I recently became aware of a series of TV ads promoting adoptive and foster care. These clever TV spots feature foster or adoptive parents in “parenting” situations where their performance is less than “Leave It to Beaver” perfect. The ads close with the slogan, “You Don’t Have to be Perfect to be a Perfect Parent.”

The ads do an excellent job of presenting the need for foster or adoptive parents in a humorous manner, while still getting the message across that these kids want a home with parents whose love for kids and desire to open their home to them is far more important than parental perfection.

These TV spots, along with radio and print ads, are part on an ongoing, award winning national adoption recruitment campaign done in partnership with AdoptUsKids, the Ad Council and the Children’s Bureau. You can find the ads on YouTube by searching for “adoption PSA.”

AdoptUsKids’ mission is two-fold: to raise public awareness about the need for foster and adoptive families for children in the public welfare system and to assist in the recruitment and retention of foster and adoptive families and connect them with children. Their web site is www.adoptuskids.org.

The Ad Council is a non-profit organization that produces, distributes and promotes public service announcements (PSA) on behalf of non-profit organizations and government agencies in issue areas that include improving the quality of life for children, among many others. Go to www.adcouncil.org for more information.

The Children’s Bureau is one of two bureaus within the Administration for Children and Families, which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services. Their mission is to provide for the safety, permanency and well being of children through leadership, support for necessary services and productive partnerships with states and local communities. The web site for the Children’s Bureau is www.acf.hhs.gov.

Dan Nekvinda

Since being introduced to the Lifebook market a little over one year ago, Adoption World Publishing’s My Growing World is making differences in many young people lives. The publication which targets Foster and Adoptive children, ages 5 -10, has been sold and distributed to agencies, organizations and private homes in eighteen states and Canada.

A review in the January/February 2010 issue of Adoptive Families magazine sang the praises of both the author Kathleen Carroll and the book’s illustrator Lucy Mara Taylor.

The review by Jane Schooler, coauthor of Wounded Children, Healing Homes: How Traumatized Children Impact Adoptive and Foster Families, highly recommended My Growing World “for any child journeying through the welfare system.”

My Growing World was also chosen in the Spring 2010 issue of Foster Families magazine as the editor’s choice.

My Growing World is sold exclusively from the publisher at www.adoptionworld.net or can be ordered by calling 319-365-3454.

With today’s tight budgets, many foster children are going without lifebooks. That’s unfortunate because the therapeutic effects of life books are well documented. Just keeping a memory book helps children make transitions from middle school to high school or from one foster home to another.

The Scrapbook Option

One option that some are trying is to create their own lifebook via scrapbooking. This method can be rewarding and low budget, especially if you are creative. It does however, take time. Prep time can be extensive and securing low cost materials can be daunting. One of the biggest drawbacks is not covering the full gamut of therapeutic issues like a time-tested professional book.

Internet Downloads

If you look long enough, you can find online where a staffer in some state put together a life book that you can download for free. This could do in a pinch, especially if you can arrange to print it for free. If you can’t print for free, color copies often cost about 40¢ per page. Then add binding, and a “free” book could cost $12.00 or more, and you still won’t have a really good life book.

Time-Tested Winners

Today’s kids live very stressful lives and they deserve a lifebook that is really going to make a difference for them. This is why, for many years now, it has been imperative to find the funding for essential bibliotherapy. Without the right materials, the job is nearly impossible.

I recently ordered an excellent lifebook training DVD that is distributed by Lutheran Social Services of Illinois. The DVD is entitled, “Putting the Pieces Together: Lifebook Work With Children” and is available on their website: http://www.lssi.org/Support/lifebooks.aspx

As I have said previously, I believe that creating a lifebook for our foster and adopted children is one of the most important things we can do for them. A lifebook contains the chronological history of a child’s life, pictures, artwork, memorabilia, along with information that reflects a child’s understanding of the difficulties and changes that have occurred in his or her life. The lifebook also highlights and celebrates the child’s strengths, hopes and dreams. For a child, lifebook work is a path to their memories and to a reinterpretation of their memories. It is also a path to understanding and integrating their memories. Lifebooks are great for children in foster care or who have been adopted. They promote healing and provide concrete understanding of the reasons why they were unable to return to their birth families. Lifebooks give children permission to love and cherish their adoptive families as well as their birth families.

