Adoptive Couple Action Plan

We had a great adoption information meeting in April.

Christine Robey, the manager for adoptions for the Fountain Valley and San Diego offices, gave a great overview of the adoption process through LDSFS.

Jamie Pyatt, an adoption caseworker at LDSFS, spoke about "Placement Prep."

Erin Packard, FSA Chairperson, spoke about, "The Proactive Adoption," and "Why FSA?"

Lastly we had a great Q&A panel with Christine, Jamie, Tera Miller (birth mom) and Nicole Dunn (adoptive mom.)

One handout that we did not have available at the conference is the, "Adoptive Couple Action Plan."
This is a great list of ideas to help you "find vs. wait."

Adoptive Couple Action Plan

Preparing for an adoption is filled with lots of mixed emotions. Along with the excitement of preparing for a new addition to your family, there is also all of the stress that accompanies the unknowns. It is hoped that this list of items will help to guide you in being proactive with your preparations. Being "anxiously engaged" can actually reduce the stress by helping you to feel that you have some control over the adoption process. You may discover other items that help you in this effort. Please feel free to share your ideas with us so that we can offer them to others.

Date

_____ Picture(s)

_____ Birth parent letter

_____ Have profile posted on website

_____ Preference checklist

_____ Hold a family fast

_____ Attend a Temple session with birth parents in mind

_____ Organize a family Temple session with birth parents in mind

_____ Send out pass along cards to family and friends

_____ Make and distribute fridge magnets similar to pass along cards

_____ Contact immediate and extended family members to see how they can help

_____ Attend ward council and talk with Church committees regarding your desire to adopt

_____ Talk to your doctor's office personnel (OB/GYN, Pediatrician, and Family Practitioner) to inform birth parents of adoptive possibilities

_____ Contact friends

_____ Talk to your caseworker about taking an adult birth mother into your home

_____ Volunteer to help with a birth mother's needs

_____ Check with government foster care and adoption services

_____ Join and attend FSA meeting and activities

_____ Take or Retake adoption classes

_____ Apply to be an LDS Family Services Agency office volunteer

_____ Present about adoption at community, school. and/or church settings

_____ Send a letter explaining adoption and your desire to adopt to friends and family

_____ Send reminder letters at least quarterly

_____ Talk to one person per week about adoption and your desire to adopt

_____ Volunteer to mentor a new adoptive applicant through the adoption process

_____ Include desires to adopt and adoption updates in regular/holiday correspondence

_____ Develop your own postcard/ad

_____ Post your own postcard/ad at supermarkets, libraries, and other public areas

_____ Make additional copies of profile, collage, and letters to birth parents to provide leads

_____ Consider posting your profile on other websites for a fee

_____ Add a link to your adoption profile as your e-mail signature

_____ Ask friends and family to post a link to your adoption profile to their blogs or social
networking sites.

_____ Hold an adoption fundraiser



Thank you to all who participated in and attended the meeting. We hope it was a valuable use of your time.

Calling All Couples

The San Diego FSA Blog would like to help you spread the word about your desire to adopt. We will start spotlighting couples each week for "Finding Friday."

Likewise, if you have been blessed with a placement, finalization, or sealing in 2010, we would love to share the good news on our blog.

If you would like to be a part of "Finding Friday," or have some great adoption news to share, please contact us at sandiegofsa@gmail.com.

Together By Divine Design

Families Supporting Adoption
2010 National Conference

July 30 - 31st
Davis Conference Center
Layton, UT

www.regonline.com/2010_fsa_conference
Registration is $35.00 before July 1st and $40.00 afterwards.

There will be several wonderful breakout session throughout the conference covering a variety of topics for birth parents, adoptees, adoptive couples, and grandparents. Just a few of the session topics include:

Infertility
Ask a birth parent panel
Birth father panel
Trans-racial adoption
Grief process for birth grandparents
Foster care
Open adoption
Closed adoption
Adoption law
Telling your children your adoption story
Adoption advocacy
Special needs

For more information, visit the national FSA blog at:
http://familiessupportingadoption.blogspot.com/

LDS Family Services and Families Supporting Adoption invite you to attend an,

Adoption Information Meeting
Saturday, April 10, 2010
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Carlsbad Stake Center
1981 Chestnut Avenue

Carlsbad, CA 92008

We will discuss several aspects of the adoption process, as well as provide a Q&A panel, including adoptive parents, a birth mother, and LDSFS social workers.

This meeting is for anyone who is interested in adoption, has been, or currently is involved in the adoption process, and all adoption advocates.

If you have any questions regarding this meeting, please feel free to contact Erin Packard at sandiegofsa@gmail.com.

The Adoption Tax Credit

NCFA is pleased to release Adoption Advocate No. 21 entitled, “Tax Benefits for Adoption: The Adoption Tax Credit." This Adoption Advocate is a practical guide to the adoption tax credit. It includes a full explanation of and examples of how to apply the tax credit, as well as information on: the history of the tax credit; current status of the credit; and pending legislation to extend the tax credit. Please feel free to copy, distribute, or link to this publication. Click Here to read Adoption Advocate No. 21.

