was so disrespectful and unprofessional. Please think twice before using this organization. read more

My experience with LifeLong Adoptions was very disappointing. I was with them for two years and did not receive a placement. The birthmothers that I was connected with would have very little communication and then disappear. I think the screening process for birth mothers needs to be improved. Also, to receive a six-month extension after all the disappointing experiences with birth mothers, they wanted to charge an additional 3K. I would not recommend them to prospective parents. read more

We are very happy with LifeLong. We met with Mark in October 2015 and got all the info and references of other couples who have used LifeLong. I called/emailed most people from the list and found out a friend of a friend had used. Honestly, everyone was really happy with what LifeLong was able to provide. Here's what I was able to understand from them. ~They get you connected, but for the most part you take it from there with an adoption agency and/or adoption attorney (LifeLong explains to you they are just a facilitator). ~You very well could end up with higher adoption expenses than expected (and we did!). We decided to go with LifeLong and we were officially eligible to adopt in January 2015. We found out in March (2 mos later) that we were selected by a mom in Ohio and our daughter was born in April. We were very happy with LifeLong and would definitely recommend. I'd be happy to answer any questions about our experience! read more

We were apprehensive at first about signing up with an adoption facilitator, as opposed to an adoption agency. However, we were impressed by LifeLong Adoptions' open support of the LGBT community and commitment to helping LGBT families start or continue a family through adoption. We also became acquainted with several other couples who had positives experiences with LifeLong Adoptions. From the date we submitted an application to the date our beautiful daughter Annika was born, it was just under a year. The LifeLong Adoptions staff always conducted themselves with a high degree of professionalism. We primarily worked directly with Chelsea, Jenee, and Nicole, and they were all wonderfully helpful and responsive to inquiries by telephone and email. LifeLong Adoptions' referrals for an agency to conduct the home study (Little Flower Adoptions) and attorneys (Michael Jennings, David Cole) were also excellent, and all of these organizations worked well with each other, which mitigated our concerns about using a facilitator instead of an agency. LifeLong Adoptions' guidelines were very helpful in the development of our adoption profile, and we were pleased with the final product. Once we were matched with a prospective birth mother, LifeLong Adoptions' guidance was invaluable. LifeLong Adoptions did everything they promised us and more. We were able to be present at the birth of our daughter, and we could not be happier. read more

LifeLong Adoptions - Drew, baby Annika, and Asim - July 4, 2017 - Adoption Services Near Me - Crystal Lake, Illinois

My husband and I started looking into adopting at the beginning of 2015, and we had a lot of questions. After doing some research, we located LifeLong Adoptions and asked for more information. We spoke to Jodie on the phone, who was so pleasent, friendly, and easy to talk to. They mailed us a packet with all the info we needed, then we set up a call with Mark Doyle regarding the whole process. We spoke for about an hour and afterwards we both felt great about LifeLong and wanted to move forward with them. After doing our background checks, fingerprints, submitting our forms, etc... we were finally set for adoption with a profile and everything in July 2015, and we were told to expect that we may have to wait a while, like one to two years. Only two months later, LifeLong called to tell us that someone had found out profile and wanted to talk to us. Not only were we not expecting it to only take two months to be matched, the bitrthmother was due in two weeks! Although this situation probably wouldn't have worked out for everyone, we decided we'd go for it, and did, and ten days later we were standing in a delivery room holding out newborn baby girl. For us, this agency was a perfect fit. They were friendly to deal with, sent monthly updates, and answered any questions that we had. If we decide to adopt another baby, we'll definitely give them a call again. read more

UPDATE . To try and keep it short, we waited nearly four years before giving up on adoption. In those four years with LifeLong, we never talked with a single birthmother, until September of 2016. We got "matched" after she reached out to LifeLong, and we spoke. The mom was due 10/31, however after a couple weeks, we just stopped hearing from the mom, and never adopted. After going through a "failed" adoption we terminated our contract; we just could not go through that again, or continue to put our lives on hold. Specifically for LifeLong, everyone working there was pleasant, and reached out to us to encourage us and check in pretty regularly. I don't know how much control they had over anything, or how many matches had been made during our time with them. The contract was initially for two years, but they did keep extending it for us. It may have just been us, but I don't know how truthful they are about how long you would wait. read more

Lifelong is helping to make dreams come true! In 2014, we were blessed with an angel. We were connected with her birthmother in less than a year. Our daughter is the best thing that has ever happened to us. We hope to work with Lifelong again! read more

LifeLong Adoptions - Our little girl is already 2 years old! Thank you Lifelong for connecting us with this amazing angel. - Adoption Services Near Me - Crystal Lake, Illinois