The “Putting the Pieces Together” DVD provides instruction on how to do Lifebook work with children using a teamwork approach. It was great to see how the lives of these children have been impacted in a positive way by being able to discuss and work through issues they are dealing with. It made me very proud to see that the teenage girl on the video was using our teen lifebook, The Real Me. She had very high praise for what our lifebook meant to her and how it helped her. Making lifebooks available to the children is such a rewarding experience for me.

Help me get the word out. Lifebooks are great!

For more than 16 years, Adoption World Publishing has been a trusted resource for the adoption life publications dealing with the adoption life books/foster life book process.

Adoption World Specialties was the brain child of a mother and daughter team committed to helping children through the foster and adoptive process.  Their unique experiences were an outgrowth of both personal and professional first-hand knowledge of the needs of these special children.

After the 2008 floods in Iowa devastated their operation, the team regrouped and made the decision to seek a caring company to nurture their cause and move their business into the future.  In May of 2009, Cornerstone Press purchased the business.   In March of 2010, the operation’s name was changed to Adoption World Publishing.

One of the first projects of the new owners was to write and publish a new life book.  In August of 2009, My Growing World written by Kathleen Carroll and illustrated by Lucy Cook Taylor was introduced to the market.  Its’ target audience is 6 – 10 year old children.  Not only has it been very well received, it was reviewed in the February 2010 issue of Adoptive Families magazine.  It was also designated as an Editor’s Choice in the Spring 2010 edition of foster families, a publication in the United Kingdom.

The Real Me, a teen life book, is a company staple.  Recently a therapist from Colorado sang its praises saying she really liked using it in her practice.

The recent tough economic times have made it increasingly difficult for the state and private agencies charged with assisting the foster care population to be able to afford the purchase of these valued tools.   Foundations as well as corporations with a special tie to the foster and adoption cause are helping to fill the financial void.

My Growing World Lifebook is an exciting new entry into the adoption lifebook market.  Never before has there been a full-color fill-in-the-blank book like this.  The illustrations are creative and captivating.  They help draw in sometimes reluctant children, making it easier for social workers and families to connect.  It’s fun and interesting.

Characters like Fuzzihead, Piper Pig and Lambabelle are adorable.  They combine with activities like Musical Motions and Moving Day to create a warm and therapeutic setting not found in other adoption and foster care lifebooks.

Among the best parts of the book are the short stories from children in similar circumstances.  They help a child to identify with and understand that their circumstances may not be unique.

Be sure and go to “What they’re saying” at the bottom of our home page.  Look for the big red button!  Click on the button and it will take you to a review on My Growing World which was published in Adoptive Families magazine.

Tapestry Books and its deceptive advertising as it pertains to Adoption World Specialties.

One of our competitors, Tapestry Books, shows our books “The Real Me” and “My Adoption Workbook” on their website even though they are not an authorized reseller. They show a picture of our books with the caption “Product currently unavailable.” Our books are very much “available” and can be found on our website, www.adoptionworld.net.

At one time Tapestry did sell our books. However, over six months ago Mr. Shep Morrow was informed in writing that he was no longer authorized to sell our books. Since then, we have asked two more times for their removal from his site. Mr. Morrow says it will cost him money to change his website, yet he has recently added this phrase to the description of our book “The Real Me”,

Indefinitely Out of Stock

Contact us for alternate suggestions.

When we spoke to Shep about this, it was pointed out to him that this is a tactic known as deceptive advertising and it is illegal.