You can contact NCFA by mail, phone, fax, and e-mail: National Council For Adoption 225 N. Washington Street Alexandria, VA 22314 703-299-6633 (Phone) 703-299-6004 (fax) www.adoptioncouncil.orgncfa@adoptioncouncil.org

Angels Foster Family Network

I recently received an e-mail from an adoptive parent named Katrina. Her family is currently adopting a baby from San Diego County through an agency called Angels Foster Family Network, and Katrina was kind enough to share some information about the process.

First, Katrina clarifies that, "Angels is a Foster Agency only." "These babies are not up for adoption yet, but about 50% of them do end up being placed for adoption. Once a baby has been in your home for at least 6 months they can stay with the foster family if they wish to adopt them, unless they are being reunified with their biological parents."

As far as placement time is concerned, Katrina says that, "One of the couples we went to training with did end up adopting their first placement. One of the couples went through 3 really difficult sibling sets that all went home and we had two other placements before we got this baby. We were lucky because they were very short placements. The 1st was only 5 days and she was 19 months old and the second was 1 month and she was 10 months old. The little one we are adopting right now was with us for 2 years before we know we would be able to adopt her. She actually went and spent weekends with her bio parents after living with us for over 18 months. I was also the one who visited with these parents every week for 5 hours with her. So, the mind set really needs to be that you are just loving and taking care of a baby until the courts decide what to do with them."

As many of you who have taken the foster parent training courses have learned, "Some of these babies have been severely abused." Katrina expressed that, "It can be hard to sit in a room with someone that hurt their child and know that they could go back to live with them. Last month there was a baby that had 21 broken bones. Our baby was taken away because her father had been shaking her. Angels does not take severe causes where they think the child won't be capable of normal life but some of these children have had a very rough start."

Katrina also noted that their is a financial assistance when going through the county, "It cost nothing after you are certified (which I think cost around $200.00) The State pays you. They pay $380.00/month plus gas and if the child is adopted, the State pays for everything and your child receives medicare and a monthly stipend until they reach 18."

"You can also be specific with Angels. You can say you only want an infant up to 6 months old, or that you are willing to take a sib set that has a 2 year old and a baby. You can say you want only a certain race or sex too."

It is very important to note that ,"Angels does not allow you to be involved with any other agencies at the time you are licensed with them."

Katrina concluded her e-mail by acknowledging that this is just one of many ways to unite families, and that people should prayerfully consider if this is the right choice for them.
"The thing about Angels is that sooner or later you will be able to adopt a baby. There is one family that tells their story where it took them 10 times. I guess you just really have to rely on faith that the one Heavenly Father wants you to have you will end up with. "

If you would like to learn more about Angels Foster Family Network, you can visit their website at http://www.angelsfoster.com/.
Angels will also be holding an orientation meeting this week on Wednesday, March, 3rd, (and the first Wednesday of each succeeding month) for anyone interested in learning more about joining Angels. The contact person is Annika (619) 283-8100 x 221

Likewise, if you have any questions for Katrina, she would be happy to help. She can be contacted at skmorrisss@yahoo.com.

Adoption Fundraising

Although adoption through LDSFS is much more affordable than adoption through other private agencies, it is still not cheap. A great way to help meet your financial obligations regarding your adoption is to have a fundraiser. An adoption fundraiser accomplishes three important tasks:

1. You raise the money required for your adoption.

2. You spread the word about your adoption.

3. You stay busy and are proactive during your adoption process.

For our first adoption, my husband and I had a yard sale. We asked our family and ward members to donate items to sell. The fundraiser quickly took on a life of its own. We had so many donations that we had to extend the yard sale to a second weekend and still had several items remaining that we donated to a local church. Knowing that the funds were going toward our adoption, people were less prone to haggle and some paid more than the asking price.

Moreover, by the end of the fundraiser, our ward family, and many members of our community knew that we were adopting. The fundraiser was a financial and networking success.

For our second, and current adoption, we had a craft/bake sale. We asked for donations through mass e-mail, our community blog, Craigslist, and Relief Society newsletter. People donated homemade jewelry, aprons, hats, scarves, hair bows, ornaments, blankets, burp cloths, pottery, photo books, magnets, wall decor, cookies, breads, jam, etc. We set up shop on a Saturday afternoon outside a local Albertson's grocery store (with their permission.)

Once again the ward, our family, and community rallied around us and the fundraiser was a success. We earned needed funds and everyone learned that we were adopting again.

As before, we still had several items remaining after the fundraiser so we continue to sell them via our personal blog and Craigslist.

We also had a tab on our blog in which people could donate to our adoption fund via PayPal.

I know of another couple that had a donation link on their website, and a chart showing how much more money they needed to reach their goal. They asked everyone they knew to donate one dollar to their adoption fund.

The Internet is filled with great ideas for adoption fundraisers. If you have participated in an adoption fundraiser or have any ideas, please post a comment.

When people learn that you are in the process of adopting they are eager to help, but don't know how. An adoption fundraiser allows your family and friends to participate in, and learn more about the adoption process, helps you meet your financial obligations, and allows you to be an active participant in your own adoption.