Lifelong was there for us every step of the way in our journey. We had a failed connection after 8 months with a birthmother who ended up deciding not to place. We were heart broken. We turned back to Lifelong and said "now what?". It took over a year to even get THAT far and now here we are, back at the start. There were times I said "we need to do something else, this isn't working for us". Had they not been there to check in and get us back into a positive mode, we may not have made it as long as we did and would not have ended up with the perfect little boy that completes our family. With Lifelong being a facilitator we KNEW they weren't going to act as attorney (or give any legal advice) or as a social worker....they are very clear about that from the start. But they work hard on putting a profile out there and show you kindness, understanding and mental support as they work on connecting with the birthmothers and you move through this emotional process at the same time. It was difficult for me to be in the dark and not know who was seeing our profile, why we weren't being seen/chosen...etc. My wife and I leaned on Lifelong a lot. No matter what facilitator or Agency you sign with, this WILL be an emotional experience. You're going to have ups and downs. You'll want someone more involved, focused and willing to check in with you and not a company that just throws you out into a large pool of people and forgets about you. Lifelong is a wise choice if you want staff who can relate, cares about your outcome and even keeps in touch after the fact. If we decide to adopt again, Lifelong will be our first choice. read more

HI, Im not sure where to start as my story is quite long!! Lifelong made my dreams come true and for this I will be forever grateful. Im a single Mom and they were one of the only agencies that believed in me. The Team helped me so much throughout this process! They were there not matter what questions I had and walked me through so much. Adoption is a rocky road sometimes but Lifelong was there for every step. Support is so cruical during this process and Lifelong was amazing. Im so glad I found them. My son and I are FOREVER grateful and I can't wait for him to be old enough to hear our special story. read more

My husband and I had the immense pleasure of working with this adoption agency. We actually had been working with a different agency a year before we started with lifelong adoption and we were pleasantly surprised when we decided to contract Lifelong adoptions as a second agency... Everything felt more like a family and less like a business. They really cared about me and my husband. We signed up with them by the end of October 2019 and by January 2020 we were matched and on April 17, 2020 our son was born. I am actually writing this as we are in our baby's birth state waiting for the approval to bring him home with us. Working with Mark, Kalei and Kay was an amazing pleasure. They also always reassured us that our birth mom was being taken care of. The process was smooth and we were never turned down when we had questions or needed to know more about our process which is a key for the adoption process. It's stressful enough itself and Lifelong adoption just makes sure to make it easier for everyone involved. We will for sure come back if we decide to have a second child. read more

If you choose Lifelong, you must understand that they do ZERO screening on these birthmoms. I have had 2 failed adoptions in 2 years with them and 2 matches that went no where. They will not provide you any additional information on these moms besides a first name, age, and a phone number. You will be out of money if the mom changes her mom in the end and although up front it appears to be cheaper than other agencies, it is not. The attorney fees and fees to moms will put is right where other actual agencies costs are. My opinion, go with an agency that will at least have more security or up front screening on these birthmoms. read more

Such a wonderful organization with caring compassionate employees! From start to finish, the process was made so much easier for us because of the Lifelong Staff! They helped make our dreams of adoption come true and our story is such a blessing! We would recommend them to anyone wanting to adopt! read more

This review is overdue but I wanted to share my thoughts about working with LifeLong Adoptions. First, as someone who was new to the adoption experience, in retrospect, I would encourage everyone to work with an agency who does everything, not just advertising. It was much more of a hassle than I realized it would be using them for advertising, a local attorney for us, and another attorney local to birth mom, rather than using an agency who had everyone under one roof. That's my first recommendation. We were under contract with LifeLong for the 2 years and did not have a successful placement. Now I know that is a risk and doesn't always happen. We were aware of that risk - that we would give LifeLOng $16,000 and end up with no baby. But we were willing to take the risk. We also knew that requesting a girl for the first year would limit who they could send our profile to, which is why we opened it up to either gender after a year. Our biggest problem with the process and in particular with LifeLong was an experience we had being scammed by a birth mom, costing us about $10,000 between her living expenses and legal expenses, not to mention then having our contract with LifeLong end soon after losing another $16,000. From what I understand, the birth mom "screeners" can only do so much by going by red flags and their gut to weed out potential scammers. Unfortunately, this birth mom texted with us every other night for 3 months and spent an entire weekend with my wife and I in Atlanta and still got away with it. We couldn't believe it. Unfortunately, she was on a scam board in Georgia but that wasn't caught until the Georgia attorney (Ronnie Fishbein - who made it ABUNDANTLY clear that she worked for the birth mom, not for us) happened to see the post about red flags related to our birth mom and let our Colorado attorney know about it. Long story short, it ended up being a scam and we were out thousands of dollars and it took a huge emotional toll. In an attempt to figure out how scams happened and where things broke down in the process, I emailed the two attorneys and LifeLOng's director Mark. I truly wanted to understand better how these things happen and if there was anything that could've been done to prevent it. My wife and I were devastated. My response from both the Georgia attorney and from Mark were highly dismissive, defensive, and uncompassionate. They both essentially wrote back saying it wasn't their fault and "we told you this could happen". There was no empathy or kindness. When I confronted them about their responses, Attorney Fishbein at least apologized for her response but I never heard another word from Mark. I was not out to find fault or file a lawsuit, because there was no grounds for it. I truly just wanted to understand how this could happen. I was so incredibly disappointed in the lack of humanness from LifeLong after being scammed, instead being met by defensiveness and callousness. I would not recommend LifeLOng, both because of how they are structured but even more so because of their incredible lack of empathy over our situation. read more

