Showing posts with label adoption resources. Show all posts
Showing posts with label adoption resources. Show all posts

Thursday, November 29, 2012

30 Days, 30 Posts: Adoption...The Tough Stuff

Oh how I wish I could say that adoptions always go smoothly, with no bumps, and everything is sunshine, rainbows and roses, but life happens sometimes.  As with a lot of parenting issues, for both biological and adopted children, sometimes it helps to find support from outside sources.

 I want to share a recent blog post from Jill Savage, founder of Hearts at Home http://www.hearts-at-home.org/.

I’ve talked to many families of late who have experienced the hard side of adoption. It’s not something we’re unfamiliar with ourselves.
Adopted children often have trouble connecting to the family who loves them. They have special parenting needs.  Sometimes they need to heal from pre-adoption abuse or neglect.
I’ve become familiar with some wonderful preparation for adoption and post-adoption resources over the past few weeks. If you are thinking about adopting, have adopted, or if you know someone who has, these are resources every adoptive family needs to know about.

The Connected Child Book by Karen Purvis
When Love Is Not Enough Book by Nancy Thomas
The Beatitude House Intensive Treatment Center




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Tuesday, November 27, 2012

30 Days, 30 Posts: Adoption...Supporting Adoption Financially

This last week I have been writing about how to get involved with adoption.  Supporting friends, providing foster care or respite care, shopping responsibly, and becoming educated about adoption shows commitment.  Another level of involvement is financial...donating money to families who are in the process of adoption or supporting organizations that help children.

 Be on the lookout for friends and family who are in the middle of fundraising efforts.  Also, as the year ends, consider making a donation to the following organizations that are making a positive impact in the lives of orphans in China.  If you'd like to make a donation to the orphanage that I volunteer at, please leave a message in the comments section of the blog and I will contact you.  At this time, our volunteer group cannot provide a tax deductible receipt for charitable donations, but please be sure that every contribution makes an impact.

 Baobei Foundation, Shanghai, China (2 hours by car from where I currently live)

 The Baobei Foundation (boabei is the affectionate term for baby in Chinese) offers lifesaving surgeries for orphans with neurological or gastro intestinal  birth defects.
http://www.baobeifoundation.org/index.html  

 Mifan Mama, Shanghai, China
In the beginning, their main mission was to better the life of orphans in Anhui by assisting with basic food supplies, medical and eduational needs.  Since then their support has extended across China to many orhanages and thousands of children. The name "MiFan MaMa" was chosen because "MiFan" means "rice" and "Ma Ma" is the appropriate term for "mother" here in China where we reside. 
http://www.mifanmama.com/

 Show Hope (US based, but with 3 special care centers in China)
Show Hope is dedicated to engaging the church to care for orphans and reducing the financial barriers to adoption. This means that we are actively involved in three areas:

  1. Adoption Aid: providing waiting orphans with loving families by financially assisting adoptive couples through adoption grants. More on Adoption Aid
  2. Orphan Care: participating in orphan care projects that address the holistic needs of orphans—physically, emotionally and spiritually, with the ultimate goal of helping to place the child in the best permanent situation possible, ideally a forever family. More on Orphan Care
  3. Getting Involved: mobilizing individuals and communities to care for orphans through our Adoption Aid and Orphan Care programs. More on Getting Involved http://www.showhope.org/OrphanCare/SpecialCareCenters.aspx
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Monday, November 26, 2012

30 Days, 30 Posts: Adoption...Continue being Educated

“Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it.” 
― Albert Einstein

 Continually learning about adoption and what it entails shows a dedication to process. Reading blogs, websites, books and talking to those that have been touched by adoption will not only help increase your knowledge, but it is also a way of showing support.

 A few suggestions (that are short, quick and easy) for continuing your adoption education are...

  1. "Like" some adoption-related groups on Facebook.  The updates will be visible to you, but they are short and you may learn a quick fact.  I follow National Council for Adoption and Creating a Family.
  2. Join a listserv/email group to receive the latest news regarding adoption.  I receive the National Council for Adoption monthly's publication via email.  Several listservs can be found here...http://www.comeunity.com/adoption/lists.html
  3. Read some of the articles on http://www.adoptivefamilies.com/ or https://www.adoptioncouncil.org/publications/suggested-reading.html
Happy learning!



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