How Adoption Shaped My Life
A Story by Donald G. Mitchener, BA, FCPA, FCA

With Adoption and Permanency Awareness Month in mind, I wanted to share my experience because adoption played a central role in shaping my life. By sharing my story, I hope to shine a light on the journeys of children and youth in care today and to encourage support for those moving into adulthood without the stability and guidance every young person deserves.

In 1951, my two sisters, my brother, and I were placed in an orphanage north of Toronto, and in 1953, when I was nine years old, I was adopted. Within three years, my adoptive parents divorced. My adoptive mother—mentally and morally stronger than her petite stature might have conveyed—refused to shirk from responsibility. She raised two sons through our teenage years and into adulthood.

Responsibilities before rights; obligations before entitlements; unselfishness without expectations of reward or recognition shaped the way she raised us, and those principles guided my education, my career, and my life. In recognition of her many sacrifices, Saint John’s Imperial Theatre named its cloakroom in her honour.

“I have been blessed by the good fortune of meeting the right people at the right times.”

As the years went on, I came to realize how much my adoption influenced the people I met and the opportunities I received. I have been fortunate to learn from my mother disciplining with compassion; my teachers encouraging my affinity for learning; a family friend demonstrating the value of hard work; a university colleague introducing me to a profession then unknown to me; fellow chartered accountants, diverse clientele, and many business associates reinforcing that good fortune; and ultimately, meeting Jane, whom I later married — someone who opened my eyes to what it means to try to be the “right person” for others.

After moving to New Brunswick in 1998, I also had the privilege of contributing to my community. Over the years I supported organizations such as Saint Mary’s Band (where I have been involved since arriving in the province), the Hampton Golf and Country Club, Rocmaura Nursing Home Foundation, the Imperial Theatre and its Foundation, the NB Medical Education Foundation, Dr. V.A. Snow Centre Nursing Home, New Brunswick Social Pediatrics, First Steps Inc. (serving on its first board and as Financial Advisor), the Nauwigewauk Community Club, and the Centre for Youth Care’s supportive housing initiative, where I served as Capital Campaign Chair. These roles allowed me to contribute in ways that reflected the values my mother taught me and the support I received throughout my life.

Later in my life, I also had the opportunity to reconnect with my siblings after many years apart. I first reconnected with my sisters in 1964, and later, in 1982, reunited with my brother as well. That experience provided important clarity about my early beginnings and reminded me of the lasting importance of belonging and identity.

You can read more about our family’s reunion here → A Family Reconnected

The good fortune I experienced throughout my life has made me especially aware that not every young person has access to the same guidance or stability, particularly those who have missed being adopted, who have aged out of care, or who may not yet have had the good fortune to meet the right people at the right time. This belief is why I have supported youth-focused initiatives—including the Centre for Youth Care’s supportive housing project in Saint John—and why I continue to stand behind the work of the NB Adoption Foundation, an organization dedicated to helping children and youth find the stability and connection that family provides.

To learn more about the Centre for Youth Care’s work—and to read the story they recently shared about my involvement—you can visit their Our Impact page.

“It is never charity to invest in the potential of youth.”

“I am sharing my story to inspire those with means to help others and enable young adults with challenging beginnings to take control and achieve meaningful lives.”

— Donald G. Mitchener, BA, FCPA, FCA