Devereux’s Legacy of Caring Honors Beverly Baccelli
By Bobby Hankinson
October 2005 - As law-makers debate the future of gay marriage,
Devereux will be exploring the effects of same-sex adoption at their tenth
Legacy of Caring Conference,
The organization, which focuses on providing care to people with special
emotional or behavioral needs, chose Beverly Baccelli, Director of Southeastern
Adoption Services in Mattapoisett, MA as this year’s award recipient.
“When the topic came up, it was almost a no-brainer,” said
Adrienne Williams, the conference committee member who nominated Baccelli.
“She’s done so much work in advocacy and work in creating
families.”
In her 30-year plus career, Baccelli has combined her advocacy for gay
and lesbian rights and experience
with adoption to help all kinds of adoptive couples and their children
succeed. “It amazes me sometimes that I actually support myself
doing this,” she said. “I love it so much.”
Baccelli’s passion for her career in social work can be traced as
far back as her childhood. Growing up in what she described as the “projects”
of New Bedford, she considered herself lucky to have good parents, but
also saw children around her who were not as fortunate. “I understood
in my teenage years, my parents made a difference and I felt I could make
a difference in the lives of kids,” Baccelli said.
After graduating from UMASS Dartmouth in 1971, she immediately began working
for the Department of
Social Services. During her years working in child welfare, she adopted
two children of her own and began to see first-hand the difficulties and
discrimination faced by gays and lesbians with children.
It was not until 1976, however, that Baccelli turned her professional
aspirations toward adoption. At the suggestion of a friend, she began
an adoption agency with more interest in international children and began
working part-time in both the Department of Social Services and the new
agency. Soon, after her agency’s co-founder lost her battle with
breast cancer, Baccelli was faced with the difficult decision of which
career to commit to fully.
Turning her attention to the adoption agency, a trend began to emerge
in her clientele. “Because I am a lesbian and I am active in the
lesbian and gay community, I started being contacted by gays and lesbians
interested in adoption,” she said.
Since then, Baccelli estimated she has placed over 200 children with same-sex
parents, but she has no intention of letting her agency getting too large.
She prides herself on the close contact she has with the families she
places children with and maintains relationships with her openness and
honesty. “I find that the best way to educate people is to do it
from your authentic, personal approach,” she said.
That method is the same one she hopes will be successful in her keynote
speech at the Legacy of Caring conference. “I hope that …
I won’t be preaching to the choir,” she said. “I hope
they really feel like they need to hear what it’s like to be a gay
or lesbian parent, what it’s like to have a gay or lesbian parent;
they need that to enhance their practice.” The conference also features
a parents’ panel and a
children’s panel in hopes of gaining a better understanding of the
differences and similarities between children of same-sex and two-sex
couples. “What we’re saying is good parenting doesn’t
depend on your orientation,” said conference committee member Jose
Rivera.
Response on the topic as well as to Baccelli’s award has been positive
said Ken Ayers, Devereaux Director of Community Relations. Currently the
conference is booked in a room with a capacity for 125 people, but Ayers
said they are prepared to relocate if attendance exceeds that. As far
as what he hopes the conference accomplishes, he simply said, “Understanding.”
The Legacy of Caring conference will take place Oct. 11 at Assumption
College. For more information or to register, visit legacyofcaring.devereuxma.org.
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