Oregon Families Supporting Adoption

ONE LOVE conference weekend schedule

2011-11-01T13:21:00.000-07:00

details not included here about the conference can be found on this blog post or on facebook

for more information or questions please contact FSA-OR@ldsfamilyservices.org

FRIDAY NOV 4TH
LDSFS adoption training from noon - 5pm
FSA temple session 7pm - meet at 645 in the chapel
'Birthmothers ~~ fun and fabulous' roller skating extravaganza 7-11pm. details on facebook

SATURDAY NOV 5TH

ONE LOVE

9am - 10 am mingle, breakfast, welcome, keynote speaker - Scott Adams, adoptee and adoption attorney

Morning Session 10am - noon
A Track: 10 am - noon The Brain in traumatized Children by Bethany Christian Services (amazing - dont miss this one!!)
B Track: 10- 11 am 'New to Adoption?' orientation with Oregon LDSFS caseworkers
11-noon Race and Culture in Adoption with Pamela Stoddard
C Track: 10-11 am Financial Planning for Adoption and more with Rick Ray
11-noon "How to be a good adoptive couple" with Adoptive mom and regional FSA co-chair Rebecca Harrison and Birthmother Katie
D Track **birthparent track**: 11 am - noon Not 'just' a Birthmom led by Meg

Lunch noon -1 pm.
adoptive couples bring a hard copy of your hoping to adopt profile if you want constructive criticism form birthparents.

Afternoon Session 1pm - 5pm
A Track: 1pm - 2:10 pm Adoption Law with Attorney Scott Adams
2:20 - 3:30 pm Adopting Through the State with Madeline Hodge
B Track: 1pm - 2:10 pm Preparing for the Playground, and Beyond- teaching your children how to talk about their adoption with confidence with Adoptive Moms Carrie and Michelle
2:20 pm - 3:30 pm Openness Panel - adoptive couples and birthparents answer questions and share experiences about openness in adoption.
D Track **birthparent track** : 1pm - 2:10 pm Grief taught by Seattle caseworker Tawnia Singleton;
2:20-3:30 pm birthparents are invited to attend the Openness panel

Birth Parent Panel Q&A
3:40- 5pm Questions will be submitted by conference participants throughout the day and the birthparent panel will answer them according to their personal experiences. We are super excited to have 2 birth fathers on the panel this year!

Dinner for birthparents 5:30 pm

The literal meaning of aloha is “the presence of breath” or “the breath of life.” Aloha is a way of living and treating each other with love and respect. Its deep meaning starts by teaching ourselves to love our own beings first and afterwards to spread the love to others.

According to the old kahunas (priests), being able to live the Spirit of Aloha was a way of reaching self-perfection and realization for our own body and soul. Aloha is sending and receiving a positive energy. Aloha is living in harmony. When you live the Spirit of Aloha, you create positive feelings and thoughts, which are never gone. They exist in space, multiply and spread over to others.

ONE LOVE

2011-10-23T11:31:00.000-07:00

"ONE LOVE."

2011 Families Supporting Adoption (FSA) Portland OR conference

You are invited!

Bring friends and family members!

Come bask in the warmth of island aloha with adoptees, birthparents and adoptive couples.

We all share one love, for adoption and each other.

FREE to attend - lunch and snacks included

Keynote Speaker:

Scott Adams, Adoptee and Adoption Attorney

**conference schedule is now posted!**

classes for families that have already adopted

The Brain in Traumatized Children by Bethany Christian Services
Teaching your child(ren) to talk about their adoption with confidence voted one of the BEST classes from the 2011 NATIONAL FSA conference
Being a Great Adoptive Couple

.... and more!

classes for birthparents

Not just a birthmom taught by Meg A. (birthmother of 11 yrs)
'Grief' taught by Tawnia Singleton from Seattle, WA (caseworker serving birthparents for 20 years)

.... and more!

classes for couples just starting the adoption process

Adoption and the Law
Adopting Through the State
Getting Oriented to Adoption

.... and more!

PANELS! birthparent panel: audience questions answered by birth mothers and birth fathers from recent placements --> placing 20 yrs ago

openness panel: learn [more] about openness and continuing a healthy open relationship from

couples and birth parents living in an open adoption

grief panel for birth parents: share with your peers in this eclectic class on creative and healing

ways to deal with the grief associated with placing a child for adoption

Saturday, November 5 9:00am - 5:00pm

Dakota st. LDS building

11065 sw North Dakota st

Tigard, OR

EVEN MORE!

Nov 4, 12-5:00 PM Adoption Education Training @ LDSFS
Nov 4, 7:00 PM Temple Session-meet in the main chapel. say you are with FSA
Nov 4, 7:00 PM "Birthmothers - Fun and Fabulous" Party

Nov 5, 5:30 PM Birthparent Activity

Please RSVP!

Please call or email Michelle

(503) 625-0820–home (971) 235-8455–cell

FSA-OR@ldsfamilyservices.org

NO childcare on site. Please make arrangements for you little ones.

FSA Family Fun Night

2011-04-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

You are invited to our FSA Family Fun Night on Saturday, May 21st at 5pm.

Let's get together and socialize, enjoy each other's company and friendship! There is plenty of room, both indoors and out! Weather permitting there will be smores at the outdoor firepit with trails for kids to run around on. Games, movies, wii, food! Bring a snack to share and come and hang out. Let's get to know each other better. Mark your calendars now!

Check your email inbox for more information or email Oregon FSA to get more details and don't forget to please RSVP!

fsa-OR@ldsfamilyservices.org

Need education hours?

2011-04-07T07:51:00.000-07:00

Northwest Adoptive Families Association (NAFA-a non-profit, all volunteer support group for adoptive families and those interested in adoption) is having their 2011 Conference on Adoption April 15 and 16. It will be held at Lorenzen Conference Center located at Legacy Emanuel Hospital in Portland.

For more information visit their website:
http://www.nafaonline.org/

Faith and Infertility

2011-04-07T07:33:00.000-07:00

Faith and Infertility By Melissa Merrill
April 2011 Ensign

Some quotes that stuck out to me. Now go read :)

Curtis and Melody found some of their greatest strength in such support groups, specifically Families Supporting Adoption through LDS Family Services. Although they were nervous about going to their first meeting, when they walked into the room, Melody says, “I saw in every woman’s eyes what I felt in my heart. I felt safe and knew that I could share what I was experiencing.”

...healing, they say, comes from the Lord—not from adopting or conceiving.

“I couldn’t change the infertility, but I could progress in other areas of my life. … I finally realized that infertility wasn’t a punishment. It was my refiner’s fire.”

–Angie Belnap

“What I would have planned for our life would pale in comparison to what God has given us. What He has in mind for His children is better than anything we could ever design.”

–Brenda Horrocks

2011-03-05T17:50:00.000-08:00

Previous posts on this blog regarding Oregon House Bill 2904, specifically from February 7 and February 16, expressed opposition to this bill. From reading these posts one may have concluded that Families Supporting Adoption and in turn LDS Family Services have made formal statements regarding HB2904. This is not the case. This blog is not the official website of Families Supporting Adoption and this blog does not speak for Families Supporting Adoption or LDS Family Services.

Regarding House Bill 2904, it is encouraged for each interested citizen to express their voice regarding their given views. It is understood that House Bill 2904 is currently stalled and will not be moving forward as written. It has not been withdrawn. Representative Doherty, the bill’s sponsor, has formed a “work group process to discuss the opportunities for common ground.” The first of such meetings is scheduled for March 10. A proposed revision will be discussed at this meeting, essentially proposing the creation of a 10-day revocation period for a birth parent who consents for the adoption of their child.

If you are interested in learning more about this bill and any revisions in addition to voicing your thoughts regarding this bill you can contact Rep. Margaret Doherty or your local representative.

To contact Rep. Doherty:
(503) 986-1435
rep.margaretdoherty@state.or.us

To learn who your local representatives are by going to this website:
http://www.leg.state.or.us/findlegsltr/

A link to House Bill 2904 can be found here: http://www.leg.state.or.us/11reg/measpdf/hb2900.dir/hb2904.intro.pdf

Joseph Daines, LMFT
Executive Director
LDS Family Services-Tigard, Oregon Office

In Regards to House Bill 2904

2011-02-18T14:12:00.000-08:00

Direct from Rep. Dohertys office:
Thursday Feb 17th, 2011

We recently had a meeting including some, but not all of the stakeholders involved in this process. The bill in its current form will not be moving forward, however Rep Doherty is hoping to gather a group of stakeholders through either a formal or informal work group process to discuss the opportunities for common ground as well as the lingering issues. As identified in the meeting, some of these overaching issues include:

· Adoption has many competing needs, biological parents, adoptive parents, and the child (and often the adoption agency/financially invested parties).

· Make sure birth mothers have adequate counseling/information to know what their rights are without taking that opportunity away from birth parents who are ready to make the decision, also ensuring adoptive parents are not penalized

· Clear statutory framework for making decisions and revocation (time to decide and process)

· Oversight/monitoring of adoption agencies/processes

· Ensure availability/knowledge of adequate counseling

· Ensure availability/knowledge of independent representation/legal counsel

· Stability for child, biological AND adoptive parents

· Fiscal concerns – increasing work load/process for court staff

If you are interested in playing an active role (attending meetings, providing policy input) in this conversation please let me know and I will add you to our list as we find a way to incorporate all the necessary voices into the conversation in a constructive, respectful manner.

House District 35
Tigard, King City, SW Portland
503) 986-1435
rep.margaretdoherty@state.or.us

Update on Oregon House Bill 2904

2011-02-16T11:28:00.000-08:00

If you have not yet contacted and voiced your concerns regarding Oregon House Bill 2904 then this update is for you!

The most effective way to express opposition to HB 2904 now is by to writing Rep Margaret Doherty. ANYone can write in. Please do so BEFORE THURSDAY of this week!

Phone: 503-986-1435
Address: 900 Court St NE, H-282, Salem, OR, 97301
Email: rep.margaretdoherty@state.or.us

For more information and a good explanation of this bill visit the r house blog. The blog post does an excellent job at explaining the current and proposed changes written by an Oregon birth mother.

Negative Adoption Law Change- Your URGENT Help Needed!

2011-02-07T14:59:00.000-08:00

Dear FSA Members and Others,

We have a very important and urgent issue concerning adoption here in Oregon. To address it, your help is needed now!! Whether you are an adoptive parent, birth parent, an adoptee, someone touched by adoption or simply a concerned citizen, your voice is needed to protect adoption in Oregon. House Bill 2904 (HB2904) is currently being considered by a committee in the Oregon House of Representatives and were this to pass and become law, adoptions in Oregon may significantly decline.

This bill would take away the current rights and protections that Oregon adoption law currently offers birthparents; namely,the choice to make plans for their child’s future. Simply, this bill will have a chilling effect on the adoption process in the state of Oregon. We need your help to stop this legislation from becoming law!

Link to HB 2409:
http://www.leg.state.or.us/11reg/measpdf/hb2900.dir/hb2904.intro.pdf

Implications of HB2409

This bill would make it more difficult for birth parents to choose to to place their babies for adoption and make it easier for adoptions to be overturned. Many of the “protections” in this bill are already available to birthmothers according to the current adoption laws, per the birthmother’s choice. This bill would actually take away her ability to make these choices by requiring certain behaviors from the birth parent and not allowing them to waive proposed mandatory waiting periods. Birth parents would be forced to parent for 8 days or the baby would need to be placed in foster care for that period of time, this could not be waived.

Placement of a child with the adoptive family would be delayed. The creation of the 30 day revocation period that cannot be waived by the birth parent, could lead to more disrupted adoptions/placements and could potentially lead to problems with interstate adoption agreements with other states. This bill will make it a requirement for all the information in an adoptive couple’s home study to be seen by the birth parent prior to relinquishment. This bill will create an ‘adoption attorney fee fund’ paid for by Oregon tax payers.

What you can do?

· Contact your Representative (Find your rep here- http://www.leg.state.or.us/findlegsltr/) and make your opposition to House Bill 2904 known.
o By e-mail
o By regular mail

· Contact members of the House Human Services Committee - Rep. Vic Gilliam, Rep. Carolyn Tomei, Rep. Lew Frederick, Rep. Jim Thompson, Rep. Mitch Greenlick, Rep. Chris Harker, Rep. Julie Parrish and Rep. Jim Weidner.

