National Adoption Month may be over for another year, but that doesn't mean that the need for adoptive parents has subsided.

A Nov. 29 article in the Sikeston Standard Democrat called attention to the many children in Missouri who are still waiting for parents to call their own:

"We need to spread awareness there are children who currently need to be adopted," said Brenda Miller, adoption specialist for the 33rd Judicial Circuit, which includes Scott and Mississippi counties. "In Missouri, we have approximately 1,600 children available for adoption."

Miller spoke of the need to have adoptive parents in all areas of the state.

"We try to keep (the children) as close to their natural home and surroundings as possible," she said. "Any child that has been removed from their home has already experienced a loss from their parent, so we try to prevent a loss from their community, too."

Labels: missouri, adoptees

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When Tom and Debra Ritter married in 1995, they created a family that included three children from previous marriages. Fourteen years and 22 adoptions later, that family  and the Ritters dedication to each other and their children  has grown in remarkable ways.

An Oct. 17 article by Amy Bertrand of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch provided the following glimpse into the life of this unique family:

Many of [the adopted children] have special needs, some have had life-threatening illnesses. All of the adopted kids, ages 7 to 26, still live at home.

Most of the kids head to the one-room schoolhouse on the farm where they'll stay until early afternoon; Mom and some of the older kids teach. Others go with Dad to work in the restaurant at the bed and breakfast they own in nearby Vandalia, Mo. Sometimes, the older sons will work in construction. Money from all of their endeavors goes into the family pot. &

Marcia Jones, a former adoptions specialist for the state of Missouri, helped the Ritters with many of their adoptions. "What impressed me most about them is they said, 'Give me the kids that nobody wants,' and that usually meant teenagers."

Labels: families, adoptees

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When a couple experiences a miscarriage, friends and family often rally around to offer support, care, and hope. But friends and family may not understand that the loss of a child through an unsuccessful adoption can be equally painful.

"Preparation for adoption involves anticipation, as a place in both the home and the heart is prepared... If the adoption fails, the couple is left knowing that 'their child' is out there somewhere, being raised by someone else. The loss can be so acute it prevents couples from trying again."

To make matters worse, the couple may already be grieving their inability to conceive. Friends and family need to offer support, and the couple may want to seek some professional counseling to help with the grieving process. Source: Star-Gazette (Elmira, NY)

Labels: adoptees, failures, feelings

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Ray was born in 1952 and spent the first five years of his life in an orphanage. He remembers those years well, especially the adoption process - which was so different then.

"Back then, the Colorado State Home for Dependent and Neglected Children allowed prospective parents to 'check you out like a library book,'.... to see how a child would fit in with their family."

After several of those disappointing experiences, the orphanage matron awakened Ray from his bed one night and carried him to a counter. A couple was waiting, with a stocking cap for Ray's head and a stuffed dog for his arm. They swept him off the counter, took him home and have been "mom" and "dad" ever since.

Ray still has the stocking cap and the toy dog. Source: National Public Radio

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A recent study conducted through the University of Minnesota has found that adopted children are more likely to be diagnosed with a behavioral disorder or have contact with mental health professionals than non-adopted children. The results were compiled after researchers assessed over 600 adopted children and 540 who were not adopted.

"Children who had been adopted scored higher than non-adoptees on continuous measures of behavioral and emotional problems, the team found. Adoptees were about twice as likely to have had contact with a mental health professional and of having a disruptive behavior disorder..."

The study's lead author, Margaret Keyes, was quick to say that this information shouldn't deter people from adopting. It is instead meant to make adoptive-parents aware of potential problems so they can be looking for signs and preparing to handle any of these issues, should they arise. Source: MedicineNet.

Mount Bachelor Academy, a therapeutic boarding school for troubled teens, has a specific curriculum for adopted teens. Learn more at www.mtba.com.

Labels: adoptees, mental_health, troubled_children

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Currently, only seven states allow adoptees to see their original birth certificates. The North Carolina legislature has recently passed a new law that, though it doesn't grant access to birth certificates, will make it easier for adoptees to find information about their birth parents by allowing child-placement agencies to serve as intermediaries between willing adult adoptees and birth parents.

"The law replaces rules governing adoption records that rank among the nation's most restrictive. Current law requires adoptees to petition a judge and show 'just cause' to access birth records and other adoption information. It also forbids adoption agencies from releasing anything except 'non-identifying' information to adoptees or birth parents."

The new law is considered a compromise between groups who wanted adoptees to have full access to birth records and organizations like the National Council for Adoption which opposes full access without consent from both parties. Read more at Charlotte.com.

Boarding high schools can help teens with issues such as learning disabilities or behavioral problems. Find one today at TeenBoardingSchools.com.

Labels: laws, adoptees, birth_parents

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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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In 1975, President Ford authorized a program called Operation Babylift, which evacuated 4,000 orphans from South Vietnam. About 2,500 of those children were adopted by U.S. families and several of them gathered together in Grand Rapids, Michigan to honor the late president by posthumously awarding him the Heather Constance Noone Memorial Award for extraordinary actions.

"Ford's son, Steven, was touched by the ceremony, in which a painting of Ford cradling an infant was presented to the museum."

Steven also accepted the Memorial award on his father's behalf.

Read more at MLive.com.

Labels: awareness, awards, adoptees

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In 1975, President Ford authorized a program called Operation Babylift, which evacuated 4,000 orphans from South Vietnam. About 2,500 of those children were adopted by U.S. families and several of them gathered together in Grand Rapids, Michigan to honor the late president by posthumously awarding him the Heather Constance Noone Memorial Award for extraordinary actions.

"Ford's son, Steven, was touched by the ceremony, in which a painting of Ford cradling an infant was presented to the museum."

Steven also accepted the Memorial award on his father's behalf.

Read more at MLive.com.

Labels: awareness, awards, adoptees

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On the University of Georgia  Athens campus, a group has begun mentoring Asian adoptees, helping them learn and understand more about the countries in which they were born. The Asian Children Mentoring Program (ACMP) pairs an Asian university student with an adopted child from a local Athens family.

"In addition to providing mentors, the organization sponsors one community-based cultural event for the children each semester. Last semester, the organization sponsored an Autumn Moon Festival including crafts, storytelling and traditional food for the children."

The ACMP currently has about 20 members, and became an official school organization in November of last year. Read more at RedandBlack.com.

Labels: mentors, adoptees, cultures

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