Florida Families Supporting Adoption

Upcoming Events

2011-11-13T19:35:00.001-08:00

Some upcoming events that we hope you'll be a part of:

Saturday, November 19--6th Annual "Walk for Love" in Viera (Brevard County)
Click here for information about this event. It is being sponsored by the Brevard Family Partnership, and anyone who is a friend of adoption is invited to participate. It should be a lot of fun, and several of our FSA families are planning to be in attendance. Registration is free!

Saturday, December 10--Cocoa-Rockledge Holiday Parade
Our Florida FSA Chapter will be entering a float in this parade, and we would like to invite everyone to participate! We will need volunteers to help decorate the float, and to walk/ride in the parade. The bigger group we have, the better! Kids/families/friends of all ages are welcome to participate. Stay tuned for more information.

If you know of National Adoption Month events in your area, please let us know so we can spread the word.

National Adoption Month 2011

2011-11-02T18:57:00.001-07:00

It's that time of year again! Time to celebrate all things adoption! November ushers in National Adoption Month, and in order to help you have the best month possible, we have rounded up some very helpful links.

Here is a calendar from adoption.com that gives you ideas for each day of the month. There are also archived calendars available, and they are all full of great suggestions.

If you live here in the state of Florida, check out this calendar of events from adoptflorida.org. There are events listed from several counties, including walks, picnics, ceremonies, and much more!

Watch and listen to Florida's First Lady, Ann Scott, share a message about Florida's Amazing Children here.

Read Governor Rick Scott's proclamation about Florida Adoption Awareness Month here.

Take advantage of this month to raise awareness for adoption in your community! Stay tuned for more ideas and stories throughout the month!

National Adoption Month

2010-11-17T08:29:00.001-08:00

Greetings All Families Supporting Adoption!

It is November, which means it is National Adoption Month. Are you looking for a way to celebrate adoption this month? Here is a link to a list of events all around Florida this month:

http://www.adoptflorida.org/adoptionmonth4.shtml

Check it out and see if there is something in your area.

Want to know more about National Adoption Month? Here is a link to Governor Charlie Crist's proclamation for Florida:

http://www.adoptflorida.org/docs/2010proclamation.pdf

And here is the presidential proclamation as well:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/11/10/obama-administration-celebrates-adoption-recognizes-national-adoption-month

Happy celebrating!

FSA National Conference

2010-07-21T12:59:00.001-07:00

Greetings all Families Supporting Adoption!

Our Southeast Regional Conference was a big success! We promise to have a report soon. Thank you to everyone who helped with the planning and production, and to everyone who traveled to attend!

Right now, we have some big news to share about the National FSA Conference in Utah on July 30-31. If you are going to be in Utah on vacation, you should check it out!

Click here to get to the National FSA Blog, where you will find all kinds of information about registration and the conference itself.

Click here to learn about the National FSA Service Project.

Click here to learn about the Art Exhibit at the conference.

Every year, the National FSA Conference is incredible. If you have the opportunity to attend, please do!

The NEW FSA Southeast Website

2010-05-24T11:17:00.000-07:00

Still have questions about the upcoming Regional FSA conference? Find your answers here!

http://www.fsasoutheast.com

You'll see fliers, speaker bios, Orlando and conference-related links, hotel information, and the registration form and instructions.

Take a look!

Hotel Information for the FSA Southeast Conference

2010-05-10T17:54:00.000-07:00

We are getting so excited for our Southeast Regional FSA Conference, and we hope you are, too! Our line-up of speakers and presenters is top-notch. Very soon we will have a website up and running, as well as paper fliers in your mail boxes!

If you are planning to stay in Orlando during the weekend of the conference, and you need a hotel to stay in, here is some great information for you!

We have a block of rooms reserved at the Sheraton Safari (www.sheratonsafari.com).

Phone: 407-239-0444
Address: 12205 Apopka Vineland Rd., Orlando, FL 32836

The group rate is $119 a night. To reserve, call the hotel and tell the reservationist that you are with the FSA Conference. But act quickly! The rooms will be held only until May 25th, and then they will be made available to the general public.

This hotel is close to the Disney attractions, and is also on the same road as the temple and Stake Center where the conference is being held. It will be easy to navigate! Additionally, the hotel boasts "the world's longest python water slide." Sounds like a great way to unwind and have fun!

Southeast Regional FSA Conference

2010-03-25T12:14:00.000-07:00

Take a look at our flier! Thanks to Kathy Ladle and Elena Duncan for putting this together. Please copy and forward it to anyone you think might be interested in attending our conference this year.

Registration information will be coming shortly!
Keep checking back often for more updates.

Meet Our Keynote Speaker: Troy Dunn

2010-03-24T14:02:00.000-07:00

We hope you have all marked your calendars and made plans to attend the
Southeast Regional
Families Supporting Adoption Conference
on June 25th and 26th! (See previous post.)