· Contact members of the Joint Committee on Ways and Means. Sen. Richard Devlin, Co-Chair, Rep. Peter Buckley, Co-Chair, Rep. Dennis Richardson, Co-Chair, Sen. Betsy Johnson, Vice-Chair, Rep. Bill Garrard, Co-Vice Chair, Rep. Nancy Nathanson, Co-Vice Chair, Sen. Alan C Bates, Sen. Chris Edwards, Sen. Fred Girod, Sen. Rod Monroe, Sen. David Nelson, Sen. Chuck Thomsen, Sen. Joanne Verger, Sen. Doug Whitsett, Sen. Jackie Winters, Rep. E. Terry Beyer, Rep. Jean Cowan, Rep. Tim Freeman, Rep. Betty Komp, Rep. Tina Kotek, Rep. Mike McLane, Rep. Mary Nolan, Rep. Greg Smith, Rep. Kim Thatcher, Rep. Gene Whisnant.

What messages are effective in your communication with Representatives:

· Contact them as an individual and identify your interest/involvement in adoption.
· Do not portray yourself as part of Families Supporting Adoption. Examples: “I am a birth mother and placed my child # years ago…” or “I am an adoptive parent of three children…” or or “I am a concerned citizen…”
· Husbands and wives contact your representative separately. Invite your friends and family to contact their (if they live in Oregon) and your Representatives as well. The more individual voices that are heard, the better!
· Share your personal story (be brief). If it is too long, it may not be read.
· Keep it short, simple and to the point.
· State your opposition.
· Express why you are opposed to this bill. If applicable, express specifically how will/would this bill have impacted you?
· Combining letters from adoptive parents and birth parents who placed with them may be especially effective. Include pictures!
· Of course, be respectful and kind.
· Include your name, address and phone number.

For Example- (Don’t copy, use your own words)

“My name is Carrie and I am an adoptive mom of two children here in the state of Oregon. I want to voice my opposition to House Bill 2904. I believe that it takes away a birthparent’s right to make plans for the future of their child and it will have a negative impact on adoption here in Oregon.”

Emails and letters are the most effective communications right now.
Thank you so much for helping us promote positive adoption experiences in Oregon.
Please contact your representative ASAP!
Please reply to this email to let us know that you have contacted your legislator. Thank you!

Carrie C.
FSA Co-Chair

Upcoming FSA Education Opportunities!

2011-02-04T14:00:00.000-08:00

Just a reminder Oregon FSA will host an adoption training in Beaverton on Saturday, February 5th from 10:00am -3:00pm (that is TOMORROW!!). Please remember to RSVP so we can plan for food because lunch is included! We would LOVE to see you there but do not fear there are more opportunities for FSA education in store!

Write down these dates!
May 7 – FSA Training
June 23 – FSA Training
August 12-13 National FSA Conference
Sept 22 --- FSA Training
November 5 – Oregon FSA Conference

For more information or to RSVP please email Michelle at:
FSA-OR@ldsfamilyservices.org

2011 International Families Supporting Adoption Conference

2011-02-04T13:41:00.000-08:00

2011 INTERNATIONAL FAMILIES SUPPORTING ADOPTION CONFERENCE

CALL FOR PROPOSALS!

The National Families Supporting Adoption Council is excited to announce its 2011 International FSA Conference to be held in Layton, Utah (just outside of Salt Lake City, UT), August 12-13, 2011. Every year at FSA’s annual conference, adoptive parents, birth parents and adoption professionals learn what is happening at the forefront of adoption. In recent years, we have added educational tracks for birth parents and their families with the unique opportunity to learn about the adoption process and receive support.

The National Families Supporting Adoption Council is committed to producing educational conferences of the highest caliber. We invite you to join us in delivering a learning experience that advances adoption education and improves people’s experiences with adoption.

We are now accepting proposals for breakout session presenters. We encourage innovative and creative presentations that help prospective adoptive parents, birth parents, professionals, and advocates gain skills and knowledge. The deadline to submit your proposal is Friday, March 5, 2011.

Please include the following in your proposal:
(form available, email Angie Rhodes-see email information below)

1. Presenter name(s)
2. Presentation title
3. Presentation topic (choose from list of topics below)
4. Target audience (adoption professionals, birth parents, prospective adoptive parents)
5. Summary and outline of your topic (include learning objectives and proposed outcomes)
6. Presentation format (discussion, lecture, interactive, etc.)
7. Length of presentation (option of 1 or 2 hour block)

Below is a list of topics from which to choose when describing the type of presentation you are proposing. Pick the topic(s) that best fits your presentation:

1. Birth Parent Grief and Loss
2. Adoption Ethics
3. Adoptive & Foster Parent Support
4. Advocacy and Public Policy
5. Birthparent Support
6. Disruption Prevention
7. Domestic Adoption
8. Foster Care
9. Intercountry Adoption
10. Legislative Issues Impacting Adoption
11. Parenting Children with Special Needs
12. Post-Adoption Services
13. Public vs. Private Adoption
14. Race, Culture, and Diversity in Adoption
15. Trauma Informed Care

Proposals will be evaluated by FSA’s Conference Committee on the following criteria:

1. Relevance of proposed session to the description of one or more conference topics.
2. Clarity and relevance of learning objectives.

Proposals should be emailed or mailed no later than Friday, March 5, 2011 to:

Families Supporting Adoption Conference
Attn: Angie Rhodes
Rhodes.angie@gmail.com

Oregon FSA Fall Newsletter is Here!!

2010-11-19T16:09:00.000-08:00

Check your email inboxes folks for your very own copy of the 2010 Oregon FSA Fall Newsletter. Some great perspectives on Advocating for Adoption and wonderful stories of how donations touch the lives of birth families.

If for some reason you have not recieved a newsletter in your email please let Oregon FSA know and we will send you a copy of the email and make sure your are added to the email list! OR-FSA@ldsfamilyservices.org

Have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving Holiday!!!!

URGENT CALL TO ACTION

2010-11-19T16:08:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone,

We have received information about an URGENT CALL TO ACTION that has been posted on the National FSA blog from Steve Sunday and NCFA? It is request to send an email or a make a phone call to your Representative in the House of Representatives urging him or her to help pass federal legislation that would help kids from Haiti and other international adoptees in the process of obtaining citizenship here in the United States.

Please see the link to the National blog for more details and helpful information on how to do so-

http://www.familiessupportingadoption.blogspot.com/

Families Supporting Adoption has a combined membership of over 6,000! We can make a difference!

Thank you!

Last Chance to sign up for REGIONAL with Early Bird Pricing!!

2010-10-15T13:45:00.000-07:00

October 15...wait that is TODAY, is the last day to register for the FSA Regional Conference to be held in Federal Way, Washington November 5th and 6th. Quick register today!!!

Here is the link to the registration site: https://www.123signup.com/event?id=mhrdx
For more information about the conference and to find details about classes, childcare, hotels and rates, directions and schedule go to: http://www.blogger.com/www.fsawa.blogspot.com

There are a variety of classes offered for adoptive families, families hoping to adopt again, couples looking to adopt, birth mothers, workers and the general public. You will be able to find something that interests you!

Can't come on Friday? No problem (except for what you will miss-bummer) Register and pay for Saturday only!

Our fabulous Michelle C. from Oregon's own FSA will be speaking at the Friday night fireside- Have adoption adversity? Come learn how to turn it into a gift!

There will be lots of wonderful speakers, classes, chances to visit, learn about adoption from every aspect!

Even though this is your last chance for the early bird registering you can still register for the conference until November 3rd, its just going to cost you a few extra bucks!

How do you advocate for adoption?

2010-09-22T10:10:00.001-07:00

Your Oregon FSA wants to know!

Adoptive families: How do you advocate for adoption? While you are waiting to adopt, when you have adopted and when your children are grown.

Birth Parents: How do you advocate for adoption? Before and after placement.

What does being an adoption advocate mean?

Do you ever really stop advocating?

We want to do a special article in the next FSA newsletter and we want your ideas, your input! If you are interested in contributing to this article please email me at oregonfsa@gmail.com.

I look forward to hearing from you!

September 18th Adoption Education Training

2010-09-13T12:04:00.000-07:00

Familes Supporting Adoption is providing some training this Saturday, September 18, 2010 from 10:00 AM-3:00 PM at:

Tualatin LDS Stake Center
22284 SW Grahams Ferry Rd
Tualatin, Oregon 97062

Plan on coming if you need the hours, want to expand your adoption knowledge, network with other adoptive and hopeful couples or just want to hang out with really awesome and cool people. This will likely be one of the last local trainings for this year- there will be the Regional Conference in Federal Way, WA November 5th and 6th (see prior post!).

Training Topics:

Oregon required topic: Issues related to race, culture, and identity, acculturation, and assimilation (Lyn Whelchel, adoptive parent)

Oregon required topic: What research indicates about the potential effect on a child’s development of physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, institutionalization, and multiple caregivers

Oregon required topic: Emotional adjustment of adopted children and their families, including attachment and psychological issues of children who have experienced abuse, neglect, or trauma

Coping with Infertility (Joe Daines, LDSFS caseworker)

Using the Internet to Grow Your Family (Michelle Coxey, adoptive parent)

Lunch Provided! YUM!

Please RSVP so we know how much food to provide! Thank you!
FSA-OR@ldsfamilyservices.org

Novemeber's Regional Conference in Federal Way, Washington!!

2010-09-13T11:54:00.000-07:00

Check out the flyer below from the Seattle FSA with information about Novemeber's Regional FSA Conference in Federal Way Washington! It is November 5th and 6th! If you haven't been to a regional conference, you really should check it out. The energy, the passion, the feelings that are present when so many people are gathered in support of adoption are truly amazing! It is a great feeling to be surrounded by those who are traveling/have traveled the journey you are on. It is worth your time!

Simply click on the flyer to enlarge it!

Two Fun Events!! FSA SUMMER PICNIC and The Canby Kiwanis Kiddie Kapers Parade!

2010-07-27T15:40:00.000-07:00

Please join us first on SAT. AUG 7TH - FSA SUMMER PICNIC 11AM-2PM AT MURASE PARK in Wilsonville, Oregon.

Families Supporting Adoption invites everyone to come and have a picnic with us- this picnic is for EVERYONE- adoptive families, hopeful adoptive couples, adoption professionals, birthmoms, birth families, extended families who support adoption, neighbors, friends- it will be awesome. FSA will provide the drinks and the dessert and will have supplies for decorating t-shirts. The t-shirts can be worn anytime to support adoption but we encourage you to make one to wear in the Kiwanis Kiddie Kapers Parade on August 17th (more information below).
Please note: There is a water feature at the park so be sure and bring clothes that can get wet if you want to get wet, sun screen and swim diapers for any little ones!

So Bring yourselves, bring a t-shirt to decorate if you like, bring your lunch and come have a good time!!

Please RSVP so we know how much dessert and drinks to bring by emailing FSA at: OR-FSA@ldsfamilyservices.org

Directions to Murase Park from Portland:
Take I-5 South
Take exit 283
Turn Left onto SW Wilsonville Rd
Turn Right onto Memorial Drive
End at 8300 SW Memorial Drive, Wilsonville OR

From Salem:
Take I-5 North
Take exit 283
Turn Right onto SW Wilsonville Rd
Turn Right onto Memorial Drive
End at 8300 SW Memorial Drive, Wilsonville OR

** Look for the FSA banner at Murase Park
Here is the City of Wilsonville's park website: http://www.ci.wilsonville.or.us/Index.aspx?page=264

Now for Part 2.
Please join Families Supporting Adoption in a Parade!!

TUESDAY, AUGUST 17TH CANBY KIDDY PARADE in Canby, Oregon.

Let's raise adoption awareness!! This will be the second year that FSA will be walking in this parade! Last year we won first place in our catagory!! We won't say how many entries there were in our catagory... but this year we will be walking with our brand new Families Supporting Banner! We will be meeting at 8:45am. The judging of the entries begins at 9am and the actual parade starts at 10am.

