Orthodontist Brightens Smiles Of Adopted Children

Doctor Offers Free Services To Families

Mitch Jelniker, 7NEWS Anchor, Keely Walker, Producer


June 29, 2007

LITTLETON, Colo. -- Braces can improve someone's smile, self esteem and even job prospects, but they do come at a price.  For one patient named David his smile may have never changed without the help of Dr. Jeff Haskins. He is providing all of the orthodontic work for free. He says he feels called to do it.

"In James 1.27 instructs us to take care of the orphans and widows and possibly try to take orphans into our homes. We can't all do that - so what can we do? So, we formed our own ministry Ortho 1.27," said Haskins. Ortho 1.27 is an off-shoot of the faith based non-profit called Project 1.27.

"Project 1.27 is a nonprofit that helps recruit, train, and support parents in the faith community to adopt or foster kids in the child welfare services in Colorado," said Rick Valore, executive director of Project 1.27.
The project serves nearly 170 families. Haskins serves all of them, providing free orthodontia to each family's adopted and biological children........

To read the full article & view the video click here:  http://www.thedenverchannel.com/7everydayhero/28392175/detail.html

2011 Tapestry Adoption & Foster Care Conference

You are invited to join us for the 2011 Tapestry Adoption & Foster Care Conference on Saturday, October 29th, at Irving Bible Church in Irving Texas. With more than twenty breakout sessions to choose from, this year’s conference promises to be the most informative and helpful Tapestry Conference yet.

Jayne Schooler will be the general session speaker for the 2011 Tapestry Conference. Jayne is the author of several well-known books for adoptive and foster parents, including The Whole Life Adoption Book, Telling the Truth to Your Adopted or Foster Child and Wounded Children, Healing Homes.

Online registration for the 2011 Tapestry Conference begins on August 15th, but complete details about the conference are already available at http://www.tapestryconference.org/. As with past Tapestry Conferences, childcare is available for ages 0 through 5th grade with advanced registration, but space is limited so be sure to register early. Training certificates will also be available for foster and adoptive parents at the conclusion of the conference.

Mark your calendars now and make plans to attend for what is sure to be a great time of learning and encouragement at the 2011 Tapestry Adoption & Foster Care Conference!

Tapestry is a ministry of Irving Bible Church.  For more information, visit our website at http://www.tapestryministry.org/.

D.C.F.S. PRIDE training offered at Willow Creek Community Church

Many of our families have expressed an interest in becoming licensed to become DCFS foster parents. One of the requirements to become licensed is to complete the DCFS Foster Care P.R.I.D.E. Training.

We are happy to let you know that this fall, a P.R.I.D.E. training will be held at Willow Creek Community Church, So. Barrington Campus. If you have been considering becoming a licensed foster care family, please contact a foster care agency that can help you through the process. I've listed three agencies below, but you are free to choose any other licensed agency. Please note that you MUST be referred by an agency in order to attend this training.

Please pass along this information to anyone you know who may be interested.

9-week training:

Dates: Thursdays, August 25 - October 20, 2011

Time: 6:30 p.m.- 9:30 a.m.

Location: Willow Creek Community Church/So. Barrington

Foster Care Agencies:

Bethany Christian Services
708-385-4889
www.bethany.org

Evangelical Child and Family Services (ECFA)
630-653-6400
www.evancfa.org

One Hope United
Contact Margaret at mvergamini@onehopeunited.org

UCAN
Chicago: 773-588-0180
Chicago: 312-738-5944
Vernon Hills: Erin Ginn  847-932-4666  ginne@ucanchicago.org
http://www.ucanchicago.org/

Lydia House/Safe Families Benefit

LYDIA/Safe Families

invites you to

Come enjoy the soulful sounds

of Shuree Rivera

Saturday, August 27, 6-9 pm

Deerpath Golf Club

500 West Deerpath Road

Lake Forest, IL

$50 per person

Music, dancing, silent auction beverages & hors d'oeuvres.

All proceeds will benefit LYDIA/Safe Families

Click here to register http://www.lydiahome.org/EventRegister.aspx?site_id=10086&event_id=253801

or contact Mary Gaskill (773) 653-2214 

For more than 95 years LYDIA/Safe Families has been providing hope and support to children and families in need. 

