We want to shout out a very special THANK YOU to everyone who helped with and attended the Avenues to Adoption Education Event which was held on Saturday, June 22nd. It was a great learning opportunity and I know everyone who attended gained additional information regarding adoption options and the overall adoption experience.
The first presenter, Mary Moo from WACAP gave a great overview of the services WACAP provides both in their International Program as well as their domestic US Kids Program. It was exciting to learn that if a couple is interested in working with another agency they can have their home study completed at WACAP and shared with another agency. This is definitely something to ask more about!! She explained the role WACAP has as an advocate for the adoptive parent in navigating the foster to adopt system. For those who were not able to hear Mary's presentation, I highly recommend attending one of their Information Meetings which are typically held on the 3rd Thursday of each month from 7-9pm at the WACAP office in Renton, WA.
Our second presenters, Corey and Julie Pogue, were a delight. They shared their story of inspiration and love and how their family was blessed by adopting 4 children from the State. They are more than happy to share more of their story to those who are looking for an insiders view of adopting through the state system. Email us at families.supporting.adoption@gmail.com if you are interested in the contact information for Corey and Julie.
Our final presenter, Susan Lawrence from Kids2Families is an amazing local resource for adoption advocacy. It was informative to hear about their advocacy program and vision of having all children in loving homes. She was informative and can be a resource to anyone trying to navigate building their family through adoption. It was exciting to hear about the orphanage that Kids2Families is running in Ecuador and their goal of having these children adopted locally by Ecuadorians. She can be a resource to families who want to adopt, but have financial concerns. She would love to have more volunteers and she hopes to see all of us at the Kids2Families Annual Family Adoption Walk in November.
A special thanks to Chriss Butt who did a ton of work to make this event (and many other things) possible. She is currently serving as the Chair for the FSA board and many people benefit from the time she spends advocating for adoption. THANKS CHRISS!
We hope to host another similar education event soon. (Maybe November)??? Be sure to join our Facebook Group to learn about more about any upcoming events and for an opportunity to share information regarding adoption.