Location: Meet at William Knight Elementary School Playground in Canby (that is behind the school)
501 N Grant Street
Canby, OR 97013

There is one other cool thing about this parade, besides promoting adoption- if you are a parade participant, you get FREE ADMISSION TO THE CLACKAMAS COUNTY FAIR AFTER THE PARADE!! Everyone is welcome! If you are going to participate and you know you want to... you will need to print out a release form, which can be found here:http://www.canbykiwanis.org/signupnow.htm and bring it with you. All participants MUST sign the waiver form. Extras will be available that morning, if needed.

RSVP So we know who to expect or Contact me with any questions at this email: oregonfsa@gmail.com

Thanks, Linda

Things to note about the parade: The parade starts at the school and ends at the Clackamas County Fair grounds. You may want to park your car in a location somewhere inbetween those two locations to make it easier to get back to your vehicle. Also, whatever you bring with you in the parade ends up with you at the fair grounds. You can get your stamp to let you into the fair and then go back to your car or you can just join the parade ready to spend the day at the fair-that's what I do! Here is a link to the map of the parade from the Clackamas County Fair's Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=4147935&id=86917879469

Welcome to our newest Board Members!!

2010-07-27T15:30:00.000-07:00

We are so excited to have them as part of our Families Supporting Adoption board. If you are interested in getting involved there is always something you can do! Just contact any FSA board member or email: OR-FSA@ldsfamilyservices.org

Now let's get to know Aaron and Christie! Aaron and Christie were recently approved for adoption through LDS Family Social Services and are looking forward to participating on the FSA Board. Aaron works for Daimler Trucks and Christie currently teaches English as a Second Language to international students. They both love the outdoors. Christie and Aaron enjoy hiking, camping and playing tennis together among other activities. Aaron enjoys acting in Community Theater and Christie loves to garden.

(pics to come!! I am having technical difficulties.)

Treat it Forward-with a Frosty this Father's Day weekend

2010-06-15T22:24:00.000-07:00

This weekend, June 19 and 20 by a Frosty at any Wendy's and they will donate $.50 to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption.

The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is a national non-profit public charity dedicated to dramatically increasing the adoptions of the more than 150,000 children waiting in North America's foster care systems.
http://www.davethomasfoundation.org/

So take yourself and those you love out for a treat!

Oregon Education class you won't want to miss out on!!!

2010-06-15T22:15:00.000-07:00

FSA Adoption Training

Saturday, June 19, 2010 10:00 AM-3:00 PM

Tualatin LDS Stake Center
22284 SW Grahams Ferry Rd
Tualatin, Oregon 97062

Come receive 4 hours of comprehensive training and get to know other adoptive couples

Training Topics:
• Demystifying Birthmothers and Debunking Stereotypes
• Openness in Adoption
• Where Birthmothers Fit – What is a Birthmother’s Responsibility?
• Ambiguous Grief – Birthmother and Adoptive Couple Perspectives
• Communication Through the Adoption Process

Classes taught by Tawnia Singleton and Tara Larsen – Seattle LDSFS

Lunch Provided!
Small donations welcome to help offset the cost of food

Please RSVP!
FSA-OR@ldsfamilyservices.org

Upcoming Training:
July 30-31 – Nat’l FSA Conference in Utah
September 18 – FSA Training in Lake Oswego

If you are going to the National FSA Conference note this!

2010-06-15T22:13:00.001-07:00

They are doing some wonderful things at the National Conference and if you would like to join in the service please click on the link below and it will take you to the National FSA blog with the information for you!

http://familiessupportingadoption.blogspot.com/2010/06/fsa-national-conference-service.html

Information about the upcoming 2010 FSA National Conference!

2010-06-15T22:12:00.001-07:00

Registration for the
2010 FSA National Conference
is up and running.

Simply CLICK HERE to be taken to the registration page.

Registration looks something like this:

The Conference will be held at the Davis Conference Center in Layton Utah on Friday July 30, 2010 from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM and on Saturday, July 31, 2010 from 9:00 AM to 4:45 PM.

The cost of the conference is $35 per person.

Please contact the Hilton Garden Inn for lodging information. Use the Group/Convention Code located in the "Lodging" tab of the registration link.

This year we will have a myriad of classes for anyone interested in adoption.

Birth Father, Adoption Triad, Adult Adoptee, Adoptive Couple, Transracial Adoption, Ask a Birth Parent and Birth Parent panels will he held throughout the conference and have been a favorite of attendees for years.

Are you new to adoption? No problem! We will have classes on Drug/Alcohol Impacts in Children, Infertility-Spiritual/Gospel Insights, Understanding Birth Parents, Adoption Law, What Birth Parents Wished Adoptive Couples Knew, and FSA-Who, What, Where, When and How.

Are you looking for more resources and information on transracial adoption? We've got you covered there too. Classes will be held on Latent Racism & Racism & Racial Socialization and an overview of transracial adoption. We will also have the opportunity to view and discuss the film Living on the Fault Line.

We will also have classes on parenting available to attendees. Classes are scheduled to include topics such as Communicating/Talking About Adoption With Older Children, Openness, Communication Between Adoptive & Birth Families, The Power of Positive Parenting, Ages and Stages and Unequal Adoption Relationships.

We will also have information and classes available on Foster Care, Special Needs Adoption, Children Available for Adoption, Creating Profiles, Intercountry Adoption, Gifts for Birth Parents and Adoption Advocacy.

The FSA National Conference is not just for Adoptive Couples, Adoptive Parents and Hopeful Adoptive Couples. There is an entire track of classes devoted to Birth Parents and Birth Families. For more information on those classes, please see the previous post HERE.

*Conference registration for birth parents is free.

Classes are subject to change without notice.

The 2010 BERTHA HOLT Mother Of Adopted Children Award

2010-05-27T11:35:00.000-07:00

If you attended the Regional Conference in Portland, Oregon last November you may have seen AuraLee Loveland. If you were really lucky you might have attended the class she presented. Recently she was honored in a very special way. Check out the story on the National FSA blog.
National Families Supporting Adoption Blog

Great Article From LDS Living Magazine on Infertility

2010-05-26T13:12:00.000-07:00

Dealing with Infertility by Kerstin Daynes
Excerpted from her book, Infertility: Help, Hope, and Healing

http://ldsliving.com/magazine/article/2509/Dealing-with-Infertility

She is also going to be a part of the National FSA conference this year doing a class on coping with infertility. The conference is July 30-31st at the Davis Conference Center in Layton, Utah (see post below for more details!).

It is a well known fact that there are not many books that deal with infertility from an LDS standpoint and from personal experience. Off the top of my head I know of two and this will make three. Here is what one reader had to say:

Just last week I finished reading her book. It was so good. It helped to give me new perspective as we deal with our loss. I would recommend this book be added to everyone's infertility library.

-Savannah

Check out her book here: http://www.ldsinfertilitybook.com/
She also blogs here: http://www.ldsinfertility.org/

Register now for the 2010 Families Supporting Adoption National Conference in Utah!!

2010-05-26T12:54:00.000-07:00

You will find the information you need at their website here:

http://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=851705

Also keep a watch at the National FSA Blog for updates! (Use Firefox browser as they are currently experiencing technical difficulties with Internet Explorer.)
http://www.familiessupportingadoption.blogspot.com/

Your National FSA board is working hard to create an amazing experience and I know you won't be disappointed. I was able to attend several years ago and it was amazing then and from what I have heard it just gets better every year which means this year should be more than amazing! Don't delay, register today!!

FSA Couples Game Night!

2010-04-08T15:07:00.000-07:00

Mark your calendars now!! FSA is hosing a Couples Game Night! It will be May 8th at 6pm! Come enjoy games, conversation and treats! Bring some snacks or hors d'oeuvres to share. This is a great way to meet other adoptive couples. We will also be assembling the mother's day gift baskets for the birthmom support group. Stay tuned for more details!! In fact, if you don't recieve information in your email inbox next week be sure and email us, OR-FSA@ldsfamilyservices.org, and we will be sure to get the details to you!

Which brings up this reminder- anyone who wants to donate little items for the baskets please drop them off at LDSFS no later than May 7th. If you are coming to the Education Classes this Saturday you can bring items with you and a member of FSA will be sure they get where they need to go. You can contact our Outreach Specialist, JoLynn(OR-FSA@ldsfamilyservices.org) with any questions. Possible items are, but not limited to, lotions, journals, candy, gift cards for movies or little pretty "somethings". Your donations would be much appreciated and you can feel good knowing they helped brighten the day of a birth mom.

Need Education hours!

2010-03-19T14:23:00.000-07:00

Here is your chance to get in some hours needed for Adoption Education!

FSA Adoption Training
Saturday, April 10, 2010 10:00 AM-3:00 PM
Lake Oswego LDS Stake Center
14903 SW Westlake Dr
Lake Oswego, Oregon 97034

Come receive 4 hours of required training and get to know other adoptive couples
Training Topics:

* The Effects of Separation and Loss
*The Effects of Prenatal Exposure to Alcohol and Drugs & How to Complete the Medical Checklist
*Adoptive Parent Panel: Developing Emotional Ties to an Adoptive Family
*Normal Child and Adolescent Development
Lunch Provided!
Small donations welcome to help offset the cost of food

Please RSVP!!! OR-FSA@ldsfamilyservices.org

Upcoming Training:
June 19 – FSA Training in Tualatin
July 30-31 – Nat’l FSA Conference in Utah
September 18 – FSA Training in Lake Oswego
November – Regional FSA Conf in Seattle

Our FSA Activities Specialists!

2010-03-18T13:53:00.000-07:00

Meet Matt and Brittney our new Activities Specialists! Learn more about this fun couple in our upcoming newsletter!

"Matthew and Brittney both felt inspired to join FSA while attending the FSA conference in November 2009. They love being involved with FSA and spending time with other couples who have experienced adoption"

We are so excited to have them as part of our FSA board. If you are interested in being involved in Famlies Supporting Adoption you can contact the chapter chairs by emailing them at: OR-FSA@ldsfamilyservices.org

FSA Temple Session!

2010-02-05T14:52:00.000-08:00

Come and join your FSA Board and fellow FSA members for a special Saturday evening at the Portland, Oregon temple!
(Don't forget your recommend!)

Date: February 27, 2010
Time: 5:00 pm (Please meet in the chapel at 4:45pm so we can be included in the same group)

Bring your friends and family! Make it a date night! Anyone who supports adoption and has a current temple recommend is welcome!

Hope you see you there!

A Divine Sucess!

2009-12-11T12:29:00.000-08:00

Families By Divine Design was the theme of the 2009 FSA Regional Adoption Conference for Oregon, Washington, Alaska, California, Idaho, and Hawaii held in Portland, Oregon this past November. It was definitely divinely inspired. In fact, Rebecca Harrison, one of our Regional Co-Chairs, said how amazing it was to be involved with this conference and how she truly felt the Lord's hand in the planning of it. More than once she marveled at how smoothly things would fall into place after initially not knowing how to make it all come together. She felt strongly that there were people in attendance at the conference whose hearts needed to be touched by the information shared there.

We had over 170 attendees from Idaho, Washington, California, Oregon, Arizona and Utah. Amazing! We were blessed to be able to hear from so many amazing presentors and to hear such inspiring stories from adoptive professionals, adoptive parents, adoptees and birth parents.

Here is just a sampling of the feedback we recieved from attendees:

Adoptive Applicant- "I liked having Elder Brinkerhoff speak about how adoption relates to the gospel. I also liked the theme of Divine Design of Adoption."

Adoptive applicant- "Loved Lindsey Redfern, Growing Up Adopted panel, hearing from the Family for Every Child rep, birthparent panel, DHS, Hearing about people's experiences, experts with varied experiences & different perspectives."

Friday night Adoption Triad speakers with our Regonal Co-Chairs

Adoptee- "I liked the triad speakers a lot! EXCELLENT! WONDERFUL SPEAKERS!

Adoptive Parent- "Well organized & variety of classes. Exceeded expectations."

Adoptive Applicant- "Very beneficial. Multiple concerns of mine were addressed; most of which I came to the conference praying to know what to do."

Presentors from Adopting through the State.

