FSA Seattle Temple Night -- Sat. October 13th at 7pm

Upcoming Activity: Families Supporting Adoption Temple Night at the Seattle Temple in Belleuve, Washington.   Please join us on Saturday, October 13th at 7pm to add your faith and support to the cause of adoption.  There will be a chapel session at 7pm, followed by an endowment session at 7:30pm.   Friends and family are invited to attend. Miracles can happen, and while they happen in the Lord's time, we know He will pour out His blessings when we put Him first in our lives. 

Please remember to RSVP to families.supporting.adoption@gmail.com or on our Western Washington FSA Facebook Page.  Come join us in faith and love for adoption as we attend the temple together. Let's come together as an adoption community in the House of the Lord to show gratitude for the miracle of adoption! We hope to see you there! -- Marianne and Doug.

Changes to Adoption Education - A Letter from the Coorporate Offices of LDS Family Services to Current Adoption Applicants

Dear Adoptive Applicants

We are pleased to announce that LDS Family Services has partnered with Adoption LearningPartners (“ALP”) to provide pre-adoption training for all LDS Family Services couples. Adoption Learning Partners offers an array of interactive, e-learning courses that are designed to increase each person's understanding of the joys and challenges of adoption. We believe that this new training approach offers many benefits:

 

·         Training workshops can be taken anytime, anywhere.

·         Greater variety of interactive training workshops.

·         Lifetime access to completed training workshops.

Effective October 1^st, 2012, LDS Family Services will no longer provide pre-adoption training with the exception of the agency orientation training. All new prospective adoptive couples seeking services from LDS Family Services will be required to receive agency orientation training and complete the ALP training that has been designated by LDS Family Services. This training consists of four (4) designated two (2) hour courses and one (1) elective course, to be selected by the prospective adoptive parents.[1] This training must be completed before a couple may include their profile on the agency’s It’s About Love Website.

The AdoptionLearning Partners’ fee for the new client training program is $129.00 per person. Each person must register and take the courses individually. Training certificates will only be issued to individuals and not couples. Couples must provide copies of their training certificates to LDS Family Services.

Current LDS Family Services clients that have not completed their 10 hour training requirement by October 1, 2012, may select any ALP training course(s), including webinars, to complete their training.[2]

 

If you have questions, please contact your case worker.

---

[1] If your state of residence requires specific training not provided by ALP or more than ten (10) hours of pre-adoption training, you will be required to comply with your state requirements.

[2] The cost of individual training courses ranges from $10 to $20 per person, per hour.

The Gerry's Adoption Story

We asked our recent adoptive couples if they would share a bit about their adoption stories.  Juliet and Aaron quickly responded.  Enjoy their story and getting to know them and then send us your story.  Whether it was recent or a while ago, we would love to hear it!

Hi!! This sounds like fun! Our story began last August, when our birth mom rode a Greyhound bus from Southern California to Tacoma Washington. She was homeless and pregnant and needed a place to stay. She had contacted me because we adopted our son from her three years earlier, asking if we wanted to adopt this baby as well. Of course we did!! We took her into our home for five LONG months. So, time went on and it was fun going to the ultrasound appt and finding out it was a GIRL!! and going to the OB appt's with her. So, finally she got induced and on January 4th of this year our baby girl was born!!! She is perfect and beautiful!! We love her so much!! Birth mom was awesome during labor, a pro really, just pushed her out like nothing. She recovered in a week or so and was excited to go back to California. She flew on an airplane going back. We have an open adoption so we will be seeing her this November. In the mean time, we have finalized the adoption in June and will be getting her sealed to our family in September. We are all excited to have this baby girl in our family. We have our boy and our girl now. We are grateful to our birth mom for giving us the gift of children. Let me know if you want to know more.  

