PARENTHOOD



Have you met Victor yet?


One of my all-time favorite movies is Parenthood with Steve Martin. The movie was created in 1989 and shows a ton of family dynamics; it's one of those movies you can quote every line to (like Dirty Dancing).

Fast forward to 2010 and Parenthood, the television show, runs its pilot episode on NBC. (And I freak out with unabashed excitement.) The show explores a variety of important family issues like autism, adultery, working mothers and stay-at-home dads, interracial marriage, alcoholism, first loves and college-bound teens. How can you not fall in love with this show??

NOW...fast forward to 2012 when two characters on the show are looking to adopt and, low and behold, they adopt an older child! Julia and Joel are a married couple who are desperately looking to grow their family. After the birth mother they have been working with changes her mind after giving birth, they decide to contact an agency. Here is a link to an interview with the actors who play Julia (Erika Christensen) and Joel (Sam Jaeger) discussing the new story line of Victor, their newly adopted son.

You can watch Parenthood on Tuesdays 10/9C on NBC.

MEET RYAN!

Photograph by Inga Mucha

Today we're featuring Ryan. He's best described as a "helpful, hardworking" young man. This photo was taken at our last Family Funfest which was at a local bowling alley (hence his bowling t-shirt). Ryan likes to help with household chores, like washing and drying his own clothes, as well as lawn and barn work. He also enjoys baking, especially cookies. In Ryan's free time, he works on the computer or hangs out and plays some UNO. (My kind of dude...UNO is awesome!)

In 10th grade special education classes, Ryan’s favorite subject is math. He has moderate developmental delays and will need assistance as he grows older and becomes more independent. He likes animals and would be super excited to be in a family with pets. Ryan really wants to be adopted and dreams of being an only child, so he can be lavished with an abundance of love and attention.

If you'd like to learn more about Ryan, or any of our other waiting youth, please call me (Ilona) at 888-835-8802 or email info@capbook.org.
 

LISA'S NEW RIDE

A few months ago, Lisa totaled her car and was forced to buy a new one. Check out her new ride below!




Getting ready to head out for a quick lunch!



Pat and Kate in Lisa's new car!



NATIONAL ADOPTION DAY

November is National Adoption Month and over here at Children Awaiting Parents, our planning has already begun. Veronica Black, our Community Outreach Specialist, attended a meeting with other agencies and judges to begin solidfying this year's theme and program. Two years ago, Veronica's sons were asked to speak about their experiences with the foster care system and adoption - and they were happy to oblige. Below is a copy of their speeches. Enjoy!

My name is Lennon Black, Age 10

When I was in foster care I lived with six different families. I felt like I was a bad kid because I kept moving. I thought I was never going to be adopted. Now I have a family and I am very happy because I have everything I ever wanted. I have a mom, a dad and a brother. No matter what I do they still love me, and every child deserves that. We need to change the system because kids should not be bounced around. That can be very scary for kids. Foster parents should not call the caseworker to move a kid, they should ask for help to help to handle what the child is going through. If you move them the child might get worse. My mom handles my behaviors and that is the difference between foster care and adoption

I have a nice bed, nice clothes and I have birthday parties and I even travel. I play four sports, soccer, lacross, wrestling and taekwondo. It can’t get any better than that. J

My name is Styles Black-Allen, Age 9 

Adoption changed my life in many ways. I have a brother, a best friend and someone to play with.
When I was four I really wanted a brother. My mom said ok. That was awesome. We started to visit him. It was fun. I was scared at first but when I saw him he was different.. I thought he was going to be tall and bossy, but he was cool and he liked wrestling.
When I am president of the United States I will make a law that you can't move kids around like they did my brother. And that all kids will have a mom, dad and a brother.
More people will adopt if you tell them that it is free and give them money for college. You should also take the kids with you when you travel to different places and ask people to adopt

 

OUR NEW CRIB

So it's official - we've moved! We are now sharing offices with another organization in Rochester, The Children's Institute - and they are awesome!

I'm totally loving our new digs because we have the following:

1. a drinking fountain (I value clean, free water)
2. cubicles (Which at first, terrified me but now, I value the vast decorating space)
3. a shower (With towels that match the paint on the walls...I mean, seriously?!)
4. multiple conference rooms (This is awesome for Veronica's informational meetings)
5. nearby shops and restaurants (We are in close proximity to a variety of awesome shops including a mythical shop that sells everything from fairies to crystals, and a rockin' Mexican restaurant that actually has "tequila classes")
6. fully functional break room (This folks, is why I love this place! One of the Children's Institute employees does bulk shopping and brings in tons of food for the rest of us to purchase at a discounted rate. Also, anything that shows up on the middle tables is free for all. Today there were strawberries, homemade macaroni and cheese, and leftover cake. I love to eat.)