This organization took the time to know my husband and my desires to help us find a birth mother. When we found Lifelong we weren't sure exactly what to expect, but after our first conversation with Mark we were sure this was the right next step in our search toward adoption. Mark and his team explained all the services and fees involved and helped us feel comfortable with the decision to enter into a24 month contract. After a few options which didn't pan out we were starting to feel scared that we weren't what a birth mother was looking for, but Mark and his team once again put our fears at ease, stating "when it is right you will know"... @11 month in to the contract I received a call that we had been selected by a birth mom and she was due in 10 wks. My husband and I were so excited. LLA helped us research lawyers and the legal options for us as well as finding a social worker locally and putting us in contact with the mom and starting the dialogue which solidified her choice for us to have us adopt her unborn son. He came early and everything was a whirl wind... It is now 15 months post placement and everything is perfect. We still keep in touch with Lifelong and post updates. If you are searching for a facilitator who wants you to succeed and cares about your family. Lifelong is for you. We have recommended them to all of our friend who have shown any sign of wanting to adopt. The fees were 1/3 of what an adoption agency would have charged us and the placement time was so fast. It of course is stressful waiting and making this choice is never easy but LLA was with us to help in any way they could. Thanks again. It works.... Do it! read more

My wife and I came home with our beautiful daughter about six months after we finished our profile. She's healthy and happy and we really couldn't be more thrilled. As far as Lifelong, our experience was overall positive. Most importantly, they generated quick birthparent matches for us. We were matched with our first birthmother within a few weeks of our profile going out. After the first birthmother fell through, we were matched again within a few weeks. When that birthmother fell through we matched again a week later. And after that birthmother fell through we matched again in about a week. So, looking at our track record, I will give Lifelong high marks for getting us very quick matches. We also found Mark and Nicole to be very friendly and helpful - they were great in putting us in touch with the right folks for our home study and a great lawyer. My only frustration - and I say this having zero experience with any other adoption companies so please take this for what it is worth - is that I went in expecting a more vetting of the birthparents before matching. Maybe my expectations were too high, but I was surprised by how little information I got from Lifelong compared with the type of information I got once our lawyer sat down with the birthparents. It's not like we got zero information from Lifelong, but I expected that Lifelong would have gotten a medical history, would have asked more about the birth father, and could give us some specifics about the course of the pregnancy (how many times the birthmother had been to the doctor, what tests had been performed). Instead, all we found out was some very basic info - age, occupation and current living situation, and how the pregnancy had been progressing in general terms (i.e. "the doctor said the baby is healthy"). We followed up with Lifelong on our concerns and we were told that this is how it works. Lifelong is not a social agency and does not obtain medical or social histories on the birthmothers, they do not ask many questions about potential birth fathers, and they do not ask detailed questions about the pregnancy such as what tests have been performed. Lifelong leaves it up to the lawyer to ask these questions. My frustration, therefore, is not with any lack of work, responsiveness, or communication with Lifelong - it is that I did not really understand Lifelong's limited role when getting started. If (or more likely when) my wife and I look into adopting again, we will look around at other companies to get a better feel for how other places operate. If everybody else operates like Lifelong then we may go with them again - after all, it worked out great in the end. But if there is another company that does a more thorough job of vetting on the front end then we will very likely go that route. In my opinion, while the limited vetting on the front end does have value (not scaring off birthparents), it has two serious downsides. First, I worry it leads to a higher rate of matches falling through. This is a real concern since the failed matches are really tough - you really start to imagine and believe in what your new family will look like and it's heartbreaking the first time it falls through, not to mention the second or third. Second, and more importantly, I want to know about any red flags (birth father unwilling to give consent; serious medical concerns) at the outset rather than a few months in after I've formed a relationship with the birth parents and spent a few thousand dollars hiring a lawyer. At the end of the day, with my concerns explained, I still give Lifelong 4 stars. They fulfilled their most important role - getting us matched with birth mothers - exceptionally well. We have a family now because of them. read more

