About Us
The Grafted Familia officially began as a company in 2020, but the dream began eight years prior when the founder, Iris George, worked as an adoption specialist. Because nearly all adoptive children immersed in an English-speaking environment will eventually learn English, greater emphasis was put on the other longer-lasting challenges of adoption. Consequently there is about a year long period in which parents struggle to communicate with their children and vice versa. Also, parents face cultural misunderstandings and adoptive children try to meet academic goals in a language they do not yet speak. Having a background in language, education, and adoption, Iris wanted to step in. She wanted to find ways to support parents and children during this difficult first year, and this is how The Grafted Familia began.
Who We Are
We are stay-at-home moms, nonprofit directors, teachers, community leaders and more.
We are all fluent in Spanish and English, and we love using our language skills to bring families closer together.
Who We Work With
We work families.
We work with parents.
We work with children.
We work with grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, biological kids, adoptive kids, foster kids, etc.
We work with anyone that plays a role in the life of a family.
Our Heart
Our heart is to strengthen families through language. We love blended families, but we also understand that the process of joining different people, from different countries, with different cultures, who speak different languages can be challenging. We exist to support families as they walk through this difficult but rewarding journey.
The Story of Our Name
A few years ago I read about a professor from Syracuse University who wanted to graft 40 different fruit trees into one. The tree would then bloom in different colors throughout the Spring and also bear various different types of fruits, but all from the same one tree. The artist rendering of what the grafted tree could look like was a large tree with leaves and flowers various shades of pinks, purples, reds, etc. all rooted from the same trunk. When trying to think of what I wanted our language company to be, all I could think of was this tree.
We work with families that are in similar circumstances; they have family members from different backgrounds and different countries, and yet they are all grafted into one family. We work with and we love blended families. In the process of grafting, two plants are combined so that they grow together. This allows the grower to combine the qualities of a strong and resilient plant with one that produces good fruit or attractive flowers. In the end, a stronger more beautiful plant is produced, however newly grafted plants must be treated with special care. Until the two plants have been sealed together, they are more vulnerable to temperature changes and infections. The process of grafting reminds me of our families; the experience of being in a diverse family produces children and adults with rich life experiences and a deep understanding of love and empathy– a stronger and beautiful tree. On the other hand, the grafting process requires healing. Blending a family is a difficult process, and there are growing pains along the way. Our goal is to walk alongside families through this growth and support parents and children as they heal and form beautiful blended (or grafted) families.
Using the word "familia," Spanish for "family," represents our desire to support our blended families specifically in the area of language.