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Catherine’s fundraising challenge for SFCS!

September 18, 2015


A woman who was adopted as a baby and traced her birth family through SFCS is undertaking a year-long fundraising challenge to say ‘thank you’.

Catherine, who lives just outside Kettering, was adopted as a baby by a loving family and had an incredibly happy childhood.  But a couple of years ago, she took the decision to trace her birth family.

Catherine O'RourkeCatherine approached SFCS, and accessed our Building Connections service, which helps adopted adults and birth relatives to trace their family members.

Catherine’s story is amazing one.  Our Building Connections team were able to trace her birth mother, and discovered that, after Catherine had been adopted, her birth parents went on to marry and have two further children – Catherine’s full sister and brother.  Catherine has now been happily reunited with her mother and siblings, and has met new family members she never knew she had.

In the run up to her 60th birthday next year, Catherine will be undertaking 60 individual walks to raise funds for SFCS, by way of a ‘thank you’ for the help and support she received.

Her challenge will begin in Woolstone, Milton Keynes (where SFCS head office is based) on her 59th birthday – October 1st 2015.  It will end in the same location on September 30th 2016, the day before she turns 60.  A number of SFCS staff will be joining Catherine for her first walk, to get the challenge started with a bang!

The money Catherine raises will be used by SFCS to offer family tracing services to adopted adults whose financial circumstances might prevent them from using an intermediary service to trace their birth family.

Catherine says, “I was blessed to be adopted as a baby by the perfect parents. SFCS has recently enabled me to trace my birth family which has added a great new dimension to my life. It has been a difficult and emotional journey and I really relied on the amazing staff at SCFS who led me through it with advice, counselling and support.  So I want to thank them in this way.”

We’re incredibly grateful to Catherine for undertaking such a big challenge for us, and look forward to supporting her over the coming year.

If you’d like to find out more about Catherine’s challenge or sponsor her, please click here.

Catherine adds, “I hope everyone will help me to celebrate the life and family I have been lucky to have, and the extended family to which I now also belong.”

If you’d like to find out more about how you can support our valuable work with children and adults affected by adoption, visit our Fundraise and Donate pages.


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