OUR MISSION
Adoption Associates, Inc. exists to promote domestic and international adoption for God’s glory. The benefits of adoption offered to birth mothers, their children from unplanned pregnancies, and orphaned children abroad are designed to reflect the spirit of adoption modeled by God in Ephesians 1 of the Bible. Accordingly, AAI is a Christian organization, founded on Christian beliefs and values. Pregnancy and adoption services are provided to clients of all faiths.
Welcome To Adoption Associates
Jane Bareman provides an overview of Adoption Associates and related history. Jane has retired from Adoption Associates and Michelle Dykema has taken over the helm!
Help Support Our Efforts
Your donations to Adoption Associates are vital to our success in providing outreach and education about the benefits of adoption here in the United States, supporting and developing programs internationally, and placing children with special needs into permanent homes.
MEET OUR TEAM
We are committed to making adoption the best it can be, and employ highly experienced and educationally qualified staff.
Michelle Dykema
Kris Burow
Laura Bussa
Nancy Cannon
Heidi Cole
Kris Dickens
Janet Forde
Kendra Gerlach
Alivia Gerrits
Janine Hammond
Tami Hedrick
Ming Hua He
Mary Pat Hugler-Lyle
Jennifer Jaworski
Amy Jordan
Sally Mouw
Shelly Nibbelink
Nicole Racine
Barb Sheler
Paula Springer
Tara Steketee
Christy Stevens
Ellen Tuinstra
Jeanette Warnshuis
MEET OUR BOARD
Richard Van Deelen – President
Founding Director, Adoption Associates, Inc.
Adoptive Father
Michelle Dykema – Vice President/Secretary
Executive Director, Adoption Associates, Inc.
Adoptive Mother
Scott Patton – Treasurer
Government Consulting, Plante & Moran
Adoptive Father
Kurt Kunst
Partner/Commercial Realtor
Adoptive Father
Robert Plaisier
Maintenance/Facilities Manager, Gordon Food Service
Adoptive Father
Linda Schrenk
Adoptive Mother
Lindsay Walters
Director of Organizational Development, LAFCU
Birth Mother
Hague Accreditation
through the Council on Accreditation
COA works with the U.S. Department of State to make certain that adoption service providers have put in place safeguards to ensure intercountry adoptions take place ethically, in the best interests of children.
What does this mean for you?
As a status, Hague Accreditation signifies that an agency meets the standards founded in the Convention, the Intercountry Adoption Act, and the Universal Accreditation Act. This status indicates that COA has concluded that the agency or person conducts services in substantial compliance with the standards, and that COA monitors and oversees its performance.
Other credentials
- Child Placing Agency License from the State of Michigan
- Accreditation in China
- Certification of Registration and License in Ethiopia
Thank you so much for all that you have done for us. You have allowed our family to be complete, even more than we thought possible, because we didn’t begin adoption knowing how much we would value and treasure our birth mothers. We consider them family, along with our children. God has given us a bigger gift than we asked for; thank you for being the instrument that brought us together
We are so grateful to everyone at Adoption Associates for helping our baby boy to find us! Our caseworker and birth mother caseworker were great and always willing to answer our questions.
Words will never be able to describe what AAI has done for us. You came highly recommended to us, and you exceeded our expectations. We were extremely impressed with the professionalism, care, and support. Thank you with all our hearts!