Since 1993
Our History: A Act of Love Adoptions
Since 1993, A Act of Love Adoptions has walked alongside birth mothers and hopeful adoptive families through the domestic infant adoption journey. What began in 1993 as a small Utah agency, founded by an adoptive mother, has grown into thousands of adoptions and one of Utah's longest-running licensed non-profit adoption agencies.
Our Founding and Growth
A Act of Love Adoptions was founded in 1993 by an adoptive mother who wanted something better for the birth moms and families walking this path. That founding belief, that adoption is an act of love, and that every conversation should feel that way, is still the heart of how we work.
Many of the people on our staff are adoptive parents or adoptees themselves. We have supported thousands of adoptions, serving families throughout Utah and, through the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC), birth moms in many other states.
Our Founder
Kathy Kunkel
Kathy is a mother of ten — eight of her children joined her family through adoption — and it was that lived experience that shaped the agency's founding conviction: birth mothers deserve genuine support, and children deserve safe, loving homes. Her work has been honored nationally, including the Congressional Angel in Adoption Award and recognition from the National Council for Adoption for the “I Chose Adoption” campaign. Thirty years on, she still leads with the same purpose.
Milestones
- 1993Founded as a licensed adoption agency in Sandy, Utah.
- 1990sGrew to help birth moms in many states through the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC).
- 2000sExpanded counseling and post-placement support programs to emphasize long-term relationships. Kathy's advocacy was honored with the Congressional Angel in Adoption Award.
- 2010sStrengthened open adoption programs and invested in adoption-competent mental health partnerships. Recognized by the National Council for Adoption for the “I Chose Adoption” campaign, and welcomed many families of faith after LDS Family Services wound down its adoption program in 2014.
- 2026Operating in full compliance with Utah's updated adoption standards under H.B. 51 — new protections we welcomed, because they codify how we already believed birth mothers should be treated.
What Has Not Changed
Our commitment to make adoption personal. To walk with birth mothers, not around them. To treat every adoptive family as a partner, not a transaction. To uphold the highest ethical standards in every placement.
The best measure of thirty years isn't the milestones — it's the words of the birth mothers and families who lived them with us, and the team that still answers the phone at 2am.