 Thanks, JULIET GERRY

Meet our New Chapter Chair -- Sarah Rawls

Hey everyone,

I wanted to introduce myself. My name is Sarah Rawls. I am the new FSA Chair for our Western Washington Chapter. We just moved here to Washington from California because my husband John is in the Army. We have been married for 4 years and have no children yet. We started with LDS family services 1 ½ years ago. We haven’t been chosen yet for a placement, but I had the wonderful chance of doing foster care in CA while my husband was at boot camp and training. It was such a wonderful experience. Now I’m excited to be in this wonderful place and to get to know all of you and hear your stories. 

 -- Sarah Rawls

Join Kids2Families and Support Adoption through an Adoption Walk on November 3rd at Seward Park, Seattle

Hi,

As you may be aware we adopted a young boy named Alex a couple of years ago.  Prior to that we started a non-profit to help displaced children around the world find families that would adopt them, and also to encourage families to consider adoption. The non-profit is called Kids2Families and you can visit our website at www.kids2families.org.

Our main fundraising event will be a family Adoption Walk held Saturday morning, Nov. 3rd.  It is going to be a 2.5 mile walk held at Seward Park in Seattle. The walk will be spectacular because the trail has a view of Lake Washington on the entire 2.5 mile loop.

Here is where I need your help.

Families who have adopted
1. Please take a brief moment to think of anyone you know who has adopted and send us their contact information so we can invite them to our Adoption Walk.  Just reply to this e-mail with their name, e-mail, address, and phone number. If you feel comfortable, give us some information about their family (number of kids, who has been adopted, etc).

Interested to learn more about the Adoption Walk
2. Let us know if you might be interested in attending the walk.  For those of you not in the Seattle are we will have a way you can participate by being a Virtual Walker.

Again, this is just an indication of interest, not a commitment at this point.  We will follow up with you soon about the walk.

Volunteering
3. We are seeking volunteers.  Please see our website at http://www.kids2families.org/jobs/ for job descriptions.


Thanks for taking the time to read this note, and please respond to the above so that you can help children around the world who don't have families find their family.  Feel free to forward this to family and friends so we can spread the word.

Warm regards,
Susan H. Lawrence

The Story of the Heart Matters - Lifebooks for Adopted Children

I attended a GREAT Webinar online today that was offered by Bethany Christian Services.  I love learning about adoption from a variety of persepectices and I was super curious what this free seminar was going to be like.

I was very pleasantly surprised. The presenters were the anthers from the book "Before You Were Mine" Susan Tebos and Carissa Woodwyk.  In this book (and in the Webinar) they help "adoptive parents learn about their child's life prior to adoption and to create a lifebook from a faith perspective that will allow parents to share it with their child at an appropriate time. It walks the reader through not only how to create a lifebook, but why it matters in the life of the child."

I even learned that Bethany has an online store with a variety of items available including this book. I have not read the book, but I LOVE the idea of creating a lifebook for my son and have been wanting some ideas to get me started.  As a result, I found their presentation very helpful. 

Just to share one idea they offered in their presentation.... they suggested going online and looking up "character trait words." I found 2 great lists here and here, but there seem to be many.  Then start working on your child's lifebook by doing an exercise similar to a writing brainstorm where you write your child's birthmother's name on a piece of paper and begin adding traits that you consider applicable to her.  Beginning with "who she was",  "how I see her" and then "how God sees her".  Below is an image of part of my quick draft created during the webinar.  It was a fun idea and helped me think of new ways to teach my son about his birthmother even though we know very little about her. They report that they have several worksheets and ideas like this one in their book, "Before You Were Mine" so you may want to check it out in the Bethany Store.

Have you created a lifebook for your child?  What did you include and how has it been helpful in communicating with your child regarding their relinquishment, birth family and adoption story??

Upcoming FSA Events -- Which will you support?

Hi FSA Peeps.  Our chapter members and nearby chapters have a few awesome events planned.  Hopefully we will see you at one of them.  Pencil them in your calendar and show your support for adoption by attending.  Thanks!

• Saturday, August 11th at 8:30 am Fun Run in Bothell, Washington. Andrew and Janetta are sponsoring the Bridge to Adoption Fun Run.  See their blog for more information at: http://www.bridgetoadoption.blogspot.com/

•  Friday and Saturday, August 10-11th, Salt Lake City, Utah.  "Because I have Been Given Much...." Utah Regional Conference.  To register and for more information visit: http://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?EventID=1113826.