Adoptive Applicant- What they liked most about conference- "Interacting with other people in our similar situation, presentations given from different perspectives, valuable information"

Birth Parent- What they liked most about the conference- "How open everyone is. I felt very welcomed and got to talk with alot of educated women and men about adopting and about parenting."

Adoptive Applicant- "It exceeded our expectations. We loved it. Classes and panels were excellent. Speakers presentations were great and gave very valuable information. The talks on the triad were amazing."

Lyn Welchel from Lane County Heart Gallery shares inforation and her story.

Class Presentor/Adoptive parent- "I loved the idea of having a birth mother and new adoptive couple applicant come to the pre-conference training. It was truly inspired! I loved the fsa store. I loved the whole set up of the fireside on friday night (it was like a date night--dinner and fireside, great idea!). I loved Monica Blume's class. I loved the mingle part of it and I adored the lady that did the Heart Gallery. Loved that she was lds, loved that she has foster children, loved that she was able to share so much. brilliant."

Adoptive Applicant- What they liked most about this year's conference- "Better understanding the perspectives of the birth parents, adoptive parents & adoptees."

The Growing Up Adopted Panel.

Adoptive Applicant- "We have been investigating and going through the adoption process for almost 2 years. We learned alot of new things this conference."
What they liked most- "Everything was fantastic! I have to say the panels of the birth mothers /father was very helpful to get a first hand response and comments from them. Also the adopted children was just as first hand and fascinating."

Investigating Adoption- "It was beneficial to share real life experiences and get a true and accurate picture of how the process affects all parties."

Adoptive Applicant- "The conference was very enjoyable and informative! The breakout sessions were very helpful in presenting info I wasn't aware of. The general sessions were very spiritual and uplifting!"

National Adoption Day is November 21, 2009!

2009-11-20T15:58:00.000-08:00

November is National Adoption Awareness Month (just in case you didn't know). November 21, 2009 is National Adoption Day where many children (particularly those adopted from foster car) and families will make their family legally binding. What a joyful occaision!

I came across these three videos of Nia Vardalos who is spreading the word about foster-adoption. I chose to share all three sources I found because I was able to get more of her story from each one. Enjoy!

The videos:
Nia Vardalos on ABC News Radio

Nia Vardalos - National Adoption Day 2009 - Today Show

Nia Vardalos - National Adoption Day - Fox News

A great giving oportunity!

2009-11-20T15:55:00.000-08:00

Dear FSA members,

Its that wonderful holiday time of year when we have the chance to give back!! We are collecting items to put in stockings for the current birthmoms in the birthmom group! We are looking for gift cards, pampering items such as lotions, fingernail polish, etc, even a bag of candy would help! Mail or drop off your donation at the office. We love birthmoms!! Let's show them how much they mean to us. The Birthmom support group meets on Dec. 10, so let's get those donations in by friday Dec. 4th.

Donations can be dropped by the LDS Family Services office or can be mailed. For more information or questions you can email your FSA board at: FSA-OR@ldsfamilyservices.org

Sincerely,
Your Oregon FSA Board

Interview With an Adoption Advocate, Lindsey Redfern

2009-11-03T12:43:00.001-08:00

Are you excited to hear her in person!! You only have days to wait...days! Until then here's an interview to enjoy.

Interview with Adoption Advocate, Lindsey Redfern at Womenshealth.gov

There is also much to enjoy and learn at her blog, :

Do you know who Troy Dunn is?

2009-10-26T13:05:00.000-07:00

This is Troy Dunn. We are excited to watch the recording of his keynote address given at the National FSA Conference in Utah last August at our conference November 7.

Troy Dunn has been granting wishes for families in search of loved ones for nearly 20years. Beginning in 1990 with his own mother's search for her biological medical history, he created an organization which soon spread to all 50 States and 32 Countries and has reunited tens of thousands of people.

He credits the majority of his organization's growth to tremendous media coverage throughout his career, having reunited families on over 500 national tv appearances on virtually every morning talk show, daytime talk show and primetime news program from Dr. Phil, Oprah, The Today Show and Good Morning America to Sixty Minutes, Barbara Walters and the list goes on.
In 2002, he sold his original company to Ancestry.com and turned his complete attention to the care and support of his 7 year old daughter's battle with cancer. She went into remission and he went back into reuniting families by launching TroyTheLocator.com. Television came calling again but this time offering him his OWN show - "The Locator," which has enjoyed high ratings from the start.

Troy has been married to his high school sweetheart Jennifer, for 21 years. They have 7 children (the oldest currently serving a mission in Moscow Russia, the youngest is 4) and reside in Ft Myers Florida. Troy is a member of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints and is currently serving as Bishop, for the second time!

To read about his reunions and to watch short videos of The Locator TV series go to:
http://www.wetv.com/the-locator/index.php

To register for the conference go here:
FSA Regional Conference Registration Website

You are coming, right!?

2009-10-20T11:18:00.001-07:00

You do not want to miss out on this! Not only do we have a FABULOUS conference planned for NOVEMBER 6 & 7th but we have some equally fabulous DOOR PRIZES as well! Door prizes are given at the close of the conference and you must be present to win. Trust me you want to be there!!
Why? What if you won free Oregon adoption finalization (filing fees exempt) from a local and well-known adoption attorney? It's possible, but only if you are registered and in attendance at the closing of the conference.

If you have not registered don't delay, register today by going to:

https://www.123signup.com/event?id=jmdhy

Updates on event happenings can be found on this blog: http://www.fsawestandidahoregion.blogspot.com/

2009 FSA Regional Adoption Conference for Oregon, Washington, Alaska, California, Idaho, and Hawaii!!!

2009-09-17T14:00:00.000-07:00

Friday November 6 and Saturday November 7, 2009

"Families by Divine Design" is the theme for this Regional Conference, which will have information to help families interested in adopting, families that have already adopted and are seeking insights to their childrens growth and development, extended families of couples who are involved in adoption, and birth families of adopted children.

The conference fee is $25.00 per attendee, $39.00 per couple.
There is no fee for birth parents to attend.

Check out some of our great and exciting presentors!!

Elder Marvin Brinkerhoff- Area Seventy
General Session Speaker
Topic: Adoption: A Principle of the Gospel
What is the doctrinal and spiritual foundation of adoption? Understand the role the temple and family sealing play in adoption, and how gospel understanding can bring peace to the adoption process.

Lindsey Redfern- Adoptive Mother and Adoption Advocate
Author of this blog:
General Session & Breakout Session Speaker
Topics: The Divine Design of My Adoptive Experience, and Adoption Advocacy

Katie Shelley- Featured Birth Mother on LDS Family Services Website ItsAboutLove.org
General Session and Breakout Session Speaker
Topics: The Divine Design of My Adoptive Experience, and the Birth Parent Panel

Troy Dunn- Host of the televison program, "The Locator"
Broadcast of his Keynote Presentation at the National FSA conference.
Troy Dunn, who has become known as "The Locator" from hosting a television show that reunites loved ones, will speak of the lessons he has learned while working in his profession- specifically about adoption. He says that reunions between birth parents and children usually help the adoptees leave with a greater appreciation for their parents who raised them and a better understanding of the incredible sacrifice a birth mother made.

Monica Blume- LCSW and Co-author of this book:

Don't miss out!!
Go to this website to register or to get more information about the conference: https://www.123signup.com/event?id=jmdhy

Updates on event happenings can be found on this blog: http://www.fsawestandidahoregion.blogspot.com/

FSA Joins the Parade and wins a BLUE ribbon!!

2009-09-17T12:33:00.000-07:00

Nice ribbon huh? Did you notice this? That's right First Place!!

Here's what just a few people shared about the fun.

"We had a WONDERFUL time at the parade and fair. I was so impressed by the support we got from people along the parade route and at the fair. I had several people approach me to talk about adoption. Did you hear my friend, Shauna, say that a woman specifically asked her for a bracelet because she had placed a baby for adoption several years ago."

"...it was so cool to see how confident the kids were to be adopted. Noah always seems confident, but I hope this experience re-enforces that people support him. There will be strange people that say offensive things throughout his life, unfortunately, but most people think his situation is wonderful. He loves and adores his “adoption shirt,” as he calls it and wants to wear it everyday."

"I was so impressed by the support we got from people in the crowd. The cheers and the claps from people who were like, "Adoption-yay!"and "I support adoption!". I was also, once again, impressed with the way my daughter is so confident about adoption-particularly her own adoption. In fact, later that day at the fair grounds we were in the rabbit barn Madelynn, who can spot jewels, crowns and royalty a mile away, saw Miss University of Oregon dressed up and wearing her crown, sash and all. She grabbed my hand and was immediately steering me towards her. She really wanted to meet her. So we did. Miss UO was super nice and asked Madelynn why she loved adoption (per her t-shirt) and Madelynn confidently told her that she was adopted and how great and special it is...serious proud mom moment :) I love that FSA provides such fun gatherings that allow her and us to get to know other people involed in adoption."

Here are some pictures of the fun and eventful day!

Waiting and ready to start the parade!

Many of us, like Hannah and Madelynn and Suzanna (pictured below), sported awesome handmade adoption shirts!

Hannah had her parade wave down!

Part of the group that walked the parade!

Some of your local (awesome!) FSA Board members!

(Carrie C., Linda H., Rebecca H.-with daughter Suzanna, Michelle C.)

Thank you to all who made our June Education Mtg a Sucess!!

2009-09-17T12:00:00.000-07:00

About thirty adoptive parents and birth moms attended our recent education meeting on Saturday, June 6, 2009. It’s always fun to get together with friends who have been touched by adoption and to meet new friends who are just starting the adoption process.

We had two amazing birth mothers share their stories. Anna had just placed her baby three weeks earlier, so her feelings were fresh and full of emotion. Her strength and maturity and eternal perspective were impressive and it was easy to get excited about adopting because of her enthusiasm and great attitude, even though it was clear how much grief she was experiencing. Nichole also shared her story. She placed almost two years ago and since then has gotten married and become a huge advocate for adoption. Nichole also was strong and full of faith. She shared how hard her placement was, but how time and an open adoption have helped her heal and be happy. Both women shared their feelings about having an open adoption and how a loving connection with the adoptive families helped them. I felt reassured and full of hope when both women said that when they looked through adoption profiles, they both knew when they found the parents for their baby. For both women it was a spiritual decision and they knew deep in their hearts that their baby was meant for the adoptive family. Hearing that is reassuring!

We had lunch and then had a brainstorming session collecting ideas for networking and finding our babies. We discussed how to hand out passalong cards, and came up with many ideas to spread the word about our hope to adopt and adoption in general. Then Brent, an adoption caseworker, gave some great tips and advice for creating healthy boundaries and relationships with birth families. He said that being realistic with our expectations and showing mutual respect for each other’s emotions and vulnerabilities is important. And he said that if the relationship is strained, be reassured that you can re-connect when respect, trust, and the circumstances are right. We finished the day with a short discussion about infertility and how to have joy despite the sorrow that comes from wanting a family.

We are now actively planning a regional conference on November 6-7. We are planning lots of great speakers and topics and hope everyone will come!

Michelle C., Education Chair
Proud Parent through Adoption

Birthmothers, Nicole and Anna and Birthgrandmother Patty (Anna's mother) share thier experiences with adoption and answer questions.

Desha-birthmother, Carrie and Derek C.-Oregon FSA Co-Chairs, Michele C.-FSA Education Chair, Brent C.-LDSFS staff.

I loved our June education meeting because of the chance I have to interact with other adoptive families and share experiences. I also love meeting couples who are new to the adoption process and see them become excited about adoption. I thought our birth family panel was great as well as the discussion about openness and boundaries.

Carrie C., Oregon FSA Co-Chair
Proud Parent through Adoption

Some of the attendees enjoying the company and delicious lunch!

Don't miss out on the fun!!!

2009-08-06T12:15:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder to join us for two fabulous and fun FSA events this month!!

First, join us Families Supporting Adoption for a fun Family Picnic at Cook Park in Tigard. Bring a picnic dinner for you family and FSA will provide drinks and dessert! We will also be decorating shirts for those participating in the upcoming parade (information below) or for those who just want a fun shirt that shows thier support of adoption. You provide the shirt to decorate and FSA will provide the supplies!