We have even more exciting news about this conference. On Saturday, June 26th, our keynote speaker will be Troy Dunn! We are thrilled beyond belief that he will be addressing us.

Those of you who have had the pleasure of hearing him speak know just what a treat we are in for. We are very blessed that he lives here is Florida, and is willing to travel to Orlando for our conference.

For those of you who do not know who Troy is, here are some links you may be interested in.

For his introduction on the National FSA Blog last summer:
http://familiessupportingadoption.blogspot.com/2009/07/meet-our-keynote-speaker-troy-dunn.html

For his company website:
http://www.troythelocator.com/Main.asp

For his amazing television show, The Locator:
http://www.wetv.com/locator-landing

Spread the word, and invite anyone you know who is involved with or interested in adoption to attend.

(Registration information will be available shortly!)

Southeast Regional FSA Conference

2010-03-10T18:45:00.001-08:00

We have exciting news! Please mark your calendars for our Regional Families Supporting Adoption conference this summer.

Date: Friday, June 25 and Saturday, June 26, 2010
Place: Orlando South Stake Center (across from the Orlando Temple)

Make it a fantastic family vacation to remember! The conference is open to all adoptive families and their friends or family members, church leaders, and anyone who has any interest in adoption.

We have wonderful local and regional planning committees who are working hard to create an amazing conference for everyone. Children will be welcome, and childcare will be provided both days for a nominal fee. We will have participants coming from the entire Southeast Region, and we would love to see Florida very well-represented!

Here is a very tentative schedule of events:

FRIDAY, June 25th:
late afternoon temple session at the Orlando Temple
dinner and entertainment/program

SATURDAY, June 26th:

breakfast

keynote speaker

breakout sessions

lunch

birthparent panel

breakout sessions

door prizes/wrap up

Possible topics for breakout sessions include:

* crafts; making adoption memory books

* presentation from infertility specialist/doctor

* post placement issues (adoptive breast-feeding, bonding, infant care, depression, etc.)

* transracial adoption issues

* general adoption Q&A

* grief; handling failed placements

* talking about adoption with children & others

* private adoptions

* foster care

* strengthening marriage

* adoption and schools

* international adoption
* openness
* networking/publicizing yourself/finding your baby
* growing up adopted
* even more!

We are working hard to make sure there is something for everyone.

Stay tuned for registration information.

We hope to see you there!

Florida Families Supporting Adoption Conference

2009-10-21T17:53:00.001-07:00

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

2009-07-23T18:28:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-15T13:14:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-02T17:44:00.000-07:00

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

2009-02-08T09:55:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-08T09:49:00.000-08:00

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?

2009-02-08T09:38:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-08T09:31:00.000-08:00

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

New FSA Website

2008-10-13T13:55:00.000-07:00

FSA Member,

Greetings from the National Families Supporting Adoption Board! We are excited to announce that the Families Supporting Adoption website is live at familiessupportingadoption.org. In order to see the contents of the web site, you will be prompted to register, and to create a username and password for future use. The following are just a few of the many features you will find on this site:

*Calendar of upcoming FSA events

*FSA Chapter newsletters across the country

*Items for sale at the FSA store

*Detailed information on FSA's core efforts and activities

*FSA National Newsletter

*Presentations from national and regional FSA conferences

*Official FSA Handbook

*And Much More!

Please visit the site soon and tell us what you think and how it can be improved. Thank you for keeping the spirit and practice of adoption alive!

Florida FSA Conference

2008-09-18T20:13:00.002-07:00

Mark your calendars!

Our Florida FSA Conference is just around the corner!

Date:
Saturday, November 8, 2008

Time:
Approximately 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Place:
Orlando South Stake Center (across from the temple)

We have some exciting things planned, and hope to see everyone there!
Watch for more information to come soon.

Adoption Clubhouse

2008-09-18T20:13:00.000-07:00

I recently stumbled upon this excellent website about adoption:

www.adoptionclubhouse.org

It's full of information for both kids and parents, and covers a wide variety of topics. Check it out!

What You Can Do

2008-07-28T10:54:00.000-07:00

Call Washington!

Ask your Senators to act

NOW

to reauthorize the

Adoption Incentive Program

to promote adoption

for children in foster care!

Today, more than 129,000 children and young people in foster care are waiting to leave the system – for good – to join permanent families. Every day without a permanent family feels like a lifetime to a child.

The bipartisan Adoption Incentive Program has helped more than 443,000 children leave the uncertainty of foster care to join adoptive families – but unless Congress acts now, it will expire on September 30, 2008. The House acted unanimously to improve and reauthorize the Adoption Incentive Program in late June. Please join us in urging the Senate to act before August recess begins.

Senators on the Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over the nation’s foster care system, will play a key role in promoting safe, permanent families for our most vulnerable children.