•  Friday, August 31st, Camping at Zion's Camp in Belfair, Washington for Labor Day Weekend hosted by Julianna.  See this blog post for more information. 

• Friday and Saturday, November 9-10th, Portland, Oregon. "Blessed by a Miracle" Northwest Regional Conference. 

Feel free to post a comment or email families.supporting.adoption@gmail.com if you have any further questions! 

Some It's About Love Information from LDSFS Corporate Offices

It has come to our attention that some of our prospective adoptive applicants are not aware that they can include any level of contact and/or identifying information they desire on their It’s About Love web site listing. This would include but not be limited to:

• E-mail address
• Blog address
• Facebook, Twitter, or other social media site

Of course, they are not required to include such information and the benefits and risks associated with doing so should be carefully considered.

AFFEC - Legally Free Children of the Month

Meet The Kids - Information is from: A Family For Every Child

  

Visit this page to see the current legally free children being listed by State: http://www.afamilyforeverychild.org/kids/

 

Note: We have found this program beneficial in finding families for our children. We ask that as you view our children, consider that they live in our communities. Respect their right to privacy, and be aware that they may attend school or church, or play at the local park with your children and relatives. The availability of their pictures leaves our children recognizable and vulnerable to negative attention. Although we strive to protect them, we need your help. Thank you!

Some info about WACAP and U.S. KIDS (another adoption agency option)

World Association for Children and Parents (WACAP)

315 S. Second St.
Renton, WA 98057
Phone: 206-575-4550
Fax: 206-575-4148

http://www.wacap.org/

China, Ethiopia, India, Korea, Russia, Taiwan, Thailand, U.S. Kids

Application Fee: $250

File Maintenance Fee: $10 per month

Home Study Fee: WA and OR = $1800 ($900 for US KIDS) + mileage

(AK same if within a 2 hour drive of Anchorage if not plus $750)

Home Study Review: $300

Adoption Fee for U.S. Kids: $1000 - $3500

International: Approximately $20,000 - $30,000

U.S. Kids: If you want to adopt a child from the United States, WACAP can help. We work with private and public agencies throughout the country to find families for legally available children age 8 and older who are in the foster care system.  If you live in Oregon or Washington, you're also eligible to adopt a child as young as 3. To do that, you'll need to become licensed as foster parents. This enables WACAP to match you with a child who has a court-ordered adoption plan. You can then serve as that child’s foster parents while you wait for the child to become legally free for adoption.

Families in the Puget Sound area may also consider WACAP's foster-adopt program. Foster-Adopt families become licensed as foster parents, and commit to providing loving foster care as long as it is needed. They also commit to adopting the child when (and if) the child becomes legally free for adoption. Please contact our US Kids department for more information on this program.

New Children's Book on LDS Adoption

Hi!
My name is Shari Guess and I am an LDS adoptive mom and author of the new book "Once Upon A Baby~A Tale of Adoption."

When I adopted my son Garrett in 2002, through LDS Family Services, I longed so badly for a book that I could read to my son that would be specific to the experience of being adopted within the church and the gaining of an eternal family. While there are more than a few great books on adoption in general, this specific book wasn’t out there. I had to write it!

The book is geared towards children ages 2-8 as a way to explain and bring comfort while providing answers to the life-long questions of who they are, why they’re here and where they’re going. The sense of always being loved as part of the adoptive family is conveyed throughout the story as the child is born a baby, sealed to his family in the Temple and goes on to live with them throughout eternity. Illustrations of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ watching over the child and the family, along with guiding the adoptive process occur regularly throughout.

Careful consideration was paid to not glorify or condone unwed pregnancy while still giving due respect and admiration to the biological parents who are illustrated and represented as a necessary and loving part of the child’s story and as ones who love the child in an extra-special way.

