Adoption Conference Celebrates the Roles of Birthparents, Adoptive Parents and Adopted Children
By: Valerie Ipson

The recent Families Supporting Adoption (FSA) conference, which was organized with the theme “Linked in Love: Celebrating Adoption Together” brought together people whose lives have been affected by–and blessed–by adoption, including (l-r) Kelsey Stewart, Tamra Hyde and Michelle Masterson. Photo courtesy of Kelsey Stewart.

Organized around the idea that birth families, adoptive families and those adopted have much to offer each other, a recent Families Supporting Adoption (FSA) conference held at the Tempe ASU Institute, recognized the three members of the adoption triad and the significant relationship they share.

“Linked in Love: Celebrating Adoption Together” was the theme of the regional conference.

An adoptive parent of one, Andrea Allen, who co-chaired the event with her husband, Josh, says, “Traditionally, FSA has only been attended by couples currently hoping to adopt or those who have recently adopted, though we recognized that many others are touched by adoption and should be included in our group. We have long sought to include birthparents especially, as well as adoptees, extended family members and couples who are parenting adopted children. There are so many families out there who have experienced the miracle of adoption.”

The conference schedule reflected this desire to support all those touched by adoption. Sessions included a track for birthparents, with classes such as “What to Expect Post-Placement” and “Sharing Your Passion for Adoption.” Multiple classes for adoptive couples included “Parenting the Adopted Child,” “How to Communicate with Your Birthparents,” and “Arizona Adoption Law.”

Adoption options were showcased with trans-racial adoption and international adoption panel discussions, birthparent and birthgrandparent panels, and foster and adult adoptee panels.

FSA, organized nationally with a regional chapter based in Mesa, provides a network of support to those in the adoption community. FSA works closely with LDS Family Services (LDSFS) to build and strengthen families and they support and educate those seeking to adopt through LDSFS. FSA advocates a positive view of adoption in the community, through outreach programs to churches and schools to explain the benefits of adoption and influence birth parents to seek help from LDSFS. They also work to encourage the media to present accurate information about adoption.

Andrea says, “When we started with FSA (or rather the whole adoption process) we felt as if we were entering another world, a taboo world that was rarely talked about. FSA has brought to us an understanding, a knowledge that we are not alone, and that adoption is not a second rate way of building a family.”

Southwest Area Group Manager of LDS Family Services, Matt Watson, said of FSA and the conference, “Many times people feel that they are different or ‘not normal’ because their family has developed in a nontraditional way. This organization helps normalize that experience and helps connect people with others who share in their unique journey. This conference reflects the collective, miraculous love of many wonderful people who have been touched by adoption.”

This year’s conference attracted more than 300 attendees, who were able to share in this community of knowledge, experience, and fellowship.

Andrea says, “[My husband and I] are currently in the ‘finding’ phase of our second adoption. Our daughter is 21/2 and we plan to add to our family soon – in the Lord’s time of course. We add our testimonies to those of countless others who consider adoption to be the perfect plan for their lives. Some hope for the miracle of conception, but we know that adoption IS our miracle.”

Throughout the conference, others expressed similar testimonies and shared stories of their own “miracles,” providing ample evidence that regardless of the part one plays in the process, adoption is worth celebrating.

For more information, visit these related Web sites: FSA: fsamesa.wordpress.com and the LDSFS site at: itsaboutlove.org.

Call to Artists and Those who Love Art

We are looking for art to put on display during our annual Families Supporting Adoption Conference this July 30th and 31st. We all have been touched by the miracle of adoption and know how bitter and sweet that journey is. This is an opportunity to share a piece of your journey with others.

Here are some ideas to get your creative juices flowing:

Deadline: July 30th

The best way to find yourself
is to lose yourself in the service of others.
~Mohandas Ghandi

This year, Families Supporting Adoption will be hosting a service project at the annual conference. Collection baskets will be set up for conference participants to have the opportunity to serve two great organizations in collecting items that they are in need of. Please bring your donations with you to the conference.

The first organization we will be collecting items for is Birth Mother Baskets.

