Beyond Orphan Sunday Webinar

An upcoming webinar and a new web resource can help you make the most of the momentum from Orphan Sunday!

Join November's webinar: Beyond Orphan Sunday

What’s next? How can you best harness the energy built by Orphan Sunday? Join us for this webinar highlighting great resources for both personal action and church orphan ministry. Explore ready-to-go tools and plans for growing engagement - from your family or small group to large ministries. Hear strategies for turning awareness and excitement into tangible plans for defending the fatherless over the year ahead. Orphan Sunday is just the beginning!

Presenters: Jedd Medefind, Chistian Alliance for Orphans & Jason Weber, Hope for Orphans


Date: 1:00 PM Central, Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Register Here: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/652798712

Online Beyond Orphan Sunday web resources: http://orphansunday.org/beyond-orphan-sunday/

Reece's Rainbow Christmas Angel Tree

In only five years, more than 500+ children with Down syndrome and other special needs are HOME with their "forever families" this Christmas. The vast majority of this funding comes from the Angel Tree Project each year!

From November 1 - December 31, Reece's Rainbow is holding a fundraiser to support their efforts to advocates for the adoption of children with Down Syndrome and other special needs.

When you donate $35 or more, you will recieve a beautiful photo ornament of your sponsored child to hang on your tree. This is a very special way to "share Christmas" with an orphaned child, and it's a very personal and meaningful GIFT IDEA for everyone on your list. Gift cards will be sent with the ornament to your intended recipient(s). These are great for friends and family, but also for teachers, therapists, caregivers, doctors, etc. 

Joint Councils 4th Annual Photo Contest

 

In honor of National Adoption Month, Joint Council is launching its Fourth Annual Photo Contest and is now accepting submissions. 

 

This year's photo contest brings a new opportunity for  the community to see through your unique lens how your life has been impacted through your forever family. We are looking for beautiful, inspiring photos of all types of children- children in orphanages, foster homes, or adoptive families, engaged in all types of activities- children at play, in reflection, or just being loved.

 

 

The photo contest is open to all persons interested in child welfare issues related to finding children a safe, loving, and permanent homes. Examples of some persons who may want to enter the contest are parents, adoptive parents, foster parents or employees of child welfare organizations.

 

Visit the photo contest web site at http://www.wix.com/jointcouncil/photo-contest for information on how to submit your photo!

Orphans Sunday Event

You Are Invited to a

Willow Creek Orphan Sunday Event

Sunday, November 20

5:00 PM to 7:00 PM

Willow Creek Community Church (room F150)

67 E. Algonquin Road So. Barrington, IL 60010

 

* Be challenged and inspired by our guest speakers who are in the process and have adopted with the help of Reece's Rainbow, an organization that advocates for adoption of children

with special needs.

* View the Heart Gallery of IL and help pray these children into forever families

* Join us in live worship to a God who's heart is for the orphan.

* Share a catered meal with orphan advocates & adoptive, foster and Safe Families.

* Be there to see our Forever Family Wall unveiled.

* Bring a package of diapers or pull-ups to help serve our local DCFS office. (optional)

* Child care is available after dinner if you r.s.v.p. with the number of children and their ages.

Please R.S.V.P. to vcministry127@gmail.com

Families By Design Adoption

I found this great resource which many of you will find helpful. I encourage you to check it out.

After adopting 3 children from foster care, Karla's passion to see children's lives changed was fueled. She spent several years assisting other parents in building and expanding their families. This passion soon turned into Family by Design ~All Things Adoption. Leaving a long career in bank management and human resources, Karla assists prospective parents in accomplishing their dream of parenthood and changing children's lives.


Family by Design~All Things Adoption is a consulting firm dedicated to the advocacy of adoption and foster care. They firmly believe that our children should be the ultimate focus to ensure their needs and dreams are fulfilled. FBD was started out of a passion and heart to see childrens' and parents lives changed through this precious gift of adoption and foster care!

FBD also focuses extreme effort in assisting adoptive parents in parenting and raising confident and well-adjusted children. We firmly believe that giving the adoptive parent/foster parent the tools needed provides each child with an experience of freedom, joy and a positive self-identity.

Through their radio program, seminars and private consulting on adoption and adoptive parenting they provide information and inspiration. They also provide tools, resources and e-books that guide clients through the process.

Their vision is to increase the awareness of children that need loving families and provide all the information that a parent needs to help their children succeed.

familybydesignadoption.com

Sunnyridge Family Center's Denim & Diamonds Gala

THREE WEEKS! Join us for a spectacular "Denim & Diamonds" evening in support of the mission of Sunny Ridge Family Center on Saturday, December 3, 2011.

