Pictured are Wayne Carlsson and Jonathan Courtis during their trip to Washington DC where they advocated for changes in the adoption and foster system. Submitted photo

LAKEWOOD – It’s been a whirlwind year for local couple Wayne Carlsson and Jonathan Courtis.

They’ve written a book – a process that ended up taking them to Washington, D.C., to advocate for change in the United States adoption and foster care system.

The trip, which Carlsson jokingly referred to as “Mr. and Mr. Smith go to Washington” took place at the end of March after the publication of their book “Overcoming the Sadness: Dealing with the Loss of a Child We Never Had,” which came out last year, and focuses on the couple’s adoption journey, which led to them not adopting a child, but gave them a new purpose to advocate for children in the foster system and to make that system better.

“The book was very well received,” Carlsson said. “The last time we talked with The Post-Journal it was just before our book signing at the Good Neighbor Bookstore, and that had great turnout. We also have it available on Amazon and have copies at both of our offices, and all proceeds went towards this trip to Washington.”

Since the book signing, they have also given a presentation at the Patterson Library in Westfield and a copy of the book was placed in the Ashville, Falconer and Randolph libraries.

Carlsson said they started working towards the trip by emailing and calling the staff of certain Congressmen and Senators to schedule an appointment to meet with staff. After much back and forth and working out when a good time to meet would be, they ended up choosing to come at the end of March.

“We called on 28 different offices of both Congressmen and Senators,” Carlsson said. “We were specifically targeting members of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption. One meeting was with the office of one of the four co-chairs for the Coalition.”

Carlsson and Courtis had five in-person meetings where they talked with staff members about their failed adoption journey, what they saw that was wrong with the adoption and foster care system, and their ideas for changes in legislation. The main focus for them was on The Family First Prevention Services Act, H.R. 253 that was passed into law in 2017 and took effect February 2018, a federal law that allows states to use federal funds for in-home services, mental health and substance abuse services, and kinship services to keep children safe and in their homes. They also provided each of the offices with a packet of information on the issues and the solutions they proposed, along with a copy of the book.

Carlsson said while typically meeting with only a staff member, one Congressman met with them in person.

“He talked with us for 30 minutes before he had to leave to go speak on the House floor,” Carlsson said. “He had quite the story himself, sharing that his father was adopted, he was adopted, and he has adopted his two children. He was no stranger to the struggles of the system and said that both he and his wife were going to read our book that weekend.”

One meeting that the couple had was with local representative Nick Langworthy’s office, which also included a tour of the Capitol building with his Staff Assistant Justin Pavonarius, and was something Carlsson said was a highlight of the trip, along with the nice weather and getting to see the Cherry Blossoms.

“It is amazing to know that if you have an issue, idea, and solution strategy, that you can take it all the way to Capitol Hill and be heard,” Carlsson said. “Everyone was welcoming, friendly and interested in the information we presented. Knowing that if you have an issue or cause or see something that needs to be changed and you can take it all the way to the Capitol and be heard has had an impact on us. We were positively received by everyone and that was encouraging and hopeful for us.”

Since their return home three weeks ago no new information has come to them, but Carlsson said the coalition has specific times and days in which they meet and other issues take precedence. He added that it is up to the Coalition now as to whether or not anything happens, and in the meantime they will have to wait to hear later in the year, if at all.

As for what happens next with Carlsson and Courtis, Carlsson said that is something they are still discussing.

“After this five year journey it seems weird to not have an iron in the fire with what to do next,” Carlsson said. “The big question now is, what’s next? I think we are going to take the time to heal from our experience and focus on our families and businesses and enjoy the upcoming summer. We’re not sure what the future entails yet, so we will wait and see.”

Additionally, the couple have discussed other possible scenarios for them involving children, such as entering into a foreign exchange student program. While the D.C. trip could be the end of the journey for them, they have also agreed that they will make themselves available should Washington call and go back and meet with and talk with anyone interested in helping them fix the foster system.

For anyone looking to adopt, Carlsson recommended that they do their research, including reading the book to learn from and not make the same mistakes that they did. He thanked everyone that has supported them on this five-year journey.

“We started with trying to adopt a child, and shifted our focus to writing a book about our experience, which then culminated in us traveling to Washington, D.C., to lobby for change,” Carlsson said. “We could not have done it without the support of our family, friends, and community. The notes and letters we received from those that read our book really touched us and empowered us to continue fighting for the cause.”