The LDS market is small and I can’t emphasis enough how important word-of-mouth will be in bringing this book to light.
This is where I need your help!

I hope that you might take some time to look over the website and Facebook page that I have put together – There are stories and dreams-come-true throughout!

It is my sincere desire that eventually this book will be on the shelf in every adoptive home with young children. I believe too, that it will make a great gift for birth parents and adoptive grandparents as well.

There are sample pages available on the website if you would like a sneak-peak of what the book and art will look like. 

Here are the links for more information:

www.OnceUponABabyBook.com   - The official website
www.Facebook.com/OnceUponABabyBook  - The Facebook page
The book is 8x10 softcover and retails for $10.95.
ISBN and publisher/contact information is located on the website.
You can reach me (The author) at this address (OnceUponABabyBook@gmail.com) and publisher Sonja Linsley/HigherGroundPress, LLC at: info@highergroundpress.com 

Camping with FSA at Zion's Camp (Aug 31 - Sept 1)

"It's that time of year again - CAMPING!!! 

It is time for the 3rd annual FSA Labor Day Breakfast at Zions Camp in Belfair WA. Camp sites are $10 / night / family. Friday, August 31 will be family smores and campfire followed by the FSA breakfast on Saturday, September 1st. Everyone is welcome to stay and camp out as long as they want. To reserve your campsite contact Julianna at 360-464-5887 or julianna.mortensen@gmail.com Reservations and payments are due by August 18th.

A little info on Zions: Included with the $10 is fishing on the lake, paddle boating, swimming, archery, horse shoes, an obstacle course, an 18 hole frisbee golf course, a large ball field, play ground, rope swings, running water, toilets, firewood, showers and much more!!!  (Showers are .50 cents each - and one arm load of fire wood is free per day). Each site has a fire pit and space for 1 tent; however, there are sites with double occupancy available upon request.

You should know that pets are not allowed and LDS standards are expected.  (I.e. no alcohol, smoking, or immodest clothing etc. Also, no Firearms are permitted.)

Sure hope all my FSA peeps will meet us there! But this is not just for FSA, friends and family are ALWAYS welcome.  We have SOOO much fun!  Julianna M.

300 E. Coon Drive So.
Belfair, WA 98528
(360) 275-6601
zions.ldswrp@gmail.com

Join Us On Facebook

Did you know our chapter has a FSA Facebook page?  We only have 7 members and we want more!  What a great way to get to know who is in our chapter and to meet other adoption advocates!   Go to: http://www.facebook.com/groups/364898449620/ and request to join our private group. See you there! 

A message on the Adoption Tax Credit (from Bethany Christian Services)

Dear Supporter of Adoption,

If Congress does not act, the Adoption Tax Credit, as we now know it, will expire on December 31, 2012.

If the adoption tax credit helped you or someone you know to adopt a child or if it could help you in the future to adopt a child, PLEASE CALL YOUR U.S. CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVE TODAY and urge that he or she cosponsor the bipartisan bill H.R. 4373, the Making Adoption Affordable Act.

Action:
You can reach your Representative by calling the U.S. Capitol Operator at 202.225.3121 and asking for your Representative's office. If you don't know your Representative's name, go to www.house.gov/representatives/find and enter your zip code in the box provided.

Message:

• I am a constituent in your district and the Adoption Tax Credit is important to me. (It matters to me because...)
• I urge the Representative to become a co-sponsor of H.R. 4373, The Making Adoption Affordable Act.
• If Congress does not act^_the credit as we now know it^_will expire in December 2012.
• H.R. 4373 is bipartisan and it supports all types of adoptions (domestic private, foster care, and international).
• This tax credit has made adoption a more viable option for many parents who might not otherwise have been able to afford adoption, allowing them to provide children with loving, permanent families.
• Thank you for your support of H.R. 4373.

To learn more about the adoption tax credit go to adoptiontaxcredit.org.

You can also, "like" the Save the Adoption Tax Credit mission on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/AdoptionTaxCredit.

Thank you for taking a few minutes to make this important phone call!

