Florida Families Supporting Adoption Conference

Greetings all Florida Families Supporting Adoption! It is that time of year again, when we get to come together for our annual conference. We are so excited for this year, and know that it will be a wonderful event.

Date: Saturday, November 7, 2009

Time: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

We will be starting right at 9:00 a.m., and a light breakfast will be served shortly after that.

Place: Orlando Stake Center
(Par Chapel, 45 East Par Street, Orlando, Florida 32804)

Lunch will be provided for everyone, including children. Babysitting will also be provided at the church. If you do bring your children, please consider making a donation of $15-$20 to the babysitters for their service.

Our tentative schedule is as follows:

On Friday, November 6th, anyone who would like to is invited to attend the 7:00 p.m. Orlando Temple session. Babysitting will be provided in the nursery at the Orlando South Stake Center, across from the temple, starting at 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, November 7th

9:00-9:30 Welcome and Introductions
9:30-10:00 Breakfast and Mingle
10:00-10:45 Keynote Speaker: Jenny Kite
10:45-11:00 Break
11:00-12:15 Adoptive Parent Panel
12:15-1:15 Lunch (Collect your children from the nursery for lunch)
1:15-3:15 Adoption Presentations
3:14-4:00 Closing Remarks and Door Prizes

We hope to see you there!

Please send your RSVP to Kim Middleton at kimberly.middleton@gmail.com.

Big News about the FSA National Conference

We have exciting news! As you know, the FSA National Conference is just around the corner, on July 31-Aug. 1. Today we received word that there will be a video stream of the keynote address by Troy Dunn, as well as of the birth parent panel. Both of these sessions promise to be inspiring.

In order to view the video stream, please go to http://stream.lds.org/LDSFamilyenglish. You will be able to view this anywhere, as long as you have high speed internet access. It will be streamed on Saturday, August 1^st at 9:30 MDT and again at 1:00 MDT, and it will also be broadcast to stake centers at the same times. (You will probably have to ask your building's audio/visual specialist for help to see it in your stake center.)

We are so happy that our FSA chapter can participate in the conference from such a distance.

If you are going to be in Utah, and you would like to attend, please follow the sidebar link to the FSA National Blog. You will find all the information you need.

Happy viewing!

National FSA Conference Information

The National Families Supporting Adoption conference in Layton, Utah is coming! This year's theme is "Letting Love Lead."

Check out the
FSA National Blog
for more information,
or click here to see the
official flier.

It looks to be a great event!

The NEW It's About Love

This is a happy day in the adoption world! It's been a long time coming, but the NEW and BEAUTIFUL It's About Love site in up and running! There is a wealth of information for both birth parents and adopting families. There is real support for those considering adoption, and the profiles of those hoping to adopt are stunning. I can't say enough about how wonderful this new site is. Even if you are not considering adoption for yourself, take a look. Then, spread the word! Post a link on your blog, email your friends and family, and show the site to anyone who you think might be interested.

It's About Love

If you are hoping to adopt, make sure you take advantage of having your profile on this site. These new profiles allow adopting families to display many more pictures and a lot more information than the previous site did. This is a blessing for adopting families, and also for birth parents who are able to search for that special family.

Many of our FSA members are eager to help promote adoption. Sharing this new website with your friends, families, ward leaders, and anyone else is a wonderful way to get started!

Making Connections

Have you seen this blog?

http://ldsadoptioncouples.blogspot.com

It is another source for birth mothers and LDS couples hoping to adopt. You can find information on how to include your profile or website on the LDS Couples Hoping to Adopt blog by clicking on the link above.

Also, do you have a blog or online profile that you would like to have our Florida FSA blog link to? If so, leave a comment with your website address, or send an email to florida.fsa@gmail.com. It never hurts to have your name in more than one place.

Best wishes!

February Ensign Article: The Gift of Adoption

The February 2009 Ensign contains an article called The Gift of Adoption. If you have not been able to see a copy yet, the link is included here for you. It is four beautiful adoption stories, written by a birth mother, a birth father, birth grandparent, and an adopted child.

Article: The Gift of Adoption
Ensign, February 2009

Have You Seen the New It's About Love?

As many of you know, It's About Love has been in the process of updating their website, which means many of you have been doing some work getting new profile pages put together. If you have not had a chance to see the new format, spend some time browsing at the new site: https://beta.itsaboutlove.org. It's beautiful, and adoptive couples can put several pictures on their page now, in addition to providing more information about themselves. Another great feature is that birth parents can search profiles using several different options. If you are still working on getting your online profile updated, don't delay!

Infertility Etiquette

Greetings Florida FSA Members! It has been a very long time since the last post, and it's high time to get this blog active again. While reading some other blogs today, I found an article from RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association that many couples dealing with infertility can probably relate to. If anyone reading our FSA blog has ever felt the frustrations mentioned in this article, it may be of some comfort. It may also be something you wish to share with friends and/or family who are not sure how to be of comfort to you.

Enjoy!

Article: Infertility Etiquette by Vita Alligood