Date: Saturday August 15, 2009

Time: 4:00pm

Location: Cook Park in Tigard (Cook Park is located at 17005 SW 92nd Ave, Tigard, 97223, south of Durham Rd, the end of 92nd, near Tigard High School.)

Second, Families Supporting Adoption invites you to join us in the Canby Kiwanis Kiddie Kapers Parade on August 18, 2009! What a fun way to promote adoption. Anyone who wants to show thier support of adoption is invited, your family, your friends and relatives!

The parade coincides with the first day of the Clackamas County Fair and Rodeo and the parade route ends at the fair grounds and each child participating in the parade recieves free admission to the fair that day. What a fun way to end a parade! All participants need to sign a waiver to join in the fun. We will have extra ones printed off or you can print one to fill out and bring with you. For parade entry forms and parade route details follow this link:
http://www.canbykiwanis.org/kiddykapersparade.htm

Date: August 18, 2009
Time: 8:30am-judging of parade entries is at 9am and parade starts at 10.
Location: William Knight Elementary School, Canby Oregon.

Please RSVP and join in the fun to OR-FSA@ldsfamilyservices.org.

We hope to see you there!!

Upcoming Regional Conference!

2009-07-29T16:39:00.000-07:00

It's time to mark your calendars now! You won't want to miss out on this exciting event! We (your Oregon FSA) are hosting the Northwest Regional Families Supporting Adoption Conference this year! Chapters included in the Northwest region include the Seattle, Washington FSA chapter and the Spokane, Washington Chapter as well as Oregon. Great plans are in the works for this big event! Please watch for more information on this, it's going to be amazing!!

Adoption: Families By Divine Design--Northwest Regional FSA Conference!
Date: November 6 and 7, 2009
Location: Rock Creek Building

Two fun dates you don't want to miss!!!

2009-07-29T16:11:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone! FSA has two, count'em, two dates for you to mark on your calendars!

FSA Family Picnic- Sat. Aug. 15th, 4:00pm at Cook Park in Tigard. Bring your picnic basket and we will provide drinks and dessert! It is a great park to play at and we will have the makings so you can decorate your very own adoption t-shirt. You provide the shirt, we'll provide the decorations! Cook Park is located at 17005 SW 92nd Ave, Tigard, 97223, south of Durham Rd, the end of 92nd, near Tigard High School.

Then on Tuesday Aug. 18th FSA is going to take part in the Kiddie Kapers Parade for the Clackamas County Fair! More info will follow, but plan to meet Michelle, Carrie, Linda and more at the Knight School Playground in Canby to participate in the parade. What a great way to promote adoption! Hand out candy with your "pass along" card attatched and put out the word about "itsaboutlove.org". We plan to meet about 8:30am for the short parade and hey, you can even wear the shirt you made at the FSA Picnic! Kids can walk or ride in strollers or wagons.

The fliers will be coming soon, but please RSVP so we can get a good idea of all the friendly faces we will be seeing!

Local FSA Families enjoy the Mariners

2009-07-29T15:38:00.001-07:00

You may recall that the Seattle Mariners had a special night back in May where they reconized those who work and whose lives are touched by adoption and foster care. Some of our local families enjoyed a fun fill night at Safeco Field! Check it out! If you missed out don't get down, the word on the rumor mill is that it was such a sucess that they are planning on making it an annual event!

Changes in our Local FSA and LDS Family Services!

2009-07-29T15:29:00.000-07:00

Recently, there have been changes to the leadership of our Oregon Chapter of Families Supporting Adoption! As part of those changes, we are pleased to introduce DEREK and CARRIE C. as the new Executive Co-Chairs of the Oregon FSA! Their names probably sound familiar because they have already been enthusiastically serving over the last three years as Conference Specialists and mostly recently on the Executive Board as the Vice-Chairs. During that time, they have given generously of their time and talents and played a key role in organizing outstanding conferences, education meetings, and activities. We are sure they will continue to do an amazing job as the new Co-Chairs. The picture and bio below will give you a personal glimpse of them.

Derek and I are so excited to be the new FSA chairs for Oregon. We have been a part of FSA ever since we learned about it during the adoption process, more than three years ago. It has been a tremendous support to us and we hope to be able to support all of you. Derek and I have been married for 13 years and we were blessed to adopt our daughter Hannah a little over 2 years ago and of course, we hope to adopt again. Please feel free to contact us with any questions. We hope to see you at our activities and at our education meetings. FSA is truly a blessing in our life and hope it will be in yours.
Derek and Carrie C.

Another part of the changes to the organization resulted in Todd and I taking on a new role in Families Supporting Adoption as the Co-Chairs for the West and Idaho Region of FSA. Our role will be to support FSA Chapters throughout Washington, California, Idaho, and Hawaii as well as our own state of Oregon. Part of that role will include assisting in planning regional conferences within those areas. We have enjoyed the relationships which we have developed with so many of you and look forward to continued contact with you at future events. Also, feel free to stay in contact with us through this Oregon FSA website.
Thank you for your support!
Rebecca & Todd H.

Changes at Oregon LDS Family Services

Last year the Church Welfare Department, under the direction of the Presiding Bishopric, initiated an intensive review of all Church Welfare Departments, including LDS Family Services. The purposes, in part, of this review were to ready the welfare agencies to prepare for expansion throughout the entire world. As you may already know, we are most blessed to have the services that we do here in Oregon and Washington. Most church members throughout the world are not as blessed as we are. We should be grateful to have so many resources readily available to us. It is exciting to anticipate and prepare for changes and growth such as the Church is experiencing. We hope you will pray for the work to continue, including the expansion of Welfare Services to more of the Church.

As we heard from President Monson in October 2008, there is nothing more constant than change and adjusting to the changes in our lives. As a result of the Welfare Department’s review of LDS Family Services, we are being restructured to better meet the growing needs of members throughout the world. In April of this year, our agency began the process of creating separate and specialized programs to better meet the growing demand placed on us. These changes involve the way adoption and counseling services are provided and managed. We believe that as this transition occurs, you will actually receive better services than ever before.

Brent Cichoski, MA has been asked to be the Adoption Supervisor for the Oregon Agency. Bren’t assignment will include supervising and managing all of the adoption and birth parent work for the agency. He will be assisted by a qualified part-time adoption and birth parent worker, Julie Russell. The adoption secretary, whom you already know very well, is Pauletta Morrissey. Matthew Scott, LCSW has been asked to be the Counseling Supervisor and as such will be spearheading the counseling program for Oregon. He also will be assisted by part-time counselors. Those couples that were working with Steve Bertosch will now be assisted by Brent and his staff. Again, as hard as transtions sometimes are, we believe that this change will benefit all of you in the long run. Even more, such consolidation and specialization will result in many people throughout the world receiving the benefits of LDS Family Services.

More information available for National FSA Conference!

2009-06-10T14:37:00.000-07:00

There are now more details for the National Families Supporting Adoption Conference to be held in Utah than when we first announced this in March. This is a great opportunity to take advantage of. The National FSA board always puts together amazing classes. I had the opportunity of attending the other year and it was fabulous!

CONFERENCE BASICS

July 31, 2009 to August 1, 2009

The conference will be held for a second time at the Davis Conference Center.

REGISTRATION

To register, CLICK HERE.

This is for registration and payment purposes only. Please disregard any information related to Temple Square events.

Adoptive parents and hopeful adoptive parents are invited.

We also are inviting expectant parents, birth parents, and their families again this year. A great amount of effort has gone into planning breakout sessions for them. They may register for free by typing in “itsaboutlove” in the special code field on the registration form.

There is more information available on the National FSA blog, including hotel accommodations, children s rooms, airport shuttles and more!

New www.itsaboutlove.org website is up and running!!

2009-06-10T14:33:00.000-07:00

Hurray!!! Check it out! There are tons a great features to look at, stories to read, video to watch and much more! Waiting adoptive couples be sure to update your links to the new site, it's no longer a beta!

www.itsaboutlove.org

Leadership Changes in Families Supporting Adoption!

2009-05-13T09:40:00.000-07:00

There have been some recent changes in the leadership of Oregon Chapter of Families Supporting Adoption! As part of those changes, we are pleased to introduce DEREK and CARRIE C. as the new Executive Co-Chairs of the Oregon FSA! Their names probably sound familiar because they have already been enthusiastically serving over the last three years as Conference Specialists and mostly recently on the Executive Board as the Vice-Chairs. During that time, they have given generously of their time and talents and played a key role in organizing outstanding conferences, education meetings, and activities. We are sure they will continue to do an amazing job as the new Co-Chairs!

Another part of the changes to the organization resulted in Todd and Rebecca H, (the previous co-chairs) taking on a new role in Families Supporting Adoption as the Co-Chairs for the West and Idaho Region of FSA. Their role will be to support FSA Chapters throughout Washington, California, Idaho, and Hawaii as well as our own state of Oregon. Part of that role will include assisting in planning regional conferences within those areas. Todd and Rebecca have enjoyed the relationships they have developed with so many of you and look forward to continued contact with you at future events. They thank you for all the support you have given to them!

Thank you Rebecca and Todd!
We know you will do wonderful things for adoption in your new role!!

Now a little from our new Oregon FSA Co-Chairs:

Hello Everyone! Derek and I are so excited to be the new FSA chairs for Oregon. We have been a part of FSA ever since we learned about it during the adoption process, more than three years ago. It has been a tremendous support to us and we hope to be able to support all of you. Derek and I have been married for 13 years and we were blessed to adopt our daughter Hannah a little over 2 years ago and of course, we hope to adopt again. Please feel free to contact us with any questions. We hope to see you at our activities and at our education meetings. FSA is truly a blessing in our life and hope it will be in yours.-Derek and Carrie

Did you attend the Seattle Mariner's Game?

2009-05-13T09:31:00.000-07:00

Did you take lots of pictures? Like to share them? Want to show off your little cutie, the fun time at the game and your support for adoption?

Well we are interested in seeing them! We would love to be an outlet for you to share, here on the blog and in our next newsletter. Just send them our way! Email them to this blog at: oregonfsa@gmail.com

Celebrating Birthmothers

2009-05-07T19:34:00.000-07:00

This Saturday, May 9th, is Birth Mother's Day. Many people have never heard of this day or maybe they have heard about it but they don't know what exactly they should do about it. The following is a two part article written by an adoptive mother, Lindsey Redfern. Please follow the links and enjoy.

Celebrating Birthmothers this Mother's Day Weekend - Part 1
Celebrating Birthmothers this Mother's Day Weekend - Part 2

Wonder what birth mothers think about Birth Mother's Day and Mother's Day? At the r house blog she has a great resource for this information! It's called Ask a Birth Mom! Click on the link to read their responses!

Ask a Birth Mom

Education Opportunities for Waiting Adoptive Parents!

2009-05-07T19:25:00.000-07:00

If you need education hours here are two great opportunities! Please note: The first one is for this coming Saturday!

Pre-registration required for both classes

NAFA's Baby & Toddler Care Class

for Adoptive Families

To help you plan for your new baby or toddler, a registered nurse and adoptive parents will discuss:
· Bathing, feeding, diapering, sleeping and comforting
· Child safety
· Equipment, toys and clothing
· Unique needs of your adopted child
· Development from birth through 18 months
· Latest information on attachment and brain development
· Positive ethnic identity

When: Saturday, May 9th

Time: 8:30 am - 4:00 pm

Where: Legacy Meridian Park Hospital

Cost: $50 per family (includes one year NAFA membership)

Registration: Contact Debbie at information@nafaonline.org or 360 514-0606 or 503 224-0222.

Lifestory Book Workshop

offered in conjunction with Adoption Mosaic

This is not a "scrapbooking" class just for women.
It's a workshop to help you learn ways to introduce your child
to their very own birth and adoption story.
Both parents are encouraged to attend. You'll be glad you did!

Date: Saturday, June 13th

Time: 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Place: Legacy Meridian Park Hospital
Cost: $40.00/NAFA Member ($65 per couple)

$50/Non-Members ($80 per couple)
More Info or to Register: Andrea Feltham at 503-636-0559 or
akfeltham@comcast. net

Northwest Adoptive Families Association

www.nafaonline.org

information@nafaonline.org

A Thank you for Steve Bertoch!

