September 17, 2020

Highlight Marge Snider

by Julie M. Waxman

For over fifty years, Marge Snider has dedicated her life to creating families. She has placed over 4,000 children into safe and loving homes. Marge’s reason for forging her life of service is simple, she was born into it. The daughter of a nurse and a chemical engineer, both of Marge’s parents volunteered with the local fire rescue. Marge’s father was designated by the police department to calm domestic violence in lower-income neighborhoods. All the while, her mother found adoptive homes for abandoned babies. As registered foster parents, Marge’s parents welcomed various children into their home for months at a time. The altruism Marge’s parents instilled in her at an early age inspired some of her most important moments.

Marge carried her parent’s values with her to college where she studied social work. At the age of nineteen, Marge found herself pregnant. Knowing she wanted what was best for the child, Marge consequently made the difficult decision to place the child for adoption. “When I was in college, an unplanned pregnancy steered me into my first, important life decision…adoption for a child I was unprepared for. I was young and still dependent on my parent’s support. The child’s father was also unavailable and adoption provided the most promising plan for my baby…a secure and safe place with a loving couple to nurture, love, and provide for him what I was unable to.” Having now experienced multiple sides of the adoption process first hand, Marge knew without a doubt her purpose in life.

”I feel fortunate I happened into a profession that I was completely suited for…educationally, emotionally, and spiritually. I learned ways to meet children and adult’s desires and needs to find permanence with adoption.”

Inclusivity

Following graduation, Marge married and went to work for the Lynchburg Virginia welfare department. Here she worked with pregnant women who were giving their babies up for adoption. Over the years, Marge and her husband welcomed four children of their own and fostered two others. After her divorce, Marge met her wife Susan in 1992.

“I have become expert at providing solutions to problems both the adopted children and adults discover along the path to the child’s growing up into adulthood. One of the unfortunate aspects I have witnessed over the years was the reluctance for society and our country to recognize gay, lesbian, and transgender persons as worthy to adopt a child or children. Even after family equality through a Supreme Court Decision in January of 2015, provided legality for gay, lesbian and transgender persons to adopt, we have all still seen ongoing resistance for acceptance through/by many adoption agencies, court systems, and politicians.”

“It is with such pride that 26health offers the first, Florida based, all-inclusive, child-placing adoption agency to any person of any race, gender, or sexual orientation who desires to adopt. Our adoption agency offers a wide range of adoptive services including completing home studies, the placement of children from infants to sibling groups under the age of 14 years, post-placement supervision, counseling for both adoptive and birth families, financial support for the birth mother prior to delivery, legal services and pediatric care following adoption finalization. 26Health is also available 24/7 to meet the current and ongoing needs of the adoptive family, birth family, and adoptee.”