Today is the eve of our son's adoption finalization hearing so I figured I would reflect on the journey that got us here. Hopefully something from this review is useful to you. It feels like every choice you make in the process of adopting is critical, but it could be argued that choosing the right agency, facilitator, or whatever other entity to oversee your journey is paramount. First and foremost, educate yourself on the difference between an adoption agency vs. an adoption facilitator. At a high level, an agency manages the adoption end-to-end and is staffed with coordinators, social workers, counselors, attorneys, and other personnel equipped to help you and an expectant mother from beginning to end. An adoption facilitator is a person or organization whose role is solely to make introductions between prospective adoptive parents and expectant mothers. LifeLong Adoptions is an adoption facilitator. They essentially pull together your information, narrative, and photographs to market you to potential birth mothers (called "expectant mothers" until the placement has happened - at which time they are then called "birth mothers"). They charge a flat fee which is substantially lower than a traditional agency. You then pay the social worker(s), attorney(s), and whoever else necessary directly. LifeLong also takes on fewer families / individuals hoping to adopt than traditional agencies which can expedite the process overall (our son was born and in our arms 9 months after our profile went live). I have to underscore that all the staff at LifeLong take their roles beyond the general facilitator definition I listed above. They have organized and compassionate coordinators who work their hardest to place you with a child. Once a connection is made with an expectant mother, they go above and beyond to keep everyone connected. They also have fostered deep relationships with adoption attorneys in all states in the US to whom they will refer you and the expectant mother once you get to that stage in the process. For my husband and me, who are both organized and have a project-management mindset, the idea of having to find and manage relationships with attorneys, find our own social worker to do the home visit and post-placement visit, and potentially other professionals not staffed by LifeLong (although, remember they have referrals with whom they have good working relationship) was not a problem. However, if you are looking for a full service situation, an agency may be the better option. So much about adoption - unfortunately - is up in the air until it's all finalized. Amongst the positive reviews, I've read others criticizing LifeLong when a potential adoption fell through but so often failed adoptions happen when the expectant mother changes her mind of her own volition and can't be blamed on LifeLong. Others said they felt burdened by finding their own social worker or attorney which was a clear expectation (again, they have referrals!) outlined before signing the contract so it feels unfair to place blame. For us, the LifeLong staff was there by our side shepherding us the whole way through. They connected us with the most incredible birth mother, helped her feel comfortable, advised her of her options regarding counseling and potential financial support, and checked in regularly along the way through the birth of our son and afterwards. We would not have changed a thing about our adoption journey and when it's time to grow our family we will absolutely return to LifeLong. Best wishes to you in your own journey. read more

LifeLong has been amazing from the first phone call. I called several other services and they put me off right away. The rude questions, demanding Id and proof of pregnancy etc. LifeLong was like a breathe of fresh air. What struck me immediately was the kindness and caring both mark and tisa showed. I was treated like a person and not a host carrying a child for someone else. All of my initial questions were answered in the first 2 phone calls and many more over text and email. Texts, emails and calls were immediately returned. The level of adoptive families is very high. I gave Tisa the requirements and she already had a few couples in mind. She knows her clients so well she was able to put a list of 5 together before we even got off the phone. She never gave me her opinion on one particular couple being better than another. Just a list of who met the requirements. She seemed to know them but didn't favor anyone. She fully explained the rigorous requirements the families must meet, FBI background checks, sex offender checks, finger prints etc. Normal and standard in the industry. Two couples stood out immediately and the couple chosen to communicate with was a match immediately! They are an amazing couple I look forward to getting to know and meeting! While nothing has been finalized as the baby isn't due for 18 more weeks I look forward to each step knowing Lifelong and Tisa will be there for the entire journey. I have made life long friends with Lifelong! I can't say enough great things about them. If you are looking for a personal relationship and knowledgeable professionals this is the place for you! read more

This agency may not be for everyone! I got to admit I was losing hope. The team there have been amazing! From Jodie to Chelsea to Nicole to Stephanie! They are there every step of the way and truly care that you are able to adopt! There is no rhyme or reason as to why a Birthmom chooses you! I do know that by listening to them, they have made our dream a reality! If you feel something is not working then be proactive and have them help you! Good luck to those future adoptive parents and thank you LifeLong Adoptions! read more