2009-04-29T21:02:00.000-07:00

Last week Steve Bertoch officially retired from LDS Family Services. Over the years he has counseled birth parents and helped create many eternal families. He has touched my life deeply and I will always be grateful for his advice and hard work during our son’s adoption. Please join me in expressing your gratitude for his many years of service. I will be compiling cards and emails for him, so he’ll know how much he meant to all of our families. Please send your thanks, a funny story, whatever, and I’ll compile it in a book. Please send them by May 11.

If you’d like to send an email, you can send it to me: mmcoxey@gmail.com

If you’d like to send a card, you can send it directly to the agency.

LDS Family Services
Steve Bertoch
c/o Pauletta Morrissey
7080 SW Fir Loop, Ste 100
Tigard, OR 97223

Sincerely,
Michelle

Steve is not having an open house so please take advantage of this opportunity to send him a note, email or card!!!

Would you be interested in Sharing your Adoption Experience/Story/Opinion?

2009-04-17T14:42:00.000-07:00

If you are contact this blogger:

You can also reach her at this email: adoption_stories@yahoo.com

What a great way to spread positive adoption experiences, information, and uplifting stories no matter what side of the adoption triad you are on.

Come join us at the FSA Couple's Game Night!

2009-04-07T22:27:00.000-07:00

Did you save the date of April 25th on your calendar months ago and been eagerly anticipating more details?

Have you been hearing about the fun Couple's Activity coming up and been in suspense about the details?

Well, the mystery is over!!!

Come and enjoy a night of friends, games and fun with other members of Families Supporting Adoption.
Saturday, April 26th, 6:30pm.

We will be meeting at a home in Sherwood.
Please RSVP for directions!
Jessica: shyviolet_@hotmail.com
or
Oregon FSA: fsa-or@ldsfamilyservies.org

Hope to see you there!

Mother's Day Baskets for our Birth Mother's

2009-04-07T22:21:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day is quickly approaching, we encourage you to provide donations for the birth mother baskets. Mother's Day is a difficult day and we want to make sure that the birth moms currently working with Family Services know that they are our heroes and are loved. Pick up a few 'pampering' items and bring them to the game night or drop them off at LDS Family Services anytime. The birth mothers have heard how wonderful the baskets were last year and look forward to this thoughtful gift! Let's take this opportunity to spread some joy!

Sincerely,
Your Oregon FSA Board
fsa-or@ldsfamilyservies.org

The 2009 National Families Supporting Adoption Conference information

2009-03-29T09:04:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to attend the 2007 National Families Supporting Adoption Conference. It was amazing!! It was hard to choose from among the classes and they were all so good. The keynote speakers were wonderful and there was a wonderful spirit there the entire time. If you have a chance to go, I urge you to take that opportunity. You won't regret it!

Now the information!

2009 FSA National Conference
'Letting Love Lead'
Start Time: Friday, July 31 at 10:00am
End Time: Saturday, August 1 at 4:00pm
Where: Davis Conference Center
800 West Heritage Park Boulevard
Layton, UT
There is a registration feel but it's worth it! I will post that when I find what that amount is but you can also email your question to the address below!
For more information or to RSVP email your questions and inquiries to: fsa-eb@ldsfamilyservices.org

I am also going to take this opportunity to encourage you to sign up on the National FSA website. You can find lots of great information there from your national FSA board, other FSA chapters news and websites, an FSA store where you can buy cool adoption gear and past National FSA conference presentations! Just go to: http://ldsfsfsa.bluestep.net/ and sign-up! It's easy and it's free!

More information on the Seattle Mariners -We Are Family- Game night!

2009-03-15T16:02:00.000-07:00

This link will take you to a website where you can find more information on the We Are Family Game night as well as purchase tickets.

http://seattle.mariners.mlb.com/sea/ticketing/special_group.jsp?group=wearefamily

Tamra's Story

2009-03-15T15:35:00.000-07:00

This is the touching story and counsel about adoption from Tamra, a birth mother.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGCxBmoAIAE

Birth mothers share their stories

2009-03-02T14:27:00.000-08:00

Those of you who are either not working through LDS Family Services or who are not a current waiting adoptive couple with LDS Family Services may not realize that they are working on a new itsaboutlove.org. While you can view the site, it is not fully up and running (yet!) so many people may not know about it. The "old" itsaboutlove.org website is still available until all the glitches are worked out of the new one.

In the meantime, we wanted to share with you a wonderful part of the new website. It is the section where REAL birth mothers share their Real Life Stories.

Amazing!

Click on the image below for the link to view these Real Life Stories told by some amazing women, in their own words. Grab a tissue!

The above button was created by Brittany, and she has offered the use of it for this purpose.

To find the new itsaboutlove.org website in the works click here: www.beta.itsaboutlove.org

Did you read last months Ensign?

2009-03-02T14:20:00.000-08:00

If you have not, you really missed out! Run, find that Ensign now or follow this link:
"The Gift of Adoption", Ensign, February 2009

Carrie, a member of our FSA board, shared her thoughts on the article, "The Gift of Adoption".

As an adoptive mom, I was very excited to see an article in the February Ensign titled “The Gift of Adoption”. I know what a true gift and blessing adoption is, so I eagerly opened up to the page. What I found, as the preface says, was four stories of people involved in the “other side of adoption-the giving side”. I immediately began to read and as I read the stories of a birth mother, a birth father, a birth grandparent and a grown adopted child, tears streamed down my face. I have been lucky to be able to hear many birth family stories and every one has been very powerful. These stories were no different. These personal stories are honest about the emotion involved in placing a baby for adoption. Each one shows how the Spirit is intimately involved in adoption and the decisions that birth families make. I think it is wonderful that this perspective is presented in the Ensign for people to read. If you have not read it yet, find it and share it with your friends and family. Adoption is a gift and its about love and I am glad that it is being talked about with a bigger audience.

Carrie C.

March Education Class Reminder!

2009-02-25T09:13:00.000-08:00

You don't want to miss this!

Saturday, March 7, 2009 11:00 AM-3:30 PM

Tualatin LDS Stake Center

22284 SW Grahams Ferry Rd, Tualatin, Oregon 97062

* Get the details to help you understand the new Oregon State & LDS Family Services Education requirements and get a start on completing the required education hours.

* Help your extended family and friends better understand adoption.

* Join us for lunch and give us input for future education topics.

Come learn more about adoption, meet the LDSFS staff, and get to know other adoptive couples. Bring Your Extended Families and Friends.

Lunch Included!! Please RSVP!!

This training can apply towards completing the new LDS Family Services Education training requirements as well as the requirement to attend one FSA Education Meeting per year.

For more information Click Here or contact Michelle Coxey: FSA-OR@ldsfamilyservices.org

Attention Waiting Adoptive Families!

2009-02-20T10:02:00.000-08:00

Have you ever wondered what birth parents think of adoptive couples profiles? What they look for or notice in adoptive couples profiles, letters and photos? What draws them to a certain family and makes them want to learn more?
Have you ever wondered what they think about your profile?

If so, this is your lucky day! Desha and Melissa, two local birth mothers who have placed infants in the last year, have graciously offered to tell you what they think! They will take a peek at your adoption profile, letter, pictures and adoption blog, if you have one and get back to you with their feedback and suggestions regarding the wording, presentation, and pictures. They will also give advice on what you might emphasis or perhaps certain wording to avoid.

Keep in mind that they will be honest and strait forward with that feedback and will not sugar-coat things. As an adoptive parent myself, I know that we put our whole heart, soul and lots of prayer into those letter, pictures and profile information. When you have put that much energy into something so important to you, it can be hard to take any kind of criticism. You must promise not to be offended by their honest input and remember that this is simply feedback for you to take into consideration. If you feel strongly about a certain picture or wording in your letter, do not feel you must change it simply based on the feedback you get. Pray about it and do what you feel inspired to do. Please also keep in mind that Desha and Melissa have volunteered to do this in their moments of free time (and we all know how precious free time is!).

Please remember, they love adoption and know what it is like to search for just the right family for their baby. So, if you are still interested and understand the above disclaimer, here is the information you need to get in touch with Desha and Melissa.

Email Desha at: deshawood @ gmail (dot) com

Send them anything and everything you want them to take a look at; links to your itsaboutlove.org and parentprofiles information, blog links, etc. Obviously you will put a . instead of (dot) in the above email address and leave out all spaces. You can also snail mail information to them, just email Desha for the mailing address.

Thank you Melissa and Desha!!

Finding Success Stories

2009-02-16T18:06:00.000-08:00

(A link to this blog is located on the right hand side of our blog titled FSA-Finding Success Blog)

Dear FSA Members,

As we strive to help couples learn ways to make an adoption more likely, we have decided to create a success blog. We would like to post "finding" success stories to motivate and guide couples who want to adopt.

If your "promoting" or "finding" efforts led to an adoption and you are willing to share what you did, please send us an email (cutefamilyof5@gmail.com) with the following information:

Your first names
Family picture or picture of your child (This is optional. Our blog will not be added to a search engine and it will not be private, so it is up to you to decide if you want to add a family photo.)
Date of approval for adoption.
Date of placement
What you did to promote your family for adoption.
What you did that led to a connection with your child's birth mother.
How you feel about your experience with "finding".

Ø If you used an adoption Web site to make the connection to your birth mom, please share the Web site name.

Ø If you used printed material (pass-along cards, letters, etc.), please consider emailing those to us as well. We are always looking for examples to share with couples. We would like to add more ideas and examples to the familiessupportingadoption.org Web site.

Please limit your information to two short paragraphs. We welcome links to your family blog and Web sites so that couples can email you if they have questions or want to read your whole story.

We are hoping to get the word out about the blog through other FSA blogs and FSA Web sites and networking tools. Our intended audience for this blog is all FSA members who are trying to adopt.

There is nothing like a positive adoption story to give hope to those who are trying to build their family. We have seen many wonderful ideas come from FSA couples. We hope you will take the time to share your success with others!

Sincerely,

Brad and Brenda Horrocks

FSA Co-Vice Chairs

FSA National Board

March FSA Education Meeting

2009-02-16T17:47:00.000-08:00

Mark Your Calendar!

Just wanted to let you know about the next Education Meeting coming up on Saturday, March 7 from 11am - 3:30pm. Please see below for more details. A primary focus of this education meeting is helping extended family and friends understand more about adoption. Please come and invite your friends and family! Please remember to RSVP. See you there!

Your Oregon FSA Board

FSA Education Meeting

Saturday, March 7, 2009 11:00 AM-3:30 PM

Tualatin LDS Stake Center

22284 SW Grahams Ferry Rd

Tualatin, Oregon 97062

Come learn more about adoption, meet the LDSFS staff, and get to know other adoptive couples

Education Topics:

*Education and Q&A for extended families

*Adoption process overview

*Putting together your itsaboutlove.org profile

*Presenting your best self online

Bring Your Extended Families and Friends

Lunch Included

This training can apply towards completing the new LDS Family Services Education training requirements as well as the requirement to attend one FSA Education Meeting per year.

Please RSVP to Michelle C.:
FSA-OR@ldsfamilyservices.org

Next Education meeting scheduled for May 16, 11-3:30 at the Lake Oswego Stake Center. Ward leaders are invited!

Seattle Mariners -We ARE Family-game night

2009-02-16T17:33:00.000-08:00

The Seattle Mariners are planning a special night for those touched by adoption and foster care! What a great event! Thank you Washington FSA for sharing this fun tidbit of information with us. Watch for more information about this fun family event and spread the word so we can do our part in supporting a great cause!

(The following is excerpts from a letter written by Paul Hood, Customer Service Representative, with the Seattle Mariners.)

Hello Friends

This is Paul, from the Seattle Mariners.

As the son of an adoptee, I personally know a little of the pain and joy of adoption from my own mother's life experience, so it pleases me to be the first to let you know that May 1st 2009 will be the first of what I hope, is many "We Are Family" nights here at Safeco Field. This will be an evening when we will be able to recognize and honor foster families, adoption and adoptee's, birth families and the professionals who work so hard to ensure that all kids in the Northwest can have a positive future surrounded by a family that loves and respects them.
...
As it stands now, the basics are these: Tickets will be priced at $11, to allow more family's and co-workers an opportunity for an affordable evening out. They can be purchased online soon through the group manager (website TBD) or if there is an order of 25+ you can call Corinne Fowler directly at 206 346 4515.