Please call your senators if you are from one of the following states: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Oregon, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Utah, Washington.

FREE CALL IN LINE OPEN Monday and Tuesday, July 28 and 29: 1-888-686-8191. Simply follow the prompts, enter your ZIP code, and you will be connected directly to your Senator’s office.

Urge the Senate to reauthorize and improve the Adoption Incentive Program to promote adoption for children in foster care!

Please help spread the word by forwarding this e-mail to your friends, family, colleagues, and networks and encourage others to take action today!

Click here to see a downloadable flier.

Birth Mothers & Other Things

2008-07-12T12:52:00.001-07:00

Birth Mother Stories

While surfing various adoption websites, I came across these stories shared by birth mothers. They are wonderful stories. If you have some time, click here to read them. There is also a link to iChooseAdoption.org on the sidebar of this blog. iChooseAdoption has a wealth of information for birth mothers who are contemplating adoption, and provides answers to many questions that birth mothers (and adoptive families) may have.

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FSA National Conference/Georgia Regional Conference

Are you planning to attend the FSA Regional Conference on August 8-9 in Atlanta? We have included lots of information for you in previous posts. We (the Middletons) are planning to attend, and we are also going to be presenting the class on trans-racial adoption. We'd love to see some familiar faces there! When we reserved our hotel room using the special FSA group rate, the woman on the phone was very excited about adoption, and extremely accommodating.

If you are going to attend, leave a comment and let us know. Or, you can email us at florida.fsa@gmail.com.

----------------------------------------

Getting to Know You

We are spread far and wide across the state of Florida, which makes it hard for us to get to know each other. We thought it would be fun to use this site as a way to introduce FSA members to each other. Do you have a blog or a website? Would you like us to post a link on our FSA blog? Leave a comment with the address of your site, or email us at florida.fsa@gmail.com, and we will start a list of links. We can't wait to meet you!

Hotel and Registration Information for FSA Conference

2008-06-16T12:35:00.000-07:00

Atlanta Temple

We hope you have reserved the weekend of August 8-9 for a weekend getaway to the FSA Southeast Regional Conference, being held in conjunction with the FSA National Conference. It promises to be a fantastic experience.

Click here for the registration form for the FSA Conference. This form provides more information than the previous link provided. It will enable you to sign up for childcare, order a t-shirt, and indicate which events you will be at. We strongly recommend you sign up early if you need childcare! Spaces fill quickly.

Click here for hotel information if you are planning to travel to the FSA Conference in Georgia on August 8-9.

Click here to see the official FSA Conference flier for the Southeast Region.

FSA National Conference August 8-9, 2008

2008-06-06T12:58:00.000-07:00

One Miracle at a Time

August 8-9, 2008
Atlanta, Georgia

We hope you have already marked your calendars and planned your weekend getaway to Atlanta, Georgia for our first-ever opportunity to participate in the FSA National Conference. If not, we have received some additional information that we hope will entice you.

We will be participating in the Southeast Regional Conference, which will include a live broadcast from the National Conference in Salt Lake.

While not everything is completely set in stone, here is the most recent list of planned courses:

Loss in Adoption- how to process and overcome grief. Includes discussion on infertility, failed adoption, and loss of biological connection

Networking- ideas for networking and finding an adoption situation.

Trans-racial Adoption- Discussion of how to prepare yourself for a transracial adoption, how to overcome challenges. Includes a presentation and question/answer with panel.

Open Adoption- Take the fear out of open adoption. Discuss the ways open adoption will benefit you, your child, and the birthfamily. Ideas for setting boundaries and overcoming challenges.

Birthparent Relationships- How to establish and navigate a relationship with the birthfamily. Ideas for letters, gifts, and visits. How to help your birthmother heal.

Adult Adoptee- Adult adoptees will share their experience and answer questions.

Birthmother- A birthmother who has worked with LDSFS will share her experiences.

Helping Loved Ones Become Adoption Fluent- How to talk to others about adoption, how to promote positive adoption language. How to maintain privacy when asked questions.

Talking with your child about adoption- How to discuss adoption with your child. Includes discussion on developmental understanding of adoption, and how to answer questions. Also includes how to prepare a sibling for an upcoming adoption.

Process of Adoption- Understanding the legal aspects of adoption, includes timeline, expectations, and each person’s role. Includes approval, selection, birth, and finalization.

Adoption Tax Credit- A tax professional will give a presentation about the adoption tax credit. There will be time for questions.

1^st 3 weeks at home- What to expect after placement. Includes newborn care, communicating with birth family, post adoption depression.

Advocating for Adoption in School- How to talk to teachers and other professionals about adoption. Ideas for introducing adoption to your child’s class. How to help your child answer questions from peers.

Funding Adoption- How to find the money to pay for your adoption. Ideas given.

