Motivation with a Purpose: Russell Elkins on open adoption

Russell Elkins is a small business owner who grew up in a military family, moving all around the country. He is the father of two beautiful children who are living proof of successful open adoptions. His family\'s story is truly ispirational.

Russell Elkins

Russell was born on Andrews Air Force Base near Washington, D.C.,
in the fall of 1977. Along with his five siblings, he and his military
family moved around a lot, living in eight different houses by the
time he left for college at age 17. Although his family moved
away from Fallon, Nevada, just a few months after he moved out,
he still considers that little oasis in the desert to be his childhood
hometown.

Even after leaving home, Russell always stayed close to his
family. He shared an apartment with each of his three brothers
at different times during his college career. They formed a band
together back in the 1990s and still perform on a regular basis
under the name of the Invisible Swordsmen.

After nearly a decade of college and changing his major a few
times, Russell received his bachelor's degree in sociology from
Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. He later graduated from
Ameritech College where he learned the trade of being a dental
lab technician. Russell now owns and operates Elkins Dental Lab
located in Meridian, Idaho.

Russell has always been a family man at heart, looking forward
to the day when he could be a husband and a father. It took him
a little while, but eventually his eyes locked onto a beautiful
blonde, and he has never looked away. Russell and Jammie were
married in 2004. They had the same goals for their home and
didn't want to wait too long before starting their family. However,
filling their home quickly with children wasn't in the cards, and
they found themselves weighing their options to overcome problems
with infertility. Their lives changed dramatically the day they
decided to adopt.

Russell and Jammie have adopted two beautiful children, Ira
and Hazel, and have embraced their role as parents through open
adoption. Both are actively engaged in the adoption community by
communicating through social media, taking part in discussion
panels, and writing songs about adoption. Russell also writes a
weekly post for Adoption.com.



Open Adoption, Open Hearts on Facebook

Russell\'s Website