When your families, co-workers and guests arrive at the game, they will be able to check in at a table we have set up, where they may claim a special promotional "thank you," gift from the Mariners with We Are Family discreetly displayed on it.

Before the game we will tell a few stories of adoption or foster family's success and inspiration, and someone will be chosen to throw out the first pitch.

At the beginning of the 4th inning, any group that has sold 40 tickets or more will have their name up on the scoreboard for recognition.
...
We think this night is going to be a very special event for everyone involved.

Thank you again, and we'll see you at the ball yard!

Kind regards,

Paul Hood
Customer Service Representative

Show a little love-- this week and every day

2009-02-08T16:27:00.000-08:00

"Stresses in our lives come regardless of our circumstances. We must deal with them the best we can. But we should not let them get in the way of what is most important—and what is most important almost always involves the people around us. Often we assume that they must know how much we love them. But we should never assume; we should let them know. Wrote William Shakespeare, “They do not love that do not show their love." We will never regret the kind words spoken or the affection shown. Rather, our regrets will come if such things are omitted from our relationships with those who mean the most to us."

Thomas S. Monson, “Finding Joy in the Journey,” Ensign, Nov 2008, 84–87

Welcome Ben and Jessica to the FSA Board!

2009-02-08T16:07:00.000-08:00

Ben and Jessica J. are our newest FSA board members. They will be serving as our Activities Specialists. Don't they look like such a fun family!

Watch for more about this fun family in our upcoming newsletter!

A Home for the Holidays airing on CBS

2008-12-13T12:06:00.000-08:00

The Stars Shine on "A Home for the Holidays" Adoption Special Airing Tuesday, December 23.

The only hour-long prime time special devoted to foster care adoption celebrates its tenth year in 2008. The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, Children's Action Network and CBS invite you to watch performances by Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Jamie Foxx, Melissa Etheridge, Keyshia Cole and Gavin Rossdale. Rene Russo, Kate Capshaw, Steven Spielberg, Kristin Chenoweth, Patricia Heaton and Martin Short present moving stories of children adopted from foster care and those who still wait. Gather your family and friends to watch at 8:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific or 7:00 p.m. Central and Mountain time. "We are so grateful to Wendy's and CBS for making this groundbreaking effort possible. Thousands of lives have been touched -- adults have been moved to adopt from foster care and children have found their forever homes," said Rita Soronen, Executive Director of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption.

Christmas Surprise for Birth moms!

2008-12-13T11:50:00.000-08:00

On Thursday, December 11, the Oregon FSA Board surprised the birth mothers group with some stockings fill with lots of fun and yummy treats. Thank you for letting us crash your evening and chat with us. We wish you all a Merry Christmas!

Santa's little (shy) helper!

Group picture.

An Adoption Celebbration!

2008-12-13T11:41:00.000-08:00

In November the Birth mother group invited members of FSA to an adoption party. There was yummy food, good fun and a special cake made by Tiffany M.

We want to thank all those who attended and helped make this night a fun success! Hurray for Adoption!

Thank you for a GREAT Conference!

2008-11-28T09:24:00.000-08:00

What a great conference with record attendance as well. We appreciate all those who attended and who helped make this conference happen. Now a message from our FSA Co-Chairs:

Hello Everyone,

Just wanted to say THANK YOU for a GREAT 2008 ADOPTION CONFERENCE! We had such great attendance and support! It was wonderful to see so many of you again as well as to get to know those of you attending for the first time. We want to recognize those that travelled quite a distance to attend. We hope everyone found the education, inspiration, and support that you were looking for. We welcome comments and suggestions for future conferences and events.

THANK YOU to our Education Specialists, Greg & Michelle Coxey, FSA Board Members, LDSFS Staff, and all those who participated in the program and in presenting the various classes and panels. We appreciate the time and effort so willingly volunteered by all. Also, a special thank you to Diane Burbach for the gift of her CD to all attendees and Craig and Lynnette Hardy, owners of the Tanasbourne Great Harvest Bread, for their generous donation of muffins, scones, cookies and brownies that were so delicious.

We will continue the format of quarterly Education meetings next year and have plans for some fun family events! We will announce those dates in our next newsletter in early 2009 or for the most current information, as well as here on our FSA Chapter blog.

Sincerely,

Todd and Rebecca Harrison

Executive Co-Chairs

Oregon Families Supporting Adoption

Come Celebrate National Adoption Month!!

2008-11-05T10:27:00.000-08:00

You Are Invited
To An Adoption Celebration!

Thursday, November 13th, 2008
6:00 pm

To celebrate National Adoption Month,
the gals in the Portland LDSFS Birth Mom Support Group
have invited us to crash their party!

Bring your favorite dessert and family style games (Taboo, Scattergories, etc)!
Kids can come too!

LDS Family Services
7080 SW Fir Loop, Suite 100
Tigard, OR 97223

Please RSVP-

FSA-OR@ldsfamilyservices.org

Retirement Open House for Lloyd Campbell- LDSFS Director

2008-10-15T20:33:00.000-07:00

Click on the flier to enlarge it to a readable size!

Lloyd Campbell, our Oregon LDS Family Services director will be retiring this month after 32 years of service with LDS Family Services. The last ten of those years have been here at the Oregon agency. Prior to moving to Oregon, Lloyd was the director with the Sacramento, California LDS Family Services agency, the assistant director for the Southern California agency and also worked with the Indian Student Placement program in Southern California and Arizona. When asked what he plans to do in his retirement he stated that he won’t have too much trouble keeping busy as he currently serves as a stake president. He also mentioned that he would like to start up a private practice for marriage and family counseling, do more traveling and hopes that he can fit in more time to play golf. We would like to extend our thanks to Lloyd for his service and work with LDS Family Services and his support for families and adoption.

Oregon FSA Conference

2008-10-15T20:23:00.000-07:00

Saturday, November 8, 2008
9:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Tualatin LDS Stake Center
22284 SW Grahams Ferry Rd
Tualatin, Oregon 97062

Schedule for the Day:
9:00 General Session
Keynote Speakers, Jeanie and Burnie Jarvis, Portland Temple Workers
Annual FSA Recognition Award, John R. Wittwer
Musical Number, Diane Burbach
Introduction, New Oregon LDS Family Services Director, Bob Egbert

10:00-1:00 Breakout Sessions
Intro to the Adoption Process: Steve Bertoch
Someone’s Missing – The Finding Process:
Carrie Conklin and Michelle Coxey
Openness Panel:
Dave and Jo Lynn Farrer and their Birth Mom, Desha
Adoption Law: Scott Adams
Panel: The Different Faces of Adoption
Conscious Parenting: Video Presentation by Bernie Dorsey
Financial Planning for Life: Geoff Dougall
1:00 Lunch!

Please RSVP!
Please call or email Michelle Coxey
(503) 625-0820 – home (971) 235-8455 - cell
FSA-OR@LDSchurch.org

A beautiful Adoption video on YouTube

2008-10-13T18:37:00.000-07:00

This video was made by one of our local birth mothers who placed with one of our Oregon adoptive families. She wants to share her positive experience with others so feel free to share this with everyone you know. She will also be at the November Conference with the adoptive family sharing their adoption story.

To view just click on the link.

My Adoption Story

Sign up on the new National FSA website!

2008-10-13T18:33:00.000-07:00

Sign up on the new National FSA website. Be apart of the largest volunteer advocacy group for adoption! If we don't keep the option of adoption alive and well... who will? Go Go Adoption!

Even if you signed up on this site before you'll need to sign in as a 'new user'. Come join! The more the merrier!

www.familiessupportingadoption.org

Share it with anyone you know that is a member of the LDS church that has adopted!

PS -- The first time, you have to go to the link on the right that says "Sign up for FSA Membership". You enter your basic info and set up a log in and password. Then you will have access to a lot of valuable adoption information.

Local Artist Sings About Adoption

2008-10-13T16:47:00.000-07:00

Diane Burbach is an exciting, new Gospel artist from Portland, Oregon. Her music has been described as, “inspiring”, “uplifting” and that it “truly touches the heart.”

Diane’s first album was released in July 2008, and is focused on music she has written to touch the adoptive soul. This album is diverse, in that it covers many aspects of the adoptive process. The Title song on the album, “A Loving Choice”, was performed at Portland, Oregon’s Families Supporting Adoption (FSA) Conference, in November 2007, and was received with great enthusiasm. Chad Woolner, an accomplished musician and recording artist, (and former Oregon FSA board member) is the Producer and provides musical arrangement for this album. Diane debuted her album , “A Loving Choice” in August 2008 at the Regional FSA Conference in Seattle, Washington.

In November, 2007, Diane received inspiration to write a song that reflected an adopted child’s gratitude for her birth mother’s choice of adoption. Two days later, she was asked by friends and FSA Executive chairs, Rebecca and Todd Harrison to write and perform a song about adoption for an upcoming Families Supporting Adoption Conference in Portland, Oregon. Title song, For A Loving Choice, was the result of that inspiration. That experience led to further inspirations for songs such as: I’ll Choose Life-a song to encourage Birth Mothers to choose adoption, Daughter by Design-a heartfelt lullaby, Our Family- a song to celebrate the diversity of an adoptive family, and additional songs to warm the hearts of those whose lives have been touched by adoption. In loving memory of her own cherished, adopted brother, a percentage of the proceeds from this album will go to the adoption charity, Melodical Hearts (Melodicalhearts.org).

Diane’s vision is to share her beautiful and inspired music with others; that their hearts may be brought closer to Christ. She has already begun writing songs for her next projects, which include more Adoption music, Christ-Centered, Christmas and Children’s albums.

Diane Burbach invites you to visit her website where you can listen to and purchase her CD as well as share your adoption story at: foralovingchoice.com.

You can find Diane's music on CDBABY.com and Tapestrybooks.com.

Chad Woolner's latest CD of instrumental hymns on acoustic guitar, Hymns Made of String Vol. 3, is available through Deseretbook.com.

Local FSA Board members recieve recongition!

2008-10-13T14:39:00.000-07:00

At the 2008 National Families Supporting Adoption some of our very own were recognized for their contributions to the adoption community.

The Friends of Adoption Award
Todd and Rebecca Harrison

Todd and Rebecca Harrison have been actively involved in supporting and promoting adoption ever since they adopted the first of their three children, over 9 years ago. During the past nine years, they have served with Families Supporting Adoption (FSA) as the Education Committee Chairs, the Vice-Executive chairs and are now in their third year serving as the Executive Chairs of Oregon's FSA Chapter. In their time of service they have contributed and promoted adoption very effectively.

FSA Chapter Award-Oregon Chapter
Nancy Crum
Nancy puts her heart and soul into supporting adoption. Nancy's true understanding of adoption comes from the perspective of a birth mother and as a birth grandmother. Her willingness to help and serve others has enabled her to touch many lives as she has served as the Oregon Families Supporting Adoption specialist, birth parent support group volunteer and without hesitation to be part of the birth parent panel for this conference as well as panels in previous panels for Oregon's FSA.

One Miracle at a Time - Seattle 2008

2008-10-13T13:29:00.001-07:00

The 2008 Families Supporting Adoption Regional Conference held in Bellevue, Washington was enjoyed by all who attended. Members from Oregon's FSA were involved in making some of the classes the success they were! Aura Lee Loveland lead a class on establishing comfortable connections and relationships with birth families. Nancy Crum and her daughter Amanda Wilson shared their amazing adoption experiences on the mother/daughter birth panel. Plus, we enjoyed lovely adoption music performed by Diane Burbach, a singer/songwriter from Portland, Oregon. Diane graciously gave each person who attended the conference an autographed copy of her CD, A Loving Choice. What a gift! We thank each one of you for your help making this conference inspiration and educational!

