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Sandy Musser has been involved with adoption reform since 1976.
In 1993, after 17 years of reform work, she paid the ultimate price. Sandy was indicted by the government and sent to federal prison in her work of reuniting families.
Sandy has always been committed to three main goals:
Open Records
Reuniting Families
Family Preservation
In 1954, at the young age of 15, Sandy became pregnant "out of wedlock" and surrendered her first-born child (the ultimate surrender!) to adoption. "Though I left the hospital that July day with empty arms and a broken heart, the memory of my daughter never ceased, and though I was told to forget, I never did."
22 years later, in 1976, she became actively involved in what is now known as the adoption reform movement and in 1979 wrote her first book titled I WOULD HAVE SEARCHED FOREVER , a story about the search for her daughter.
Following are highlights of Sandy's work
 1976 - Joined the Adoption Forum of Philadelphia and served as a Board Member for 3 years.
1977 - Completed the search for her daughter, Wendy, who she had surrendered in 1954 when she was 15 years old.
1978 - Began the first local branch of Concerned United Birthparents (CUB) in Philadelphia. CUB is a national support group for birthparents founded by Lee Campbell in 1976. Lee appointed Sandy CUB Branch Administrator, responsible for establishing branches around the country.
1979 - Authored her first book entitled I WOULD HAVE SEARCHED FOREVER , a personal story of the loss and subsequent search/reunion experience; her second book WHAT KIND OF LOVE IS THIS followed a few years later and described the urgent need for adoption reconciliation.
Also in 1979, she was actively involved in helping to formulate the American Adoption Congress as both a charter member and lifetime member.
1980 - Founded Adoption Triangle Ministries , an educational outreach with a spiritual emphasis. Appointed Chaplain/Trustee of International Soundex Reunion Registry , Carson City, NV - the largest reunion registry of its kind.
1987 - Founded the ALARM Network , a lobbying organization specifically working to reform the child welfare system. ALARM's acronym stands for Advocating Legislation for the Adoption Reform Movement.
1988 -Established a local facility in SW Florida known as The Adoption & Family Reunion Center for the express purpose of reuniting families.
1990 - Incorporated as The Musser Foundation in order to pull the work together under one banner.
1987 - 1993 - Responsible for reuniting hundreds of families who had been separated by adoption, foster care, divorce, and war-torn years.
1993 - In March of 1993, Sandy was indicted by the Federal Government on charges of "conspiracy to defraud the government of confidential information" because of sealed adoption records. She pled not guilty, went to trial, was convicted and sentenced to four months in federal prison, two months house arrest with an electronic device, and three years probation. But her stiffest penalty was being forced to close her office and forbidden to do adoption searches.
1994 - After coming home from prison, she wrote and published TO PRISON WITH LOVE, The True Story of an Indecent Indictment and America's Adoption Travesty.
1996 - After 20 years of dedication to the cause of adoption reform, at the NAAC (National Adoption Awareness Convention) in Atlanta, GA, she "officially" retired from the work of adoption reform.
1997 - In March of '97, Sandy completed her three years probation. Though 'officially retired,' she continues to be an outspoken advocate for change by presenting at conferences and giving media interviews.
On the personal side, Sandy was born in Lewisburg, PA in 1939. Her family moved to the Philadelphia suburbs in the mid-40's; she graduated from Yeadon High School in 1956. Married soon after high school, she raised four children. Her family has now grown to include twelve grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Recently widowed, her days are filled raising a 17 year old grandson, and teaching seniors and beginners how to get around the computer. Sandy moved from Merchantville, NJ to Cape Coral, FL in 1982 which is where she presently resides. She still gives speaking engagements and media interviews and may be reached by e-mail.
 muss102@aol.com
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