Molly Rampe Thomas is a licensed social worker and the founder of Choice Network, a next gen adoption agency built on putting women first and making love connections now and forever through open adoption. Molly started her career as an advocate for survivors of domestic violence, then moved on to a high level administrative position at YMCA. She also served as an active board member for more than five prominent nonprofit agencies throughout the country. Molly was drawn to adoption through her love of advocating for children and families. She founded Choice Network to give a voice and safe space for women to talk about all their options and resources during an unplanned pregnancy.
Molly built the agency around love for the first woman she ever worked with, Rolanda, who happens to be her daughter’s biological mother. Rolanda faced an unplanned pregnancy and after working hard to find funding for her very late term abortion, they were both relieved when the day of her termination arrived. “I was shocked to get her call soon after. She was sobbing. She had just found out her original ultrasound was wrong and she was too far along. She needed now to talk about adoption. I’ll never forget her asking, ‘What do I do now? No one will want my baby.’ Slowly, but without hesitation, I replied ‘I do. What if we do this together? What if we create an adoption plan together?’ And together we did just that. Though it is the hardest work I have ever done, I do it for my daughter Gia and her birth mother.”
Molly and Choice Network are still changing the face of adoption, this time with technology. They have launched an in-clinic counseling app, which helps women learn more about each of their crisis pregnancy choices, and provides a direct line to Choice Network if they’d like to discuss adoption further or even view families that they might connect with. Additionally, for birth families and adoptive families who’ve chosen open adoption, Choice Network has now made a secure online portal through which families can correspond and share pictures and videos to establish and nurture that bridge of love. “It’s safe to say this year, with God’s help, I’ve pushed through some doubts to arrive at the next level, where I envisioned we’d be by this time, which is so rewarding.”
Molly says that she is most proud of the work they do every day to support women in crisis pregnancy, and to help adoptive families’ dreams come true. “My work is aimed at creating strong, solid adoptions. I see the pain in the eyes of a couple who desperately want a child, and I see their joy when that dream is finally realized. But in my work I must balance that pain and that joy with the experiences and feelings of the birth family. Their pain is just as deep and their joy is just as real. In the end, without a birth family, there is no adoption. The decision to place a child for adoption is not one entered into lightly. It is emotionally charged, and religion, culture, family situation, and so many other factors play a role in the decision. I’m proud to say we help these women make important decisions and to see the bright futures they have ahead of them.”
For more information regarding Choice Network, please visit www.choicenetworkadoptions.com