18. Melisha Mitchell: "White Oak Foundation"

A former advertising copywriter and magazine editor, Melisha Mitchell stumbled into the world of adoption reform in 1996 after reconnecting with the daughter she had lost to adoption during the infamous Baby Scoop era. Over the next two decades, Melisha launched the White Oak Foundation, a non-profit focused on helping adoption triad members circumnavigate Illinois´ closed record laws, and spearheaded the movement to overturn her home state's outdated adoption statutes. Her efforts led to Illinois becoming the 9th U.S. state to release original birth certificates to all adult adoptees upon request and, through her Foundation, the reunification of thousands of Illinois adoptees with their families of origin. 

Melisha Mitchell can be reached via email ILtreesurgeon@aol.com

Music by Corey Quinn