Bethany Responds to Current Refugee Crisis in the U.S.

Bethany Christian Services has an urgent request for help.

Right now, children from Central America are fleeing increased crime, violence, and poverty in their home countries. The number of unaccompanied minors crossing the border into the southern U.S. has recently surged.

These children, some as young as two years old, have traveled on their own for days or weeks under disturbing conditions. They are in shock. You can see it in their eyes. Please help Bethany respond.

Local agencies are overwhelmed, so children are living in crowded conditions in emergency shelters such as military barracks and detention centers.

Give now and enable Bethany to:
>   Find and support foster families to provide temporary care for children
>   Help reunite these vulnerable children with their family members in the U.S.
 
They need your help to respond to kids who are in crisis. Please give now.

www.bethany.org

 

  

Trust Based Relational Interventions Workshop

 

Holt-Sunny Ridge Children’s Services and The University of Chicago Adoption Center are excited to announce the first of four workshops on Trust Based Relational Interventions® (TBRI®), presented by Pam Shepard, LCSW and Linda Walsh, NP.

Are you looking for parenting strategies to help you address your child’s trauma history?

Trust-Based Relational Interventions® (TBRI®), is an emerging intervention model developed by Dr. Karyn Purvis and Dr. David Cross (authors of the popular book “The Connected Child”) at the TCU Institute of Child Development.

Are you parenting, or planning to parent a child who has experienced any of the following?

• -Abuse
• -Neglect
• -Multiple foster placements
• -Orphanage care

Early life trauma shapes a child’s behavior and how they relate to individuals around them. TBRI can help prospective adoptive parents or current parents:

• -Gain a greater understanding of the impacts of early life trauma on a child’s behavior and relational abilities
• -Develop a parenting structure which encourages a child to build self-regulation skills
• -Strengthen a child’s ability to form healthy attachments
• -Learn specific techniques to address common problem behaviors in children from “hard places”.

Saturday, August 9th, 2014

9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Holt-Sunnyridge

270 Remington Boulevard, Suite C, Bolingbrook, IL60440

Workshop fee: $35 per person; includes workbook; 25 people maximum;
CEU’s for LSW/LCSW for additional $10; forms for foster family DCFS self-submission training credits available; no child care provided. Register by Tuesday, August 5, 2014; no refunds for participant cancellation; lunch: pre-order or bring your own.

For more information about TBRI visit www.child.tcu.edu.
For workshop questions contact Pam Shepard, LCSW at pams@holtsunnyridge.org or

call (630) 754-4522.

Click HERE to register. 

Triathalon Dad to Raise Money to Support Adoptions

Written by Bethany Christian Services on Mon, 06/16/2014    

Bob Schmid is an adoptive father of two children. He and his wife, Sally, adopted their son from China in 2008 when he was 3, and they adopted their daughter from Ethiopia in 2012 when she was 7. Both children had special placement needs.

“These kids flipped my world upside down and have been a wonderful blessing since they entered our family,” Bob said. “God has given me a huge heart for orphans across the globe.” This passion led Bob and Sally to start Open Hearts for Orphans in 2009, designed to grant funds to prospective adoptive families for whom adoption, travel, and medical expenses were an obstacle. Then in 2012, they joined forces with Bethany Christian Services’ Chicago branch, when Bob also joined their board. One of his goals was to help establish a local Caring Connection fund, designated to help families who want to adopt children with special needs. Since 2001, the fund in Bethany’s main branch in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has served more than 1,300 children with special needs.

The Chicago Caring Connection fund was established, and in 2013 a generous donor offered to make a full match if the Chicago-area Caring Connection could raise $30,000. They did, and they were able to assist two families with their adoption expenses and helped several other families with costs associated with post adoption counseling. But Bob knows more can be done, and he uses his athletic abilities to that end.

“I work full-time in BP's oil trading unit,” Bob said. “But in my spare time I really enjoy being active outdoors, whether hiking and camping with my family, or biking and running. I’m not a terribly competitive person, but I decided to use my favorite pastime activities for a cause that I am super passionate about—helping kids find loving families. Therefore, in 2013, I took up swimming as well to complete a sprint triathlon to raise money for Bethany Christian Services.”