“He’s all mine”- How to promote attachment and bonding with your child. Includes discussion of adoptive breast feeding, reactive attachment disorder, and infant massage.

Foster Adoption- A discussion of how to adopt from the foster care system, and how to overcome challenges of older child adoption.

International Adoption- A discussion of how to adopt internationally, an overview of different countries to adopt from and benefits to each.

Special Needs Adoption- discuss adopting a child with special needs.

Strengthen Your Marriage- Ideas for strengthening and improving the marriage relationship. Ideas given for handling the stress of adoption, the frustration of waiting, and the roller coaster of new parenthood. How to help and understand each other through this process.

To register for this fantastic event, click HERE.

The registration for has the address of the church in Atlanta (actually Sandy Springs), as well as maps and fee information.

If you have any questions, please email Kim at florida.fsa@gmail.com.

Finding vs. Waiting

2008-05-23T08:28:00.000-07:00

FIND vs. WAIT

WAIT
Waiting is passive. It is being idle and is extremely unfulfilling.

W – “WHAT IF?”

As we wait, we may stay in a constant state of “what if?”
We may put off plans and not take full advantage of our
present opportunities while we sit by the phone
waiting for that important call.

A – ANXIOUS

As we wait we may get restless and uneasy.
We may feel a lot of anxiety and worry about things
over which we have no control.

I – INSECURE

As we wait we may feel insecure
and doubt our capacity to parent.
We may feel unworthy and have a sense of low self-esteem.

T – TENSE

As we wait the tension may grow.
If we are not careful contention can easily enter the home
and we may begin to blame and easily hurt each other’s feelings.

FIND

Finding is active. It is being proactive in the search for your child. It is following the principle of doing all that we can and then relying on the Lord to help all things work together for our good.

F – FAITH

It takes faith to search for your child:
faith in prayer that Heavenly Father will guide us
and place us in the right places;
faith through fasting that we will encounter
the birthmother carrying our child;
faith that the Lord will direct our paths
and help us find our children.

I – INSPIRATION

The Spirit can inspire us to talk with those around us
about our desire to adopt.
As we listen to promptings and live close to the Spirit,
we can be divinely guided in our efforts.

N – NETWORKING

It is beneficial to talk to everyone.
Using every possible channel to get the word out
can expand our voice and can
increase the likelihood of finding our child.

D – DIVINE INTERVENTION

Once we have done all that we can do,
we can rely on the Lord to intervene in our behalf.
It is only through Him that all things are possible.
The Lord will direct our paths.

Taken from "Someone's Missing: Making Your Adoption Happen."
You can find the entire document here.

If you have trouble with the link, please send an email to florida.fsa @gmail.com.

Do you have suggestions for ways to be proactive?
Please leave a comment!

Mark Your Calendars!

2008-05-13T10:05:00.000-07:00

National Families Supporting Adoption Conference

“One Miracle at a Time”

August 8-9, 2008

This year, for the first time, we are going to be able to participate in the National Families Supporting Adoption by going to Atlanta, Georgia. Previously, this conference has been held in Utah only, but this year, parts of the conference are going to be broadcast from Utah to other regional locations throughout the world. The southeast region, which includes Florida, will meet in Atlanta.

The conference will being on Friday, August 8^th with a temple session in the Atlanta temple. Following the temple, there will be a dinner and evening speaker. On Saturday, August 9th, the keynote address and commissioner’s message will be broadcast from Salt Lake, followed by workshops in the afternoon. The conference will take place at the LDS Church by the Atlanta Temple, and there are hotel accommodations very nearby as well.

Registration for this event will be done online through the Georgia LDS Family Services office, and we will provide for information about that as it become available. Watch your email for updates! They will also send hotel information. At this time there is no plan for group accommodation rates, so you may wish to make your own arrangements. Daycare will be provided for both days of the conference.

We hope you will plan to attend this Families Supporting Adoption conference in

Georgia

. It would be exciting to see as many Florida FSA members as possible at this historic event!

Welcome to the Florida FSA Blog!

2008-04-10T20:09:00.000-07:00

Dear FSA Family,

We are excited to introduce our brand new blog! We think that it will be another way to provide information about the Florida chapter of Families Supporting Adoption, as well as a place to present articles, ideas, and inspiration about adoption. Check back often for new posts, and please feel free to comment on the things that you see.

A special thanks goes out to the Michigan, West Valley, and Boise chapters of FSA who have been very helpful in getting us started on our own blog here in Florida. To check out what these chapters are doing, check out the "Links" section on the side of the screen. We will be adding more links as the blog grows. It's exciting to have such a great support network, both in Florida and around the world!

Our love and support goes out to everyone in our Florida chapter. May all of your adoption dreams come true!

Sincerely,

Kimberly and Charles Middleton
Florida FSA Co-chairs