GOA Pay it Forward Award
The Pay It Forward Award is a new honor introduced in 2025 to celebrate one of the most inspiring parts of the Gift of Adoption community — the way our grant families further our mission.
Across the country, families who once received a Gift of Adoption grant often find meaningful ways to “pay it forward.”
Some share their stories at events to inspire others.
Some make donations on Giving Tuesday or on their child’s adoption day.
Others return as volunteers — or do all three.
This award recognizes those families whose continued generosity and engagement amplify the mission and make it possible for even more children to come home.
2025 GOA Pay it Forward Awardee – Tim and Amie Vetscher
Jonathan Block, Tim Vetscher
We are honored to recognize Tim and Amie Vetscher as the inaugural recipients of the Pay It Forward Award.
In 2017 Tim and Amie received a Gift of Adoption grant while living in Minnesota, helping them bring home their son, Oliver. They shared their story at the 2018 Rod Simons’ Golf for the Gift event and continued to support the Minnesota Chapter leveraging Tim’s professional emcee skills and TV / media connections to expand awareness for the cause.
When the Vetscher family later moved to Wisconsin, Tim and Amie joined the Wisconsin Chapter Board. Their commitment and creativity have brought remarkable visibility to Gift of Adoption. They have introduced new funders to the organization, helped identify possible and coach the team on keynote speakers for events in Chicago, and they generated extensive local and national media coverage — including stories celebrating the 5,000th child to come home through Gift of Adoption.
This past April, Tim helped promote the Wisconsin Chapter’s Trivia Night, on both television and radio to highlight the event and the mission behind it.
Tim (to you and Amie) your dedication, warmth, and advocacy exemplify what “paying it forward” looks like. You’ve multiplied the impact of your own adoption story many times over, helping more families experience the same joy and permanency that you did.
Congratulations and thank you for being the inaugural recipients of the Gift of Adoption Pay It Forward Award.