Wendy Rowney

President

Wendy is a reunited adoptee with decades of lived experience and advocacy in the adoption community. She was a key collaborator—alongside Karen, Abbie and others—in founding ASK (Adoption Support Kinship), now recognized as one of Canada’s longest-running support groups for adoptees and original family members.

Driven by frustration with restrictive adoption laws, Wendy co-founded the Coalition for Open Adoption Records, playing a pivotal role in the successful campaign to open Ontario’s adoption records. Her leadership and advocacy have extended across national and international platforms, including board roles with the American Adoption Congress, the Adoption Council of Canada, and the Adoption Council of Ontario. She currently serves on the ACO’s Education Advisory Committee.

Wendy brings deep personal insight, empathy, and a commitment to healing in her ongoing work with ASK—creating space for connection, understanding, and shared experience among those touched by adoption.

Karen Lynn

Communications Director

Karen is the mother of a son she lost to adoption in 1963. During that time in Canada, young, unmarried and unsupported mothers were routinely pressured to relinquish their children. They were often required to surrender their babies. In 1999, after decades of separation, Karen was joyfully reunited with her son. This reunion occurred through a rarely used option known as a Health, Safety and Welfare Medical Search.

Determined to support others, Karen challenged the secrecy surrounding adoption. She founded the Canadian Council for Natural Mothers. It was the first national organization in Canada dedicated to supporting mothers who lost children to adoption. She later partnered with Wendy and others to co-found the Coalition for Open Adoption Records. Together, they led a powerful, years-long campaign. The campaign rallied widespread public support. This effort ultimately resulted in the unsealing of most of Ontario’s adoption records in 2009.

Karen continues to share her knowledge and advocacy through ASK (Adoption Support Kinship). She is an active member of the Adoption Council of Ontario’s Education Committee. In this role, she helps educate professionals and the public on the lifelong impacts of adoption.

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Abbie Adelman

Vice-President & Secretary

Abbie is an adoptee who spent many years searching for her first family. While her first mother chose not to have contact, Abbie later reunited with a maternal half-brother who had also been surrendered for adoption.

Her personal journey—marked by persistence, complexity and discovery—brings deep empathy and insight to her work with ASK (Adoption Support Kinship). Abbie’s experience helps create a compassionate and understanding space for others navigating the emotional landscape of adoption.

Barb Fuller

Treasurer

Barbara is a first mother. Her daughter was born in the late 1960s. During that period, many women were pressured or forced to relinquish their children to adoption. Their reunion came decades later, after Ontario opened adoption records. While the journey wasn’t without challenges, Barbara and her daughter quickly formed a strong bond. Over the past fifteen years, their relationship has grown into a close and meaningful connection.

Barbara’s path toward healing inspired her to explore various holistic approaches and eventually become certified as an intuitive healer. As an empath, she uses her personal experience to support others. She also applies her professional training to help navigate the emotional complexities of adoption and reunion.

Barbara works with ASK (Adoption Support Kinship). She also volunteers with the Education Advisory Committee of the Adoption Council of Ontario. Her efforts help to raise awareness and understanding of adoption’s lifelong impact.