For Brattleboro resident Michelle Colburn, working for Lund Family Center is more than a job -- it's like coming home.

For the past three years, Colburn has been recruiting "forever families" for children living in foster care, with Lund Family Center, based in Burlington, and Project Family. Staff at the Lund Center say she is extremely committed to her job - something Colburn sees as natural.

"A sense of family is very important," Colburn said. "It's very important for me to help children find that sense of family. Especially around the holidays."

This drive to find families for Vermont's children comes from somewhere deep inside of Colburn's heart. She grew up in Brattleboro and had a loving family with friends and good memories. But when she was a pre-teen, Colburn discovered that her parents were keeping a secret from her -- she was adopted at birth.

"I had a really wonderful life," Colburn said. "In the 1960s, if you weren't married (adoption is) what you did. It's changed a lot, and adoptions are very open right now. The stigma of being adopted isn't there anymore."

Lund Family Center's director of adoptions, Wanda Audette, agrees with Colburn, saying adoptions in the 1960s were very provate, and the birth parents didn't have many options. They could choose what religion the adoptive family practiced, but not much more.

"In the 1960s, birth parents had less involvement in choosing the family the baby would go to," Audette said. "Now the birth parents are extremely involved."

Audette said thse major changes in the adoption process came about over the past 40 years because of the empowerment of women and families.

Today's adoptions are open and involve interviews, medical and social histories and more. The social stigma surrounding adoption has also changed.

"Making an adoption plan is a loving, caring choice," Audette said. "(The birth parents) may not be ready to be parents yet, but they'll never, ever forget."

Colburn said she was surprised when she found out about being adopted. According to her parents, Colburn was born in a Burlington hospital before being adopted by their family through the Lund Family Center, called the Elizabeth Lund Home back then. She was a pre-teen when she learned this news and remembers keeping her secret close, especially around her friends.

"I guess I was surprised when I first found out. But then my parents were really up front with it," Colburn said. "My mom just asked me to wait until I was ready, and then she would help me find my family."

That time arrived when Colburn was in her early 30s. She aproached her mother about finding her biological family, and Colburn said they didn't have any problems finding her birth family. Her mother had information about the birth parents and Colburn was on her way to meeting them.

After a few phone calls, Colburn discovered that both her birth parents had died, but she did have several aunts and uncles still alive in the northern part of the state. While they weren't her birth parents, they were able to confirm her identity.

"My mother and father weren't alive when I found them," Colburn said, "But I have lots of aunts and uncles. And there was no denying who I am -- I look just like my mom!"

"My biological family welcomed (my mom) with open arms and actually thanked her," Colburn said. "It was a nice reunion."

As a recruiter for Lund Family Center and Project Family, Colburn organizes awareness events several times each month throughout southern Vermont. She meets many Brattleboro-area community members who have experience with adoptions and foster care, and she enjoys sharing stories with them.

"It's like a common interest we share together. You. may not have a family connection, you have a Lund connection," Colburn said. "You kind of get that wann, fuzzy feeling."

At the awareness events that Colburn organizes, she always has a "Hearts Galley," which profiles children across the state waiting to be adopted. The profiles include a picture, facts about the child and some of their dreams and ambitions.

"The public is able to come in and 'meet' the children by looking at the profiles," Colburn said. "Spreading the awareness is working really, really well."

Colburn's last awareness event was at the Robert H. Gibson River Garden·on Nov. 15; and many community members showed up to learn about adoption and the many ways people can get involved to benefit the children. Colburn said families can provide temporary foster care, respite breaks for families (care for a weekend), mentoring (doing activities with the children) and adoptions (a forever family).

"If you open your heart, there's tons of things you can do for these kids," Colburn said. "It becomes a huge connection for these kids and that's so important. "

Colburn has taken her job with the Lund Center to a new level, and says that her "Lund phone" never leaves her side. Audette said Colburn was recently rewarded as the Lund's employee ofthe quarter . award and she lives, breathes and talks her work and passion.

"What we look for first and foremost is passion and work ethic," Audette said. "Michelle definitely has amazing passion and she really believes in the work she's doing."

"I recruit anytime and anywhere I can," Colburn said. "I have business cards in my pocket all the time, and I'm looking all the time."

Each summer the Lund Family Center holds a picnic in Burlington where hundreds offamilies touched by adoption gather to share stories and have a good time. The event also allows these families to reflect on adoption and how they have helped the children in their lives.

'''Many community members come in and share stories about their adoptions," Colburn said. "There's such a passion. When I go to a retreat, everybody's there for one reason -- the kids."

The Lund Family Center was started in 1890 in Burlington by 10 women who wanted to help socially abused and rejected women. The center has finalized the adoptions of more than 8,000 children in its 118 year history.

It's this long history of proactive, positive work with children that makes Colburn so comfortable with the organization.

"I was adopted through Lund, and now I work for Lund," Colburn said. "It was so comfortable right from the beginning it seemed like a good fit. This is what I was supposed to do."

Along with facilitating both private and Project Family adoptions, the Lund Center is available to help with research to find birth families, international adoptions, home study evaluations and more.

Despite the heartache of the past she sometimes feels when going through the adoption process with a Lund child, Colburn says it's all worth it and she wouldn't change her job for the world. It just comes naturally to her.

"It's a great passion for me and I can't imagine myself having a different job," Colburn said. "It comes from being adopted and sharing those experiences. There's an unspoken bond."

Eric Pero can be reached at 802-254-2311,x260 or epero@reformer.com

Alice Greenwood, Employee of the Year 2008-2009