Residential home for severely abused and neglected children

Safe Families for Children

Foster care

Families First serving the Austin community

LYDIA Urban Academy (non-traditional high schools in Chicago and Rockford)

Preschool and after school programs

Graduate training program

Counseling for children, families and individuals



America's Invisible Children: Homeless Children in America

An Exclusive CW Network Special!


There are over 1.3 million homeless children just in the United States. While many are struggling with their families just to survive, many of them are making an effort to get an education; often overcoming what seems like insurmountable odds.

In this show you will meet some of these remarkable children and see what they have to do just to go to school everyday so they can get an education.Most people don't think of children, when they hear the word homeless, but the number of homeless children in the U.S. is shocking. Not in some third world country, but right here in America, there are 1.3 million homeless children. They are not confined to one area of the country, homeless children are struggling to survive in every state, in rural, urban and suburban areas.


The children become homeless for many reasons, whether it is abuse, neglect, death, divorce, home fire, foreclosures, or medical tragedies, the number is growing.

Educating these children is the best way to solve the problem and end the cycle. The good news is these kids want to go to school and what they do to get to school will surprise you.

America's Invisible Children shares the personal stories of homeless children from elementary to high school, overcoming unimaginable obstacles every day, in order to get their education.


To view the program visit the following link: http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/family/Family%20and%20Community%20Partnerships/Crisis%20Support/Homelessness/AmerisIvisible.htm

You can also check your local t.v. listing at http://americasinvisiblechildren.com/stations.html.

Illinois Catholics win initial court battle over 'gay' adoption

Bob Kellogg and Associated Press - OneNewsNow - 7/13/2011 7:30:00 AM

An attorney is encouraged that a circuit judge has granted three Illinois Catholic Charities a preliminary injunction, allowing them to continue their foster care services for 2,000 children.

Catholic Charities has refused to place foster children with same-sex couples, despite the recent legislative act that gives legal status to such partnerships.

In granting the injunction, the court ruled that the discontinuance of the contracts could cause irreparable harm to the families the organization serves. Peter Breen, executive director of the Thomas More Society, is encouraged by the ruling.

"What this means is that Catholic Charities can continue to do all of the work that it was doing previously -- serving children," he explains. "It means none of the 2,000 children under their care will have their placements terminated."

Diocese officials in Peoria, Joliet and Springfield sued to hold up enforcement of the law that would force them to place foster kids with "gay" couples, as Catholic Charities opposes on religious grounds the Illinois civil union law that allows same-sex couples to adopt children or provide foster care. Instead of violating the Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Unions Act, the Catholic group contends it is actually shielded by the law. And Breen points out that the sponsor of the act never intended to harm Catholic Charities.

"The problem is the governor of Illinois and the attorney general of Illinois took a different track and have tried to read the religious freedom protection out of the Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act," the attorney concludes.




The matter is scheduled to go before Judge John Schmidt again in August for a final decision, but Breen says the judge's preliminary injunction is a positive sign.

Adoption Update: Russia

Secretary Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov Sign Adoption Agreement

The Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security announced on July 13, 2011, that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov signed a bilateral adoptions agreement that will strengthen procedural safeguards in adoptions between our countries.

This Agreement will provide additional safeguards to better protect the welfare and interests of children and all parties involved in intercountry adoptions. Under the Agreement, only adoption agencies authorized by the Russian government will be able to operate in Russia and provide services in adoptions covered by the Agreement, except in the case of an adoption of a child by his or her relatives. This will largely eliminate independent adoptions from Russia and create a better defined framework for intercountry adoptions between the United States and Russia. The Agreement also includes provisions designed to improve post-adoption reporting and monitoring and to ensure that prospective adoptive parents receive more complete information about adoptive children’s social and medical histories and anticipated needs.

The United States is committed to working with the Russian Federation on implementing the provisions laid forth in this Agreement as soon as it enters into force.

The Department of State will publish criteria, procedures, and clear guidance related to the Agreement on adoption.state.gov prior to the Agreement’s entry into force.

For additional FAQs on the agreement, please visit http://adoption.state.gov.

