Learn more about Bellis.
Founded in 1983, Bellis is a nonprofit with no political or religious affiliation or agenda. Grounded in 40 years of knowledge gained from experience within the adoption community, Bellis’ primary goals are:
To use our expertise in the complex work of traumatic grief to support women who have been historically and institutionally marginalized because their children are parented by others.
To earn the trust of women who are disenfranchised, offering programs where they can together build resilience and greater emotional wellness.
To establish financial sustainability for our organization through earned income while retaining the integrity of our programs and using data and participants’ lived experiences to guide growth.
Our efforts are adjacent to the adoption and foster care sector. Bellis is independent of child-placing agencies, child welfare systems and courts.
Listen to previous Executive Director (2012-2024) Jenny Eldredge on the Fox 9 Good Day show as she describes our mission.
“Having worked directly with families in the child welfare system for over thirty years, I have seen the intergenerational impacts for families when a parent’s rights are terminated. It is a loss like no other, compounded by the feelings of isolation, guilt and shame. The cost to the parent and to the children is immeasurable, and there is a corresponding cost to our community as a whole. I had been looking for a resource to support women in this situation for at least a decade, knowing that their grief experience is unique and that healing that trauma is complicated. Bellis is able to bring a unique skillset and expertise to this work. They have led groups that have transformed the lives of the women participating. Their model works.
”Many people are talking about and working on transforming the child welfare system, and Bellis is actually doing it. ”
Equity Statement
Bellis seeks to educate, understand, and correct any inequities in our community by:
Creating opportunities for all people to see themselves in our programming, gatherings, employment, and volunteer opportunities.
Building an environment where people of all backgrounds feel safe.
Recognizing and diminishing any barriers to Bellis programming.
In the News
NPR, July 2023 - Support group helps imprisoned moms who've lost parental rights deal with grief
Minnesota Public Radio, May 2023 - At Shakopee prison, women grieve lost children
Fox 9 Good Day, May 2023 - Support for families affected by adoption and foster care
The Imprint, April 2023 - Minnesota Aims to Better Equip Parents Facing Termination of Parental Rights
MinnPost, March 2023 - Life-altering decision to terminate parental rights should come with adequate legal support for families
Minnesota Women’s Press, June 2022 - After Parental Rights are Terminated, Mothers Find Support in One Another
WCCO-TV, March 2022 - One-Of-A-Kind Minneapolis Support Group Helps Mothers Who Lost Custody Of Their Kids
KARE 11, October 2021 - Minneapolis nonprofit supports mothers after loss of parental rights
MinnPost, July 2021 - Support group helps moms with terminated parental rights cope with grief and loss