Where will you attend a Regional FSA Conference?? Utah, Oregon??

There will be no "National" FSA Conference this year, but you should definitely consider attending a Regional Conference.  If you will be traveling to Utah in August, why not consider attending Utah's Regional FSA Conference which will be held on Friday and Saturday, August 10th and 11th, 2012  Or, if you'd rather, we'd love to see you at our Regional Conference in Oregon on November 9th and 10th, 2012 You could also, of course, attend both! (Watch for more information on our Regional November Conference in Portland, Oregon soon).

Below is the information for the Utah Regional FSA Conference in August in Salt Lake City:

"Because I have Been Given Much..."
August 10-11, 2012
University of Utah-Salt Lake City
1780 East South Campus Drive
Everyone Touched By Adoption is Welcome!!

Conference Schedule

Friday, August 10th, 2012

     8:00-8:30         Same Day Registration

     8:30-9:00         Check-In

     9:00-10:15       Keynote Address: Mark Glade

     10:30-11:20     Workshops

     11:30-1:00        Lunch Break

     1:00-4:10         Workshops

     4:30-6:00         Dutch Oven Picnic

     6:00-8:00         Service Project

Saturday, August 11th, 2012

     8:30-9:00       Same Day Registration/Check-In (for those who are attending Saturday only)

     9:00-10:15     Birthmother's Panel, Door Prizes

     10:30-12:30   Workshops

     12:30-2:00     Lunch Break

     2:00-2:50       Workshops

     3:10-4:30       Keynote Address: Meg Johnson

Registration Information:

Online:  http://www.regonline.com/utahfsa

Each conference attendee will need to sign up for the classes he/she wants to attend at the time of registration.  Details and class descriptions will be available on the registration website.  Registration for individual classes is first come, first serve.  Classes will fill up fast, so register early!  

Note: Our purpose in registering for specific classes is to give us an idea of how many people will be attending each workshop so we can put them in appropriately sized classrooms.  Classrooms in the Institute Building are much smaller than classrooms in a conference center.  We encourage you to register early so we can make accommodations to meet your needs.  To ensure getting a seat, please move to your selected classes quickly.  

Dress: Business Casual

Child care: No child care will be provided.  Babes in arms are welcome; please make arrangements for older children.

Meals: Lunch will be on your own.  A Dutch Oven Picnic will be provided on Friday evening.

Friday Evening we will be doing a service project to benefit our local community. We will post more details as they become available.

Keynote Speakers: 

Mark Glade: Commissioner of LDS Family Services  

Mark H. Glade, current Commissioner has worked for LDS Family Services for 34 years. His assignments have included agency director for five different agencies, including internationally in Birmingham, England. He has been a group manager for the UT South, UT SLC, Europe and Europe East Areas. Before becoming Commissioner, Mark was the group manager over Clinical Support Services. Mark has extensive experience in counseling, adoptive parent and birth parent services, developing professional training programs, and administrative service responsibilities. Mark has received much recognition, including Manager of the Year, The Kaizen Award, and Process Improvement Awards. He and his wife Kyla have six children and three beautiful grandchildren. He enjoys spending time with his family, reading, outdoor activities, sports, and gospel study. 

Meg Johnson: Author of “When Life Gets Hard. . .” 

Meg Johnson has motivated tens of thousands of people across the globe with her motto: When life gets too hard to stand, just keep on rollin'! Meg fell off a cliff and broke her neck in 2004 and spent four months in the hospital recovering from multiple injuries and returned home without the use of her legs, back, stomach, or hands - a quadriplegic. Wheelchair bound and determined, Meg refuses to sit still. Since she was paralyzed, Meg has competed at the national Ms. Wheelchair America pageant in New York, winning the Spirit Award; founded and directs Ms. Wheelchair Utah; instituted a service outreach program; and authored several books. Her motivational CD, When Life Gets Hard, is available at book stores now. Meg’s newsletter, “Meg’s Monthly Message” is read by thousands in many countries across the globe. Let Meg help you past your own limitations and Keep on Rollin’!  

