Our adoption was finalized with building blocks about 2 months ago now. We are eternally grateful for our son. The process overall was good. However, I am taking the time to write this review as it relates to our interactions and dealings with the executive director (Denise) of the organization. I do feel bad (for having to write this review) for the rest of the very helpful, kind, gracious and caring staff who was amazing throughout the process. However, it is a result of the EDs actions that I would choose to never use this organization and would caution others from doing so as well. We had several interactions with the ED that were simply cold, unempathetic and downright rude. We had an unfortunate legal situation arise after our child had landed in our arms (the issue was later determined to be unfounded) that the actions of the ED were most troubling. Its interesting to note that we experienced a similar issue with the agency that others have reported in reviews and that is, its BEYOND apparent that the ED looks for any angle to add extra fees or keep money that should not be retained by the agency. Upon the occurrence of our unfortunate situation, she attempted to have a social worker come out and amend our home study immediately (would have been another $300). Since the issue was later determined to be unfounded and dismissed, NO AMENDMENT was ever even needed or required. Additionally, the ED accused us of not following proper protocol with reporting the issue (we reported it to our social worked and lawyer immediately). It was downright frightening the way she was conducting herself, the things she was conveying, making us feel that our child could be taken from us at any moment. She was at times even unresponsive to our attempts to communicate when were completely uncertain what could happen to our son. In addition to this, the ED told us that a statement needed to be given to her to forward to the Attorney General immediately and that my attorney had told her, to tell me I needed to do this. There are two issues that happened here. The ED was actually speaking of Job and Family Services, NOT the AG, (huge difference when are you involved in a legal matter) but she DID NOT know the difference. Additionally, my lawyer never told her that a statement needed to be given at the time. This left us feeling manipulated and betrayed. Again, to the rest of the staff at Building Blocks, we say the biggest thank you of our lives for playing a role in helping us through the process. my reply to your reply. So no explanation for trying to send your social worker out after the alleged incident to make an amendment that was not needed? Ever?? So we could be charged more money. Again, similar issue that others leaving negative reviews have mentioned. Must be a common issue. I will choose not to throw any one under the bus, but we all know it happened. No comments on the complete lack of empathy, compassion, the crass interactions? No "this will all work out?" Your director is that of a social work agency; this shouldn't be something for "other staff." Your staff member made this excuse for you. When one works to resolve an issue they focus on the legal process, she has staff in place to work directly with families and your person was your social worker who guided you through the incident. Perhaps they should be utilized more often because we had the privilege of dealing with a simply "cold" individual in the ED Denise several times. No comment on accusing us of not properly and in timely fashion reporting the issue? When we had. We have emails to prove this. We were mortified, and all Denise could do was make us feel more unsure about what was coming our way. Rick Marco did in fact tell me not to give the statement Denise instructed me to give under his direction. Them working in the same office, I blindly trusted this. Literally 5 minutes later, Rick Via EMAIL told me this was not true. The specific accused and unfound ORC is not needed in your comment as well. read more

How can I possibly sum up the good in Building Blocks Adoption Services Inc. (BBAS) here? BBAS has facilitated three separate adoptions for over a nearly ten year period. We are very familiar with this terrific organization. Every member of their extraordinary staff is courteous, kind and thorough. They, individually and as a whole, are efficient, resourceful and genuinely eager to help people complete their families. The staff at BBAS realizes how intricate and arduous a process adoption is and strives to ease the burden. Their expertise is evident throughout the entire process. Our first attempt at adoption was with another agency. That agency made numerous errors and then actually dropped the program we were in right in the middle of our adoption. In disbelief and out thousands of dollars we cold called BBAS. The Director stepped in, collected all the pieces, and salvaged our adoption. Tragically the baby girl we were adopting was discovered to have devastating and ultimately fatal brain damage from a stroke she had suffered in utero. She seemed prefect but she was failing to develop. Neurologists at CHOP studied her case and advised us not to bring her to the U.S. stating the medical community would be forced to perform procedures that would only prolong an agonizing life. Devastated with us neither BBAS nor we could simply walk away from this baby. BBAS ensured for all four years of our little angle's life she was loved, nourished and cared for by a wonderful in-country foster mom. They further ensured that when in country for our next adoption my wife was able to hold and spend some time with her. Please trust me when I say BBAS absolutely has the very best interest of every child everywhere in the world at heart. They have since completed two more adoptions for us and two for our dear friends that we referred. I cannot possibly say enough about this wonderful Christ centered organization. read more

My husband and I chose BBAS after almost 5 years of infertility. Feeling nervous and excited, Building Blocks helped us feel calm, confident, and prepared to take on our adoption journey. In a couple months we had completed our home study, met with and built an amazing connection with our social worker and were ready for a child. 6 short months later we were called to the hospital to meet our son! We met our son and his birth mom and her family. We fell in love with them in minutes. It's like the whole world aligned to put us all together. What I loved most about BBAS and a huge reason why we chose them for our journey, is the attention they give to families and moms. It was important to my husband and I to find an agency that prioritized the mental health and wellbeing of birth families. Denise, Sarah, Rachel, Kelly and more made it abundantly clear that their first priority is that everyone in the adoption process feels cared for and valued. Adoption is wonderful but it's also very hard, specifically on birth families and in the world of adoption it's easy for birth families to be lost. Building Blocks has always and will always put birth families at the top of the list, prioritizing walking hand-in-hand with them on a difficult journey, and not leaving them behind after the baby has gone home. My son's first mom was always treated with respect, kindness and unconditional support. I loved that her social worker was a birth mom herself and could offer her real empathy to her situation and help her in a way other people may not understand. I truly believe that because of the way we were all treated by BBAS and their staff, our situation has been so strong and we have an open adoption with our son and his mom. It's also why we have chosen to work with them again for a second adoption because we believe that birth moms matter to them! read more

