OUR CORE SERVICES

Quarterly Educational Meetings

Peer Support Groups

All AKA members & friends are welcome to attend these meetings. This is a time for us to all come together and learn from one another. These events are free, but preregistration is required to receive access information.

November's theme:  
Taking Control of the Narrative

Click here for Peer Support Group information

Click to view upcoming meetings

AKA's Book Club
AKA's Book Clubs are virtual and open to everyone. Be sure to register at least a day or two before the event to ensure you receive the Zoom link. 

AKA's 2025 Book Club #6: 
with Lisa Astalos Chism DNP RN 
December 2, 2025 @ 7:00 pm Central​
The Adopted Nurse: A Memoir Of Courage, Compassion, And Hope
The book club will be held on Zoom. Please register in advance to receive the Zoom link and any additional important details.

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Register now

In The Adopted Nurse: A Memoir of Courage, Compassion, and Hope, Dr. Lisa Astalos Chism, a devoted nurse and adoptee, weaves together her personal story of love, loss, and self-discovery. From growing up with loving adoptive parents to reuniting with her birth father through DNA technology, Dr. Chism shares the emotional highs and devastating lows of her search for identity.
In this book, you will:

• Explore the complex emotions of gratitude and grief as an adoptee.
• Understand healing through self-love, acceptance, and resilience in the face of trauma.
• Discover the power of compassion—for yourself and others—as a tool for healing.
• Learn about practical techniques for processing trauma and rejection.
• Be inspired to find courage and confidence despite facing abandonment and loss.

The Adopted Nurse reveals the profound impact of adoption, trauma, and healing on both personal and professional levels.

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AKA's 2025 Book Club #1: 
with Dr. Abby Hasberry
February 20, 2025 
Adopting Privilege: A Memoir of Reinventing My Adoptee Narrative 

Link to recording

AKA's 2025 Book Club #2: 
featuring Alice Stephens
April 3, 2025 
​Famous Adopted People

Link to recording

AKA's 2025 Book Club #3 
with Marianne Novy
May 6, 2025 
Adoption Memoirs

Link to recording

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AKA's 2025 Book Club #4: 
with Jean Kelly Widner
June 11, 2025
The Adoption Paradox: Putting Adoption in Perspective ​

Link to recording

AKA's 2025 Book Club #5: 
with Julie Ryan McGue
August 13, 2025 
Twice the Family: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Sisterhood ​

Link to Recording

AKA's 2025 Book Club #6: 
with Lisa Astalos Chism DNP RN 
October 2025 
​The Adopted Nurse: A Memoir Of Courage, Compassion, And Hope​

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​Annual Conference

​Adoption Knowledge Affiliates' annual conference is two days of connection, education, and support for anyone directly connected to adoption and professionals in the field of adoption. 

Click to learn more