You're invited! Our Gala Fundraiser is fast approaching and there are many ways you can support the event:

Attend the Fundraiser
Get your group of friends together for a fun evening in support of Sunny Ridge! Wear your best denim and diamonds, take home that special auction item, or dance the night away! Adoptive parents we encouraged you to submit your child's picture to Sunny Ridge for our video slide show at the Gala! Remember: payments in excess of $35 per reservation may be considered a charitable contribution. Purchase your reservations at: www.sunnyridge.org/gala

Donate an item to our Live or Silent Auction
Our Live & Silent Auctions raise important funds for Sunny Ridge, and we rely on generous supporters to help make our auction a success. Ideal items include sporting event tickets, such as Cubs, White Sox, Bulls, Blackhawks, Bears, and college sports; golf packages, entertainment items such as theater, concerts, guest passes to museums, one-of-a-kind experiences, electronics, restaurant gift certificates, airfare, vacations, and more. All donors will be recognized in our Gala Fundraiser Program Book. Please send your donated items to Sunny Ridge no later than Friday, November 18, 2011. For more information or to make a donation, please contact: Ms. Joan Bowen, (630) 325-9800, jb@bowencpa.com.

Purchase Raffle Tickets
Enter to win one of three fabulous prizes, including a Downtown Chicago Weekend Hotel/Dinner package, a Kindle e-reader, or a $100 Gift Card from Best Buy. Purchase your raffle tickets on-line today.

Place an Ad in our Program Book
Purchase an ad for your business or commemorate your child or family in the Gala Fundraiser program booklet. Families can include their photo as part of their ad. Download the form from our invitation at: www.sunnyridge.org/gala

Online Gala Reservations/Donations:  http://gala2011.eventbrite.com/?ref=ebtn

Download the Gala Fundraiser Invitation (PDF): http://gala2011.eventbrite.com/?ref=ebtn

Oklahoma Singer Records "Heart of Adoption" Album

Music Aims to Find Homes for Foster Kids: November is 'National Adoption Month'

Oct. 17th, 2011, Tahlequah, OK:

Becky Wright, mom of nine and former school music teacher, is on a mission "to find homes for kids", particularly kids in US foster care. Wright has just completed recording her fourth full-length album, entitled "The Heart of Adoption", which was released in October. Giving voice to the fatherless, the orphan, the foster child, and the forgotten, these ten songs are an eclectic mix of inspirational, rock, R & B (with 12-year-old EJ Avery performing "Who's My Daddy"), country (brand new recording of "Child of My Heart" with Tommy Brandt), and the heart-gripping ballad of a birth mother who relinquishes her baby, "I Gave You Away". Songs of faith, family, hope, and divine intervention, including "Entertaining Angels, Unaware" are certain to inspire. Working closely with Oklahoma's www.111project.org and other organizations nationwide, Wright hopes to raise public awareness and enlist more foster and adoptive families through the music.

See the website for more information or details on Becky's concert /speaking schedule: www.beckywrightsongs.com . (Booking: Lee Porter, Aspiring Mark Agency: 615.656.5987)

Adoption Video

November is National Adoption Awareness Month.  Below is a wonderful video and music from North American Council on Adoptable Children (NACAC) that says it all.  Don't forget to mute the blog music at the bottom of this page before starting the video, or click here to view it on YouTube.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTln0hGZVQA&feature=player_embedded

Orphan Sunday Live from Kansas City!

On Orphan Sunday evening, join with David Platt, Jedd Medefind, the Desperation Band's Jon Egan, members of the IHOP team and Christian leaders from around the globe via

LIVE from Kansas City!

This one-hour webcast event will unite believers worldwide in GUIDED PRAYER for the fatherless and WORSHIP led by IHOP's Jon Thurlow and Jon Egan of the Desperation Band.

LIVE from Kansas City will be webcast live at www.orphansunday.org November 6, 2011 at 6 PM Central Time.

To join the webcast ONLINE is free, but please REGISTER HERE. http://orphansunday.org/live-event/

To join IN PERSON tickets are free, but you must register HERE. http://www.eventbrite.com/event/1996540707

Visit us at www.christianalliancefororphans.org

Special Family Needed

I have been made aware of a unique situation from Adoption-Link, a not-for-profit adoption agency providing humanitarian and adoption services in Haiti. They are trying to locate a very special family to adopt three sisters who were orphaned in the earthquake in Haiti. If you have ever considered adopting from Haiti, adopting a sibling group, or adopting children who have suffered emotional trauma, please consider this request.

Following is a brief description and comments from Jerry Capell, the Board Chair of Adoption-Link:

3 biological sisters ages 13, 9, and 7. The birth father has never been around and abandoned the family many years ago. Their birth mother died in the earthquake despite the girls trying to save her. They have been at Crèche Enfant Jesus since the earthquake. Danielle, the previous Adoption-Link extern in Haiti got to know them over the course of her year in Haiti and feels they may all be suffering from post traumatic stress disorder and will need some therapy services. They also received little to no formal education prior to coming to the crèche and therefore it seems the right fit for them would be a family that can home school for at least the first year or more. They also are all three Christians and would need a family that would at least support their faith. Otherwise they are healthy and just want to be adopted. I recognize this is a tall order, but am hopeful through our collective networks we can locate a home for these beautiful little girls. Please feel free to share this email with family, friends, community or religious organizations. More information is available by contacting Heather Breems at Adoption-Link, 708-524-1433 or Heather.Breems@Adoption-Link.org.