After months of investigation of multiple agencies we were blessed to have signed on with Building Blocks Adoption Service (BBAS) in Medina, Ohio. BBAS processed our homestudy and our placement of our son. We started our started our homestudy with BBAS in May of 2011 . The social worker that was assigned to us was amazing. She put all of our worries and concerns at ease. Our entire homestudy process took about 6 weeks. Once our homestudy was completed we worked with a gal that helped us complete our profile book that would be used to match us with a birthmother. After submitting our profile to several birth parents to look at, we were matched with our birthmother in August 2011 and our son was born on October 13, 2011 in California. BBAS communicated and guided us throughout the entire process. There was never a time we felt alone. If we had any questions they answered them quickly and professionally. From the time we started our process until now BBAS has always been there for us. We received complete information about our birth mother and her social and medical information. The attorney that worked with us in CA was not very communicative by BBAS stepped in and was able to get the answers we needed. Adoption is a confusing and emotional journey. BBAS was able to guide us step by step through the entire process. We highly recommend BBAS. If you are seeking an honest, ethical and caring group of people to guide you through your adoption BBAS is the agency to work with. We have found forever friends at BBAS. read more

Working with BBAS as an adoptive family has been a great experience. Let's face it, adoption is difficult for anyone involved and can be very scary. The staff and social workers at BBAS were compassionate and helpful, not just to me and my husband, but both birth mothers we worked with, too. My family has worked with BBAS through two adoptions, one successful and one failed. What I appreciated most is that BBAS provided the same amount of support to us as they did to each birth mother. Through our first adoption, even though it was out of state, we felt that our birth mother received timely information, local services and an immense amount of understanding and compassion. With our failed adoption, which was in state, things happened very quickly and during the holidays. Despite these things, there was never a delay in getting what we, or the birth mother needed. While a failed adoption is heartbreaking, BBAS provided amazing support and encouragement. We are currently working with BBAS with the hopes of adopting again and anticipate the same support from staff and social workers in this experience. read more

My wife and I started our adoption process 8 months ago and we are surprised how fast we were matched and placed with our son. We love being the proud parents of a beautiful baby boy. After many years of IVF treatments we finally found a way to become parents through adoption. I travel out of the country often for work which meant variable hours and crazy schedules. I would often get my messages answered at 2a Ohio time from the agency during our process. Our communication with our agency was very professional and complete. We never had to go with an unanswered question. Our son's birth mom is amazing. She could not believe how complete she felt with her decision after working with the adoption agency and her caseworker. Our relationship with our son's birth mom has been rewarding and loving. God has truly answered our prayers when we found Building Blocks Adoption Agency. We only wish the best for all of them, their birthmoms and families they work with. read more

After a lot of searching and research for an Ohio adoption agency, we found Building Blocks Adoption Service. From the moment we called to the moment we brought our son home we were treated with love and respect. We have never looked back once we started our 6 month journey towards adoption. They went the extra mile to help my husband and I adopt our son. Not only were they quick to respond to our calls, but when we found ourselves without a ride to and from the hospital they stepped up and transported us wherever we needed to go. We will never forget their kindness towards our family and our birth mother's family. Everyone at Building Blocks Adoption was professional, and caring and now we consider them family. Our son is doing great and we hope to add a brother or sister with the help of this wonderful agency. We are very very fortunate to have been blessed by our adoption agency. MaryAnne and Nathaniel read more

We love Building Blocks Adoption in Medina, Ohio. We adopted our daughter through this agency this year and feel truly blessed to have worked with this agency. Not only was the staff honest, ethical and professional but truly does care about its clients. When we were going through our process we had a family loss and BBAS was there for us to support us through our family tragedy. When we received a call, only one month after our homestudy was completed to tell us we were chosen by a birth mother they were upfront and honest about the adoption process and the risks involved. Building Blocks Adoption not only gave love and comfort after my grandfather passed, but gave us a beautiful daughter that we will forever cherish. We highly recommend Building Blocks Adoption now and forever. Matter of fact... next year we plan to adopt once again and will use BBAS with no doubt. read more

Since the original post we have gone through several more matches, one successful and others (through BBAS and their partners in other states) unsuccessful. However throughout all the highs and lows, BBAS and all the case workers they collaborate with have been so helpful, empathetic, and professional- understanding our particular situation and our struggles and concerns and helping us feel more comfortable and at peace throughout the process. We have heard exactly the same thing from the birth moms we have had the opportunity to work with, and they seem to all feel equally blessed to have the opportunity to work with BBAS and the case workers to help bring that comfort and peace to a difficult situation. Thank you!!! read more

We love the agency and the people who work at BBAS! We have adopted not once, but twice using this agency. We first adopted internationally, and most recently domestically. Both were very positive experiences and we continue to have a relationship with the agency even post adoption. Whenever we had questions or concerns BBAS was quick to respond and very honest with us about what to expect. They are professional, kind and they are a Christian agency that really cares about all of their clients. There is no other agency I would recommend and have told everyone who asks or is even considering adoption to go to them! read more

Building Blocks played an invaluable role in our adoption story. They responded quickly to our questions, shared in our joys and stresses and helped us walk through the entire process. The staff was very knowledgeable and offered great help that can only be offered through experience. They provided quality and loving services to us and our daughter's birthmother during both pre-placement and post-placement. We highly recommend working with BBAS as it is evident that they love what they do and really care about each family they are involved with. read more

The staff at Building Blocks were very helpful during our entire adoption process. From application to finalization someone was always there to guide us through each step. To them, it's not just a job. They truly cared for us as adoptive parents and also for our daughter's birth mother. Our daughter is now a happy healthy 13 month old! Thank you Building Blocks for helping us make our dreams come true! read more