DNA Reunites Martinez Woman With Biological Dad, Now She's Honored For Helping Others Do The Same

MARTINEZ, CA -- A Martinez woman who went 45 years before taking a DNA test for fun and discovering that the father who raised her wasn’t her biological father -- then used DNA clues to find and reunite with her birth father, was honored this week for helping others find their lost relatives.

Dawn Kosmakos of Martinez was announced this week as one of three winners of the 2017 Annual Spokeo Search Angel Awards. Spokeo, an online people search platfrom, and an advisory committee comprised of leaders from the adoptee and search communities, selected Kosmakos along with Cindy Gabbard and Jan Sperry, as this year's search angels.

A “Search Angel” is a volunteer who donates their time and resources to aid individuals, usually associated with adoption, in their personal search goals, while providing guidance and emotional support throughout the process, free of charge, according to Spokeo. They are widely known throughout the adult adoptee community for their search work with those who have been touched by adoption, foster care and other family separation circumstances.

It's the fourth year Spokeo has honored volunteers with such awards. This year, there 65 nominees.

According to Spokeo, Kosmakos' own experience is what made her passionate about helping those with similar stories. In 2016, she started as a search angel in a couple of well-known groups on Facebook. She continues to use a variety of internet tools to find relatives, such as creating private Facebook groups to keep adoptees she works with in the loop about their search process.

For fellow search angel Gabbard, the role of providing emotional support to others is what inspires her the most.

"I have found that many times, just knowing that someone cares and wants to help them can give [adoptees] the motivation to continue, especially in situations where it is a difficult search or the end results are less than desirable," Gabbard said.

Sperry's first case was helping her best friend’s adoptive sister identify her biological parents. She officially became a search angel three years ago and regularly uses tech tools combined with DNA tests during her search processes.

"Every year, we are inspired by the amount of nominations we receive noting the wonderful work of Search Angels and the stories that describe them," said Vanessa Waite, director of communications for Spokeo.

The winners receive a cash grant to help counterbalance the personal costs they incur while searching on behalf of others, a one-year membership to Spokeo and the opportunity to offer reunion sponsorships to families who are matched by the angels during their time as an award winner with the travel costs covered by Spokeo.

"Spokeo is focused on helping people connect and know more about others and, in the case of adoptees, themselves and their own history," Waite said. "The advisory committee chose this year’s honorees after a vigorous selection process. Though all of the nominees and finalists are truly deserving of recognition for their selfless work, Dawn Kosmakos, Jan Sperry and Cindy Gabbard stood out to the committee for their dedication in helping adoptees find their answers and their passion for wanting to foster new search angels to assist the cause."

Photos courtesy of Spokeo