Book Review: Orphanology

I've purchased this book, but have not had the chance to read it yet.  I came across this review from Christianity Today.  http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2011/july/quicktakes-jul11.html

 

Orphanology: Awakening to Gospel-Centered Adoption and Orphan Care
by Tony Merida and Rick Morton (New Hope Publishers)

Christians do not approach orphan care as mere humanitarians but as people adopted by God through the work of Jesus Christ. Orphanology provides the burgeoning orphan care movement with a gospel-centered theological foundation as well as a comprehensive plan for getting involved at many levels, including adoption, orphanage restoration, foster care, and transitional assistance. Between adoption stories, Tony Merida and Rick Morton offer a compelling picture of how the gospel motivates us to action on behalf of the fatherless.

The Fresh Air Fund

Since 1877, The Fresh Air Fund has been giving inner-city children the joy of a summer vacation with volunteer host families and at Fund camps, creating unforgettable memories and fresh possibilities.

Currently, they are still in need of 850 host families for this summer. Host families are volunteers who open their hearts and homes to children from the city to give them a Fresh Air experience that can change lives. . It's only for up to two weeks, but it's an experience that can change their lives forever.  If you live in the green colored area on the map, and are interested in hosting a child, please call 1-800-367-0003 or visit their web site at http://www.freshair.org/. 

W.I.S.E. Up Workshop for Adoptive Families

Date: Saturday, July 23, 2011
Location: Sunnyridge Family Center, Bolingbrook, IL

Most adopted children are frequently asked questions about being adopted, yet few are equipped to respond. WISE Up! is a unique and interactive workshop that provides a simple but powerful way for adopted children (and families) to handle comments and personal questions about their adoption journey. It also teaches children that they have the power to decide if and when they want to share their story. A parent workshop that teaches adults how to practice this program at home will run concurrently with the children’s workshop.

WISE Up was developed by the Center for Adoption Support and Education (C.A.S.E.).
This workshop offers practical tools for both adoptive parents and adopted children (both internationally and domestically) to guide them in making choices on how to respond to uncomfortable or personal questions about their adoption. Workshops for children will be divided based on grade: 1st-3rd and 4th-6th.Space in each Workshop is limited to 10 children and 20 adults, so early registration is recommended.

Registration fee: $100 per family, or $75 for adults attending without children.
Payment for the Workshop is accepted by major credit card at the time of your registration, or by mail to Sunny Ridge within five business days of your registration. Please note: No refunds are given for cancellations. A Workshop credit will be issued which is good for one year from cancelled date.

For more information and to register, visit http://www.sunnyridge.org/. 

Christian Alliance for Orphans Summit Recap

If you were at the Summit, relive the richness and re-engage actions you intended to take. And if you missed it, catch a glimpse of what the excitement was all about. (And make plans for May 3-4, 2012 at Saddleback Church in southern California!)

(Be sure to mute the blog music at the bottom of the page before starting the video)

Adoptive Family Counseling

Adoption-Competent Counseling Available  Adoptive families and adoptees can benefit from professionals who understand the unique challenges adoptive families and adopted persons face. Sunny Ridge Family Center, in Bolingbrook, IL  provides post adoption counseling to individual adoptees, adoptive parents, or adoptive families. Services are available to everyone, whether your adoption was facilitated through Sunny Ridge or not. To schedule a private consultation, or for more information, call Pam Shepard, LCSW, Supervisor of Parent Training and Adoption Counseling Services, at (630) 754-4522. http://www.sunnyridge.org/

How To Adopt Without Debt

The Gumm Family

It's possible! Julie Gumm tells you how her family did it.

from daveramsey.com on 21 Jun 2011

Recently on The Dave Ramsey Show, Dave interviewed Julie Gumm, author of the new book, Adopt Without Debt: Creative Ways to Cover the Cost of Adoption. Julie and her husband have adopted two children and didn’t go into a dime of debt to do it.

Click here for  some of the highlights of that interview.

Should the Marriage Battleground Shift to Religious Freedom?

Below is a link to an article in today's Christianity Today.  It addresses the issue of the rising dilemma over how governments that approve gay marriage will treat those Christian agencies that decline on the grounds of conscience to place children for adoption with unmarried or homosexual couples.  As adoption, foster care & orphan advocates, let's pray that God will be glorified in this important debate.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2011/julyweb-only/gay-marriage-religious-freedom.html?start=1