To learn more about Meg, visit www.megjohnsonspeaks.com

Some Info on Northwest Adoption Exhange (NWAE)

Northwest Adoption Exchange

600 Steward Street

Seattle, WA 98101

206.441.6822

800.927.9411

http://www.nwae.org

No Fees.  They do not do home studies.  They will accept a couples' home study from a private agency.  They reported that they are willing to accept studies from LDS Family Services but couples would also need to be Licensed with the State Foster Care System.  They are a neutral 3^rd party whose goal is to connect children with families.  Foster Licensed, couples would possibly be eligible for State funds for the child until adoption final (usually about 6 months).  They work with all States.  They are funded by donation and through State contracts.  It is up to the individual Social Worker of each child to determine if family is a good fit.  Seems like a great option for those willing to become Foster Licensed.  Click here for more information on becoming a licensed foster parent in Washington State.

To view this information later, or to learn about other adoption agencies, see the Adoption Agencies Tab at the top of this blog. If you are familiar with Northwest Adoption Exchange, we would LOVE to know more about your experience.  Feel free to comment below or email Larissa directly.

Just in Case you Happen to be in Oregon this Weekend!

Oregon Chapter FSA Enchanted Forest Summer Kickoff Activity

Saturday, June 30, 2012

(Just off of I-5, South of Salem, Oregon)

Click the following link for more information about Enchanted Forest: http://www.enchantedforest.com/general_info/directions.html

We decided to have an activity that would help us get to know each other and our families and create a fun memorable experience for everyone.

• Regular Admission: Adults $10.25, Children $9.25 (without rides)

• Rides $0.95 per ticket or you can purchase an all day ride pass for $24.95 per person + admission.

• Meet us for lunch at 12:30 just inside the entrance of the park. Look for the FSA Banner!

• Bring your own lunch or you can purchase it in the park.

If you have questions you can contact us at (503) 837-0179 or at troyandbambi@hotmail.com

We hope to see you there!!!

Embryo Adoption Info (from Amy Strayer) and a Free Webinar on Wed., June 27th and Monthly on the 4th Wednesday.

As you may know, the Embryo Adoption Awareness Center (EAAC) receives grant support from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services specifically to increase embryo adoption awareness.  Today, there are well over 600,000 embryos in frozen storage in the United States. We hope by establishing a relationship with adoption agencies like LDS Family Services  we will continue to increase the number of families adopting embryos each year. The beauty of embryo adoption is that it allows the adopting family to experience pregnancy and give birth to their adopted child.

 If you would like to view one of our brochures or for any further information, please contact me or visit our website at www.embryoadoption.org.

I also wanted to let you know that the Awareness Center offers adoption professionals educational opportunities on the 4^th Wednesday of each month via webinars. Our next agency webinar, The Donor Sibling Registry: Helping People Discover Their Roots, is scheduled for Wednesday, June 27. In this one-hour event Wendy Kramer, founder of the Donor Sibling Registry (DSR), and Jana Rupnow MA (LPC Intern of Fertility and Family and Baylor University), discuss the grief and loss experienced by donor children regarding their genetic connections. Learn how the DSR came to be and how it is now helping thousands of children created via donor egg/sperm/embryos discover their origins, connect with genetic family members and work through the emotion of their donor conception history. You can choose to audit this webinar at no charge, or we are offering certificates of completion for submission to the CEU credit provider of your choice for $25 per person or $50 per business entity for this event.

To register for any of our monthly educational events, visit our Webinar Registration Page.

If there is anything else I can do to assist you, please don’t hesitate to ask.  Again, thank you for considering learning more about embryo adoption.

Sincerely,

Amy Strayer | Adoption Agency Liaison

Nightlight Christian Adoptions | Embryo Adoption Awareness Center

150 E 29^th Street #255, Loveland, CO  80538

(970) 663-6799

www.Nightlight.org | www.EmbryoAdoption.org

Nightlight provides adoption services as a permanent response for children without parents through child advocacy, parent education and lifelong support…because every child deserves a loving family.