Last year Bob participated in the Naperville Area Sprint Triathlon, which kicked-off the 2013 fundraising efforts for Bethany’s Chicago Caring Connection fund and raised over $6,000. Contributions totaling about $2,000 were matched dollar for dollar by Bob and Sally.  BP matched their contribution with another $2,000. This year, he’s decided to take it a step further and raise money by completing an Olympic-distance triathlon, which is a 1.5 kilometer swim, 40 kilometer bike ride, and 6.2 mile run (10k).

On Sunday, July 13, Bob will participate with about 500 others in the Lake Zurich Area Triathlon in Illinois—one of the area's top Olympic-distance events. The event consists of a 1.5 kilometer swim in Lake Zurich, a rolling 40 kilometer bike course, and a two–loop, 6 kilometer run around Lake Zurich. And in addition to using his athletic abilities to raise awareness and Caring Connection funds, he and Sally are contributing personal resources. This year they are matching, dollar-for-dollar, the first $2,500 in contributions received from this fundraiser.

“I could not have a greater respect for Bethany, especially for its team in the Chicago branch. Since joining the board, I have been truly humbled by the impact the Chicago branch has had on children and families, as well as the tireless efforts of the staff,” Bob shared.

If you would like to support Bob and his efforts to raise Caring Connection funds, go to his fundraising page. Those already training for this triathlon can also join Bob in efforts to raise funds to assist adoptive families in the greater Chicago area.

Upcoming Adoption Seminars

Sally Wildman, Chicago and Northbrook adoption attorney

 

Presents

 

The Adoption Process from  A to Z 

 

 

Wednesday, July 16: The Adoption Process from A to Z*

6:30 – 8:30 p.m.

Sulzer Regional Library – Chicago Public Library System

4455 N. Lincoln Ave.

Chicago, IL 60625

To register, call 312-744-7616 or view: http://www.chipublib.org/events

Wednesday, August 20: The Adoption Process from A to Z*

6:30 – 8:30 p.m.

Niles Public Library

6960 W. Oakton St. , Large Meeting Room A & B

Niles, IL 60714

To register, call 847-663-1234 or view: http://www.nileslibrary.org/events

For more information visit:
Sally@SWildmanLaw.comSWildmanLaw.com

Summer Play Dates Announced

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The Compassion for Kids ministry at the Chapel  is pleased to announce weekday play dates through this summer!  CFK's is a ministry devoted to adoption, foster care and Safe Families.   Each Monday at 10 am, they will meet at a different park. Join them when you are able and feel free to bring along friends.    The play date locations are posted on the events page located here, or go to www.compassionforkids.net.

Webinar: Tackling Tough Adoption Talks

July 8th, 2014 

7:00 PM Central

Q&A 8:00 PM

 

Tackling Tough Adoption Talks

 

You know talking about adoption is important -- but sometimes life isn't that agreeable. A complicated story, a lack of facts or information that's hard to share with your child can make talking about adoption really tough.

 

Join Jayne Schooler as she discusses how to tackle tough talks when:

• Kids don't want to talk
• Siblings have different stories and different amounts of information 
• You don't have enough information to answer questions
• You have biological kids AND adopted kids

 

Our expert will be joined by Carmen Knight an adult adopted person. Carmen will give real life example of how her parents incorporated adoption into her life - even when it wasn't an easy task.

 

Have more situations that require tough talks? Send them to us and we'll try to give you some insight!

 

Register 

Here!

 

Webinar: Cultivating a Heart for the Nations in the Next Generation

Wednesday, June 25  |  1:00 PM (Central) Cultivating a Heart for the Nations in the Next Generation  Whether you're a parent, teacher, mentor, or advocate, prepare to be encouraged and equipped with practical ideas, devotionals, and activities that are designed to educate and engage today's children. We will talk about how to share in age-appropriate ways the reality of the orphan experience. This webinar will help you in answering your children's questions or indifference about orphan care. It will serve anyone who is actively parenting or leading a children's ministry. Presenter:  Beth Guckenberger, Back2Back Ministries

Register Here!

The Christian Alliance for Orphans Webinar Series is designed to help individuals like you create and grow effective adoption, foster care and global orphan ministry in local churches.  Each 60-minute webinar is free and will give local advocates access to the knowledge and experience of top Alliance member churches and organizations nationwide.