One of the many highlights of the conference was the concert given by Michael McLean. In 2001, Michael McLean was inducted into the Families Supporting Adoption Hall of Fame for his support of the adoption process. Michael was first introduced to the world of adoption when he was asked to write a song for a birth mother. That song, From God's Ams to My Arms to Yours, has been recognized nationwide as an expression of the miracle of adoption. Those who attended were touched by his inspirational music and words in the up-close and personal concert.

Michael McLean (far right in photo) with Oregon FSA Executive chairs, Todd and Rebecca Harrison.

We also had some local support in the way of door prize donations.
Karen Morgan donated a Complete card making kits.
Heather Clement donated tiles with adoption related sayings (see her site at: sayitwithvinyl.com.
Rebecca Harrison donated Mary Kay Cosmetics beauty products.

Nearly every Oregon FSA member who stayed for the drawing of the door prizes won something to take home. Some of the winnings included, Mary Kay Beauty products, 90 Days Free listing on Parent Profiles, Tile with adoption saying, and a very nice automatic garage door opener (yes-and the happy recipients were delighted because they home they had purchased with in the last year did not have one!).

We want to thank those from the Seattle FSA and those from Oregon who helped make this conference a success!

Diane Burbach with her parents.

Nancy Crum (standing) and her daughter Amanda Wilson (3rd from left) share their story on the Daughter Mother parent panel.

Oregon FSA members Derek and Carrie Conklin and Linda and Peter Holt discuss the classes.

Steve Bertoch at the dinner Friday night.

Aura Lee Loveland, Amanda Wilson, Nancy Crum and other FSA members enjoy conversation and the delicious dinner that was prepared for us Friday night.

The Hook to Hang it on- Jim R. Jacobs

2008-09-21T17:44:00.000-07:00

One of the most common factors I have come across in working with families and their adopted children is what I will call “The Hook to Hang it On.” I often refer to this concept when I am trying to train adoptive parents on parenting issues with their adopted children. It comes up in almost every situation. All of the questions can be summed up in one question, “How do I parent this child that was not biologically mine to begin with in the first place?”
Imagine with me for a minute that parenting is like a coat room or a “mud” room that you come into when you first enter the house. As you remove your winter clothes, you look around this room and identify the hooks where you can place your many layers of clothes. You may find a place for your scarf. You may locate another hook for your coat. There may even be enough hooks to hang up a pair of gloves, wet socks, and such. It would be wonderful if there was enough hooks for every item that you need to hang. What would you do if there were not enough hooks? Like most people, you would simply combine your items and still hang up as much as you can. Imagine if you had an extra hook or two. What would you do if you had more places to hang things than you actually needed or even wanted? Would you feel bad if you could not hang something on them?
Parents of adopted children have entered this great room full of hooks. Parenting, like the room, has many places for things “to hang.” However, parents of adopted children have an extra hook to hang things on. It is different than hooks they have seen in other people’s homes. They are not always sure what to do with it. Often, parents with the extra adoption hook, feel like they have to hang something on it. Sometimes, adoptive parents want to hang everything on it. Certainly, adopted children will want to use the hook as well. They may even be tempted, like their adoptive parents, and hang everything on it. This is a temptation that non-adoptive parents and non-adopted children do not have to deal with. What will you hang on the adoption hook? What will your children hang on their adoption hook? It will be easy in the future, from my experience, for each member of the family (and even others) to hang much on the adoption hook that does not really belong on the adoption hook. If you get my meaning in this analogy, please consider the following suggestions as you experience the adventure of entering the parenting room and deciding what hooks to hang things on:

-Be as educated as possible on normal developmental phases and experiences of children. Many so-called "normal” issues are faced by adoptive parents who mistakenly try to hang that on an adoption hook. Similarly, many adopted children may mistake normal developmental phases or tasks for adoption matters. Always consider what is normal or expected for ALL children at this phase of life, what is normal or expected for MY child at this phase, and then consider what is an exception or a difference. If you do locate something that does not appear to be normal or expected for ALL children or THIS child, then consider if adoption or the adoption experience may be an appropriate hook to hang it on. From my experience, adoption should be the last hook we try to hang things on.

-Emphasize family and family unity that exist independent of adoption and adoption issues. All of us are adopted in many different ways and means, both spiritually and temporally. Think on this: Marriage is really adoption. That is, marriage is two biologically unrelated people coming together to form a family unit by legal ceremony and procedure. Much of our spiritual beliefs are founded in the principles of adoption (i.e., into the Church, into the family of God, as children of Christ). Adoption should be a more normal, natural, and easy part of our conversation and daily walk. We should be careful not to make too much of things that are probably not related to adoption at all.

-Learn everything you can about adoption, open adoption, boundaries, parenting, and other subjects that are related to strengthening your own family. Do not let yourself believe that you do not need to keep learning and gaining knowledge and experience. Keep sharpening your saw.

-Talk to each other and the Lord about your wishes, concerns, and hopes. Seek the gift of discernment for your situation, your child, and our desires. Trust Him to guide you as you seek to understand your child and your role in helping your child.

So, as you enter (and reenter) the parenting room with your child and all that your child comes with, remember to look around at the hooks that are there to hang things on. Be excited that you have an extra hook to hang things on, but be careful not to use it exclusively. Remember to hang things on all the hooks and help your children to do the same. All the hooks are great. Sometimes you may use one more than another, but likely, fewer things than we imagine are hung on only the adoption hook. It may be even the last hook that we will ever hang any of our things on. Enjoy what you have and do your best to make it a great place to be. Adoption definitely is full of more blessings and joys than we can even truly fathom.

-Originally from the Colorado April 2008 Newsletter

April and June Education classes

2008-09-21T17:41:00.000-07:00

We have completely changed the format for our education meetings and already the change has allowed more people to become involved. We are now meeting on Saturdays a few times a year, to allow couples to travel if they live a distance from the Portland area. Hopefully as the word spreads, more and more families will realize how helpful and important involvement in these meetings can be! Plus, the agency is now requiring that all current adoptive couple attend at least one meeting a year. There are only two more this year, so hurry and get involved!

On April 12th we met at the agency and heard Steve Bertoch, a caseworker at LDSFS give a brief overview of the adoption process. Then Scott Adams, a well-known and respected adoption attorney gave an overview of the legal process. He spoke about everyone’s rights in the process and explained in detail the rights of a birth father and how that can affect an adoption. He answered several questions and gave a lot of good insight into the process. Then Brent Cichoski, a caseworker at LDSFS gave a great presentation on the degrees of openness in adoption. He talked about how common it is to have a very open adoption. Then he discussed some healthy boundaries and tips for creating a comfortable and successful relationship with birth parents. He suggested that when working with birth parents, each of us should preserve respect, trust, honesty, and empathy within the relationship. And last, an adoptive mother, Amber Woolner, gave some great advice about improving your online adoptive profile. She gave tips about taking and selecting great photos, and what to include in your letter to the birth parents.

On June 21st we met at a Beaverton stake center for our second meeting. First Carrie Conklin and Michelle Coxey, both adoptive mothers spoke about networking with family and friends to find your baby. They used the “Someone’s Missing…” booklet as a guide for the discussion. They emphasized that instead of passively waiting to be chosen by a birth mother, there are many things you can do to be active in finding your baby. Then Brent Cichoski repeated his topic from the April meeting about openness in adoption. He gave a lot of good suggestions and possible responses when answering hard questions from birth mothers. Then he spoke about grief, from all perspectives. He talked about the grief that we feel as we experience the loss of children, pregnancies, and dreams of becoming parents. And then we watched and discussed a portion of a very powerful news program that documented a few birth mothers as they placed their babies for adoption. It was hard to watch the pain and grief they experienced during and after placement, but it was helpful to watch it together as a group and realize that we all have similar reactions to the mixture of emotions that come up during placement. Last, Steve Bertoch spoke about the process of placement, finalization and some of the details like waiting for interstate compact, etc.

For information or questions on upcoming education classes and events email Michelle @ FSA-OR@ldsfamilyservices.org.

Would you like to meet other adoptive couples and families in your area?

2008-09-21T17:29:00.001-07:00

Do you live too far from Portland to attend FSA activities? Families Supporting Adoption has the solution!

We are putting together FSA support/social groups all over Oregon. Let's face it! We could all benefit from the experience, strength, and hope of those who have gone before and the enthusiasm of those in the adoption process. If you are interested in meeting with other adoptive couples and families in your area to exchange adoption stories, ideas, dinner, or adoption books please contact us within a week so we can start putting groups together. If you are interested please email FSA-OR@ldsfamilyservices.org.

David or Jo Lynn Farrer, Oregon FSA Outreach Specialists

Mentoring Program for adoptive couples!!

2008-09-21T17:27:00.000-07:00

From the beginning of our experience with adoption we've appreciated and relied upon the help and advice from others who'd been through the process before us. Their experience with adoption helped us prepare for what we could and would experience.

The Mentoring program pairs couples experienced in adoption with couples that are new to the adoption process allowing a new couple to use the experienced couple as a resource: for information about the adoption process, for advice, for a listening ear, etc. We have received very positive responses from couples who have been involved in the Mentoring program in the past and we encourage you to get involved as well if you haven't already.

Please email us at FSA-OR@ldsfamilyservices.org to let us know if you’d like to learn more about and/or participate in the Mentoring program. We look forward to hearing from you.

James and Jenny Sarantis-Oregon FSA Mentor Specialists.

Meet Brent Cichoski, LDS Family Services newest counselor and caseworker

2008-09-21T17:24:00.000-07:00

In June of 2007 I joined LDS Family Services as a new counselor and caseworker. In addition to offering individual, couple and family therapy, I also have the awesome privilege of working with birth moms. I love the work. I enjoy working with all types of birth parents and helping them explore their options. I am empathetic and nonjudgmental relative to each birthparent’s unique situation. Birth mom work has become dear to my heart. It is also my responsibility to oversee the birth mom support group and work with the Specialist Coordinator.

I grew up in southern Nevada, the second oldest of five siblings. After I served a mission to Chile from 1984 to 1985, I attended BYU and graduated with a bachelors of science. In 2002 I completed a lifetime dream and received my master’s in counseling from George Fox University. My wife and I have four adopted children—all through LDSFS. Rachel is 15, Joshua is 11. Andrew is 9 and Elizabeth is 7. My favorite times are just hanging out with the family—riding bikes, playing ball, games, baking, watching movies and going on summer vacations. Please feel free to stop in any time and say "hello".

Book Review-From God’s Arms to My Arms to Yours, By Michael McLean

2008-09-21T17:21:00.000-07:00

This is a beautiful hardcover book and CD that features seven songs about adoption from different perspectives. There are songs from a birth mother’s point of view, an adoptive mom’s point of view, as well as an adoptive child. I bought this book with the intention of sending it to my daughter’s birth mother for Christmas, but I wanted to listen to it first to make sure it would be appropriate. The music was so beautiful and touching and I cried listening to it on the way home! Everyone involved in adoption could be touched by the music and the feelings expressed in it. I appreciate that each point of view was carefully and thoughtfully included. The music reflected feelings that I had, as well as emotions that our birth mother had shared with us. The book is full of beautiful pictures that match the written lyrics. Over all it is a thoughtful glimpse into the heartfelt emotions of adoption.
Written by Carrie Conklin

Oregon FSA board members receive National FSA Recognition!

2008-09-21T17:18:00.000-07:00

Jim and Clarka Hill were among only a dozen recipients who received Outstanding Service Award from the National FSA board this past August at the 2007 FSA National Conference in Salt Lake City. Oregon’s FSA Legislative Co-chairs, Jim and Clarka Hill have made a noticeable difference in the state of Oregon adoption laws. The Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS) had a policy that prohibited the department from working with couples who had active profiles with non-state-associated agencies. This affected some adoptive couples working through LDS Family Services. Jim Hill wanted to change this policy. He found support from a powerful legislator, who arranged a meeting with the adoption program manager for DHS. In the end, DHS agreed to eliminate the prohibition and make it possible for couples with active profiles at LDS Family Services to also work through the state to adopt. Through legislative and other efforts, the Hills continue to help not only LDS Family Services but the adoption community of Oregon in general. Congratulations Jim and Clarka and thank you for all your hard work! Rebecca Harrison, Oregon’s FSA Executive Co-chair accepted the award in their behalf and presented it to them at the FSA chapter meeting Friday, September 14, 2007.