Birth Mother Baskets is a non-profit organization started by Gina Crotts. Gina is a birth mother and refers to the daughter she placed as her “little butterfly.” In an effort to give back to the adoption community and serve other women who have placed and may need some additional love, Gina created Birth Mother Baskets. Donated items are arranged into beautiful baskets and sent to birth mothers in need. We are honored to be part of her cause this year.

Items that we would love to collect for Birth Mother Baskets include:

We will also be collecting school supplies for The Christmas Box International.

The friendly environment of the Christmas Box Houses are unique. Children are brought into the shelter program after being removed from their homes because of abuse, neglect, or abandonment. Instead of spending the night in less comfortable circumstances, they are able to arrive at the House were the staff is immediately available to talk to children and explain what is happening, what will happen, and why. The House staff provides a sense of caring, warmth and continuity at a very difficult time in a child’s life.

Currently there are three Christmas Box Houses located in the state of Utah in Salt Lake, Ogden and Moab. The Houses all have the basic concept of a child-friendly, calm, home-like atmosphere and have added programs and services to meet the unique needs of the children in the communities they serve.

School supplies that we would love to collect for The Christmas Box House include:

We can’t wait to see you at the Conference!
Don’t forget to register HERE.

Call to Artists and Those who Love Art

By Rebecca Staley

We are looking for art to put on display during our annual Families Supporting Adoption Conference this July. We all have been touched by the miracle of adoption and know how bitter and sweet that journey is. This is an opportunity to share a piece of your journey with others. All are invited to share their love for adoption through art, whether by craft, photography, sculpture, poem, or paintings.

Deadline: July 1st

All who want to participate will need to submit a photo of their art through email by the deadline to: cutefamilyof5@gmail.com

Photos need to be added as an attachment and in jpeg format. Please include artist’s name, title of the work, medium, date completed, and size of the piece.

Art selected will be on display during the FSA conference at the Davis Conference Center July 30-31st.

All art from children will be displayed on a children’s wall.

We hope you will want to join us and share your creative side!

Registration for the
2010 FSA National Conference
is up and running.

Simply CLICK HERE to be taken to the registration page.

Registration looks something like this:

The Conference will be held at the Davis Conference Center in Layton Utah on Friday July 30, 2010 from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM and on Saturday, July 31, 2010 from 9:00 AM to 4:45 PM.

The cost of the conference is $35 per person.

Please contact the Hilton Garden Inn for lodging information. Use the Group/Convention Code located in the “Lodging” tab of the registration link.

This year we will have a myriad of classes for anyone interested in adoption.

Birth Father, Adoption Triad, Adult Adoptee, Adoptive Couple, Transracial Adoption, Ask a Birth Parent and Birth Parent panels will he held throughout the conference and have been a favorite of attendees for years.

Are you new to adoption? No problem! We will have classes on Drug/Alcohol Impacts in Children, Infertility-Spiritual/Gospel Insights, Understanding Birth Parents, Adoption Law, What Birth Parents Wished Adoptive Couples Knew, and FSA-Who, What, Where, When and How.

Are you looking for more resources and information on transracial adoption? We’ve got you covered there too. Classes will be held on Latent Racism & Racism & Racial Socialization and an overview of transracial adoption. We will also have the opportunity to view and discuss the film Living on the Fault Line.

We will also have classes on parenting available to attendees. Classes are scheduled to include topics such as Communicating/Talking About Adoption With Older Children, Openness, Communication Between Adoptive & Birth Families, The Power of Positive Parenting, Ages and Stages and Unequal Adoption Relationships.

We will also have information and classes available on Foster Care, Special Needs Adoption, Children Available for Adoption, Creating Profiles, Intercountry Adoption, Gifts for Birth Parents and Adoption Advocacy.

The FSA National Conference is not just for Adoptive Couples, Adoptive Parents and Hopeful Adoptive Couples. There is an entire track of classes devoted to Birth Parents and Birth Families. For more information on those classes, please see the previous post HERE.

*Conference registration for birth parents is free.

Classes are subject to change without notice.