Below are some photos - enjoy!

Village Gate - our new home



Our front door - which is always open! (Well...figuratively. We close at 5pm.)



Kate's favorite room- the library.



My favorite room - the break room.



The awesomeness that is the little copper tin in the break room. You put your coins in here and get good food. It's way better than a vending machine and I feel totally spoiled.



The majority of our offices and yes, Veronica usually poses like that in doorways.



My little cube. (And since you asked, that sign on the right says, "Ilona is Da Best.")

If you feel like stopping by and saying hello, our new address is below!

Children Awaiting Parents, Inc.
274 N. Goodman St.
Suite D 103
Rochester, New York 14607

MATCHING IS JUST THE BEGINNING

"We have to stop thinking about adoption solely as child placement," Pertman says, "and understand it as a process that requires supports and services to facilitate family success."

What a great quote! Check out this article here. A poignant discussion of the importance of post adoption services.

2012 ADOPTIVE FAMILY PORTRAIT PROJECT

Voice for Adoption’s (VFA) Adoptive Family Portrait Project celebrates families who have adopted children from foster care. The primary goal of the project is to raise awareness among members of Congress about the real experiences and needs of families that have adopted children who were in the foster care system. For the 2012 project VFA will feature many foster care adoptive families, including a special emphasis on kinship parents.

VFA is looking for families who have adopted from foster care, whose family portraits will be displayed in the Washington, DC office of their member of Congress. VFA will also need information about the family’s adoption experiences to share a story with their members of Congress. VFA will match Senators and Representatives with a family from their home state or home district (for Representatives). Please refer interested families to participate! Click here to learn more about the family role in our project. Each participating family will receive a copy of our Adoptive Family Portrait Project booklet that features the families and Members of Congress that are involved.

Really want to participate but not an adoptive family? Click here to read more about VFA's Family Portrait and for other opportunities to ensure this yearly project continues.

THANKS TO ALL OUR CAP WALKERS AND SUPPORTERS!

One of our supporters sporting her CAP tshirt from two years ago when we did tie dye!

Veronica, our Community Outreach Specallist, and her growing family.

A supporter posing with some of the members from Popular Peninsula.

David, Kate and Lisa taking a break before the registration rush!

Zumba participants enjoying the nice weather and the workout with Rochester Athletic Club.

Thanks to everyone who supported us at our 2012 CAP Walk! We had a great turn out. There were lots of snacks and cake (donated by Tops Friendly Markets), ice cream (donated by Abbotts), an awesome band, (who generously donated their Sunday morning which, we all know can be a little difficult for rock stars), facepainting (donated by Grease Paint Alley Clowns), zumba on the beach (donated by Rochester Athletic Club)...and kids!

Click here to view more photos.

BOOK REVIEW

Nancy Gongloff is not only a friend of our Executive Director's, but a retired Registered Nurse. With a BS from Syracuse University and a year of post graduate training in Drug Treatment, Nancy has been gracious enough to utilize her background in health and medicine by offering to review some books that may be of interest to our families and supporters.

Bring on the Blessings, by Beverly Jenkins was recommended as a possible resource for foster and adoptive parents, but mostly it functions more like comic relief.  On those days when fostering and adopting seems like one of your worst ideas, doesn't it sound like fun to think about a divorcee with $275,000,000 who buys a dying town in Kansas, rebuilds it, and fills it with five foster children, five foster families and all the other town residents who pledge their time and resources to housing, feeding, educating and loving these children?  It takes a village to raise a child, and that's just what we're given in this book.  Each child gets a couple of pages of explanation of how they got here, has a couple of incredibly wise and wonderful adult responses to their naughtiness, and is set on the path to fulfilling all of the promise they hold.  Oh, by the way, did I mention that the children include a musical prodigy, an 11 year old carjacker, and an asthmatic who is incredibly bright and loves literature and history?  How about the foster parent retired marine, the pediatrician, and the famous R&B singer who hasn't been able to sing since a violent incident?  No inconveniences here: no meds, no drugs, no sexual abuse, no other children in the town, no siblings, no parents who remain in the picture.  

This is a fun read, but not to be construed as fact.  Enjoy!

LOCAL CELEBRITIES!

Check out this video clip from The Minority Reporter. It features our very own Mark Soule and Lisa Best talking about our organization and the upcoming CAP Walk. We're so grateful to The Minority Reporter for their coverage of our event, and for featuring our waiting children in their newsletter every week.
If you would like to make a donation or create your own team for our upcoming walk, please click here!