Saturday and Sunday June 16th and 17th marked the first annual "Father's Day Frosty Weekend" meant to raise money to support foster care adoption. Though the final numbers aren't in yet, Wendy's Corporation estimates that it met its $1 million goal.

"The money will be used to support the Foundation and its signature program: Wendy's Wonderful Kids (WWK). This program is filling a critical gap by funding and supporting full-time adoption recruiters at local agencies in all 50 states and the District of Columbia to match prospective parents with waiting foster care children."

WWK first launched in 2004 with seven pilot cities. Today, there are 106 recruiters in 88 cities across North America.

Read more at BusinessWire.com.

Labels: support, foster_care

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Randy Parker, executive director of Richland County (Ohio) Children Services says he'd like to see more local couples consider domestic adoption before looking internationally. With all the recent attention surrounding international adoptions by people like Angelina Jolie, domestic adoption has taken a back seat.

"'Anytime you can give a child a better life, I'm all for that,' [Roy] Shoulders said. 'I'm not opposed to international adoptions; I don't have any qualms with it. But because of the need in this country, I would love for us to take care of our own first.'"

Parker says there are currently 18 youngsters in Richland County that need an adoptive family. Roy Shoulders was adopted by a local family when he was just three weeks old. He's now the boys' basketball coach at St. Peter's high school in Mansfield, Ohio. Read more at MansfieldNewsJournal.com.
http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070624/NEWS01/706240317/1002

Labels: international, awareness, domestic_adoptions

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At the start of the adoption process, adoptive families have lots of questions to ask; "Do we want an older child or an infant?" "Domestic or international adoption?" "Does the child's race matter?" After you've asked yourself those questions, other people will be asking you many more.

"You'll find that once you start telling people about your plans to adopt, that you are going to get a lot of questions. Family, friends, neighbors and nosy strangers will all 'want to know'."

Keep in mind that your adoption is personal and that you don't have to answer someone's question if it makes you uncomfortable. Be prepared, too, to answer questions from the social worker who conducts your home study. Your adoption agency can help you prepare for that.

Read more at AdoptionBlogs.com.

Parents of teens have all sorts of questions about how to raise their kids. ByParents-forParents.com is a website that offers help for parents of teens with articles on troubled teens and parenting resources. Their Parenting Blog lists News, advice, and tips for parenting teenagers.

Labels: support, parenting, privacy

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Lady Justice Martha Koome, speaking at a forum to mark the Day of the African Child, said that the loose information regarding adoption rules and regulations contributes to child trafficking in Kenya. She called for closer scrutiny of adoption applicants, especially in more rural courts.

"She said previously, persons who wanted to overlook the procedures used to file adoption matters in High Court stations outside Nairobi where they would find judges who were overwhelmed by other judicial work and managed to easily obtain orders, especially in cases of international adoption."

Lady Justice Koome suggested that international adoptions should be given the lowest priority, with every effort being made to place children within their family network or immediate community.

Read more at AllAfrica.com.

Labels: international, rules, Africa

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An adoption clinic in Milwaukee, Wisconsin offers a unique service to its clients: the analyzing and interpreting of a child's medical records. One of the biggest challenges in international adoption is getting a clear understanding of a child's medical condition.

"'Every country has its own way of defining health, so we try to interpret it and tell the families what's going on,' said Inshirah Farhoud, a Pediatric Practitioner at the clinic."

Adoption workers from Russia recently visited the clinic and were pleased to see that the children were still in great health, and that the health of many had actually improved.

Read more online.

Labels: international, medical_records, adoption_clinics

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Between 2001 and 2006, the number of dads who took a family leave of absence increased significantly from 38 percent to 55 percent. Most of them returned to work quickly, within a month, but the increase is still worth noting.

"Wes Kee wasn't originally going to take a leave for the arrival of his first baby, but his son's premature delivery led him to revise those plans - and six months at home with the newborn changed his outlook. 'I enjoyed it. I liked being there with my son. It was bonding time,' said Kee, 34, adding that he would stay home for the birth of another child."

Whether for a birth or adoption, more new fathers are beginning to understand how much impact they can really have in the life of a child, whether directly, or indirectly simply by helping the mother. Read more at CNews.Canoe.ca.

Find help for parents of teens at ByParents-ForParents.com in the form of parenting tips and articles about teenagers.

Labels: laws, fathers, leave

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The words "Heart Gallery" may bring to mind photographs of arteries and valves and blood coursing through veins. But it's actually a very touching collection of photographs of children who are waiting to be adopted. There are Heart Gallery displays all over the country, one of the newest being in Michigan.

"The Michigan Heart Gallery features professional photos of some of Michigan's waiting children, who come from various regions of the state. Recruitment activities such as the Heart Gallery remind people that there are many children in Michigan who are waiting to be adopted."

The photographs in the Heart Gallery were taken by professional photographers who donated their time, and include photos of some adoptive families as well. The exhibit runs from June 7th through the 29th at Art in the Loft gallery. Read more at Michigan.gov.

Labels: adoptees, recruitment, adoptive_families

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Steve and Stephanie Johnson need about $19,000 to fulfill their dream of adopting a little girl from China. Because they don't have the money on hand, they've had to get creative in thinking of ways to raise the money. This Saturday, they're having a garage sale.

"For the last three weeks, the garage and basement of their Ellis Street home have been stocked with clothing, bicycles, exercise equipment, appliances, toys and other items donated by friends from throughout Wisconsin and from as far away as Minneapolis and Kansas."

The Johnsons expect to have their adoption file sent to China by late June or early July. Twelve to eighteen months after that, they hope to be matched with a little girl. Read more at StevensPointJournal.com.

When your adopted child grows up, a boarding school may be the best option for you and your family. Find the best boarding schools at BoardingSchoolsInfo.com.

Labels: China, adoption_costs, money

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In 1997, just one American adoption agency was licensed to operate in Ethiopia. Today, there are twenty-two. Though Angelina Jolie's adoption of an Ethiopian child has certainly helped bring the country to the fore-front of international adoptions, its popularity had already been on the rise.

"Ethiopia, with a population of 76 million, has an estimated 5 million orphans, according to aid organizations. Many African nations have outlawed or impeded the adoption of their children by foreigners. Ethiopia has welcomed American and European families who are willing to provide homes for children who have lost both parents to AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis or starvation, or who come from families too destitute to feed and clothe them."

The two things that set Ethiopia's adoption system apart from others are transitional homes in which the orphans are very well cared-for, and the opportunity for adoptive parents to meet birth families and even visit their villages.

Read more at TwinCities.com.

Labels: international, ethiopia, inter-country_adoption

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The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption recently named Wayne Farms LLC in its top-10 list of Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces in the food, beverage and restaurant industry. The company is located in Oakwood, Georgia and employs over 9500 people in 13 facilities in the South and Southeastern parts of the United States.

"The Wayne Farms adoption program offers employee reimbursements up to $5,000 for a nonspecial-needs child or $6,000 for a special-needs child."

The reimbursement can be used for nearly any legitimate cost associated with an adoption. Paid time off is also included as part of the company's employee adoption program.

Read more at LeaderCall.com.

Labels: adoption_costs, families, employers

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