Adoption Family Camp!

Adoption Family Camp

A Place Set Apart For Your Family!

Date: August 14th – August 18th, 2016

Location: Conference Point Center, Lake Geneva, WI

This is a unique opportunity for families to learn, share, gain support, and celebrate adoption with other families that are built like yours. Adoptive parents get a rare opportunity to take time out from the rush of everyday life to reflect thoughtfully with other parents who share your experiences.

Includes 5 Days and 4 Nights Lodging, 11 Meals, and Programming

$179 Adult age 13 and older

$100 (Children 5-12)

$25   (Children 0-4, includes 2 childcare sessions)

$699 Family Camp Max

Register Here

Adoption Family Retreat

 

 Adoption Family Retreat at 

Silver Birch Ranch, White Lake, WI

March 11-13, 2016

The Adoption Family Retreat is a time to encourage and strengthen your family in many ways. Hear excellent Biblical teaching from speakers who share your life situation. Enjoy networking with other families, and receive counsel and advice from professionals in the field. Horseback riding, ziplines, the climbing wall, tubing hills, broomball, cross-country ski trails, and a warm fireplace are a sampling of some of the activities you can enjoy with your family. This weekend is suited for families who have adopted, are in the process of adopting, or who are investigating adoption. Come join us as we encourage each other.

For more information and to register click HERE.

Retreat Speaker - Russ Couwenhoven

Russ an Ann Couwenhoven are parents to 12 children (2 foster, 5 adopted and 5 biological). They reside in Minneapolis where Russ is a Conference Superintendent for the Evangelical Church and Ann is a stay at home mom. They have been in pastoral ministry for 25 years serving churches in Iowa, Michigan, and Minnesota. God called them to adopt 17 years ago and still is placing youth in their home through foster care. Life in the Couwenhoven home is joyful, unpredictable, humorous, overwhelming and yet satisfying beyond human understanding. Russ grew up attending Silver Birch Ranch and is honored to be invited back to the place where God first grabbed hold of his heart. (Click here to view a family photo.)

Retreat Partner - Bethany Christian Services

	We are excited to partner with Bethany Christian Services. They are sending Michelle Scott – Grant a Post Adoption Therapist and Jenny Schmeichel to not only lead seminars but they are making themselves available throughout the weekend to meet, encourage and answer your questions. See below for a brief bio on Michelle and Jenny along with seminar descriptions.
Michelle Scott is a WI Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She deeply believes and enjoys partnering with families as they create strong healthy relationships. She has received training in Family Systems Theory, Solution Focused Therapy, TBRI and more. For 15+ years much of her career focused on permanency, either through reunification or adoption. Michelle has expertise with trauma, grief/loss, high-risk youth, child and adolescent behaviors, parenting, family conflict and adoption/foster care.
Jenny Schmeichel has earned her Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. She currently supervises the International and Infant Domestic Adoption programs for Bethany in Wisconsin. She possesses a wide range of training and experience in adoption related challenges, providing education and support to adoptive families and other professionals.

Family Movie Night for Adoptive, Foster & Safe Families

STUCK Documentary Coming to Chicago

 

The award-winning documentary film, STUCK, is the story of the struggles and rewards of international adoption. It is travelling to 60 cities over 3 months, beginning March 1. It will be in Chicago on April 26 at the Music Box Theater.

STUCK follows the stories of four orphans from Haiti, Vietnam and Ethiopia and their heartbreaking struggles to come home to their families. To view the trailer, purchase theater tickets, or download the film for personal viewing, please visit www.stuckdocumentary.com.

Prominent Americans including Gerda Weissmann Klein (Jewish Holocaust survivor, author and human rights activist) and Jedd Medefind (Christian Alliance for Orphans) have endorsed the film. Their inspirational words can be viewed at http://vimeo.com/61031241(Gerda) and http://vimeo.com/59461549. (Jedd).

More than a movie, this is a movement – a movement to ensure that every child has the possibility to grow up in a loving family. Viewers are asked to move beyond politics and borders, and address the lives of children who are stuck in a broken system.

The STUCK film is designed to raise awareness – and outrage – over the deplorable system of international adoption. Bureaucracy, inefficiencies and politics keep children incarcerated in orphanages around the world when loving families are willing and eager to adopt them.

The award-winning documentary film was created by Both Ends Burning, a non-profit dedicated to international adoption reform. Founder and President (and STUCK Executive Producer) Craig Juntunen is passionate that it is every child’s fundamental right to have the opportunity to grow up in a loving family. As producer of the movie, his vision is for STUCK to be a change-agent in reforming the current broken process of international adoption.

During the day, the STUCK team will visit local media, houses of worship, community organizations and universities to create a sense of community involvement and pride in adoption. If your group is interested in organizing or hosting an event, please contact Rochelle Rickoff, Volunteer Manager at Rochelle.rrr@gmail.com.

The STUCK Tour bus will end in Washington, D.C. when the petition signatures collected during the trip will be delivered to legislators on Capitol Hill during the Step Forward for Orphans March on May 17th.

What are some easy things you can do to help?

· Come see the movie! Advance-purchase film tickets are available and highly encouraged. To see when STUCK will be near you and to buy tickets for the film, please visitwww.stuckdocumentary.com/.

· Volunteer to be part of the STUCK team when the film comes to your city athttps://bothendsburning.org/initiatives/stuck-tour/volunteer/.

· Sign the petition at http://www.change.org/petitions/make-a-child-s-right-to-a-family-our-priority or text “orphans” to 67463 to sign the petition right from your phone! The goal is to have 1 million signatures by May 17th.

· Join us for the National March for Orphans in Washington, DC on May 17^th. Register athttps://bothendsburning.org/initiatives/the-step-forward-for-orphans-march/.

· Spread the word. This movement is highly dependent on social networking:

o Like our Facebook page here, share it on your page, change your Facebook cover photo to our “Official STUCK cover photo” and share your city’s event tab with your friends.

o Follow STUCK on Twitter/Instagram(@Stuck2013) and use hashtags #StuckTour, #JoinTheMovement, #STUCK, #SaveAChild, #CelebrateFamily.

o E-blast this information to your family, friends, colleagues, houses of worship, community organizations and interfaith networks. The sky is the limit!

· If you cannot attend a film screening, download and view the film for individual use atwww.stuckdocumentary.com.

For more information, call the Both Ends Burning office at 877-908-5161 or visit the STUCKWeb site at www.stuckdocumentary.com.

Summer Picnic 2010

On June 13th, foster, adoptive and Safe Families from Willow Creek North Shore, Willow Creek So. Barrington, and other area churches, joined together to enjoy a summer picnic. Parents had a great time of connecting with other foster & adoptive families while the kids enjoyed face-painting, animal balloons and a playground. We all enjoyed TONS of really great food! Thanks to all who came out. Here are a few pictures of our time together.