You have to go no farther than the Federal Trade Commission website for confirmation. “The Federal Trade Commission Act allows the FTC to act in the interest of all consumers to prevent deceptive and unfair acts or practices. In interpreting Section 5 of the Act, the Commission has determined that a representation, omission or practice is deceptive if it is likely to:

* mislead consumers and

* affect consumers’ behavior or decisions about the product or service.”[1]

We believe that what Tapestry Books is doing falls under this act.

Readers, what do you think?

Please blog and let us know your thoughts, or take your views to Tapestry Books directly, jmorrow@tapestrybooks.com and let him know what you think of his deceptive practices.

Keywords

Tapestry Books

The Real Me

My Adoption Workbook

Adoption World Specialties

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[1] http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/business/ecommerce/bus28.shtm

Grey’s Anatomy Actress Adopts Baby

Actress Katherine Heigl and her husband, Josh Kelley, have completed their adoption of a baby girl from Korea.

The couple have named the 10-month-old Nancy Leigh, after the actress’s mother Nancy and her sister Margaret Leigh, said Heigl’s spokeswoman Melissa Kates.

The little girl will go by the nickname Naleigh.

The couple are putting photos of their daughter up on the www.jasonheiglfoundation.org website. The foundation was started by Nancy and Katherine Heigl in loving memory of their son and brother. The sites focus is to increase the awareness of inhumane animal treatment. They also have Heigl Hounds of Hope which finds homes for large dogs in shelters.

Heigl plays Dr Izzie Stevens on ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” and is currently shooting the film “Life As We Know It”. She was also in the popular movie, “27 Dresses”.

She and Kelley, a singer-songwriter, have been married since 2007.

Famous People who once were either a foster child and/or were adopted.

I recently saw some interesting profiles on famous people who had once been in foster homes. Some of their stories were inspiring.

Daunte Culpepper, the Minnesota Vikings football player, for example, was born in prison. His birth mom had been a prostitute. He was placed in a foster home with a wonderful mom. When he was 5 years old, his birth mom was out of prison and ready to regain custody of Daunte. He was quite sad about being away from his beloved foster mom. Eventually his birth mom agreed to let him go back to his foster mom where he stayed for the rest of his youth. He was quoted as saying, “She loved me enough to let me go.”

Famous People who were Adopted

Historical figures:

Alexander the Great, King of Macedonia; Aristotle, Greek Philosopher; Julius Caesar, Roman Emperor; Crazy Horse, Lakota War Chief; Nelson Mandela, President of South Africa; Moses, Jewish Prophet; Brigham Young, Mormon religious leader; Dalai Lama, Exiled leader of Tibet

Sports Figures

Mark Acre, Baseball Player; Kitty and Peter Carruthers, Figure skaters; Daunte Culpepper, Football player; Eric Dickerson, Football player; Evonne Goolagong, Tennis player; Tim Green, Football player; Scott Hamilton, Figure skater; Greg Louganis, Diver; Alonzo Mourning, Basketball player; Mike Tyson, Boxer

Actors/Musicians

Richard Burton, Actor; Dean Cain, Actor; Melissa Gilbert, Actor; Deborah Harry, Singer; Faith Hill, Singer; Ray Liotta, Actor; Little Richard, Singer; Marilyn Monroe, Actor; Priscilla Presley, Actor; Shania Twain, Singer

Politicians

William Bradford, Political leader; Bill Clinton, US President; Gerald Ford, US President; Newt Gingrich, Politician; Samuel Houston, General and politician; Andrew Jackson, US President; Jim Ross Lightfoot, US Representative

HHS Awards $35 Million to States for Increasing Adoptions

The US Dept of Health and Human Services awarded $35 Million to 38 states and Puerto Rico for increasing the number of children adopted from Foster Care. In order to be awarded funds, states had to increase the number of children adopted relative to baseline data. They specifically were awarded more funds for each child over the age of 9 adopted and children with additional special needs.

I have spoken to a couple state offices that were awarded funds. They are very proud of what they have achieved and plan to continue to increase the number of adoptions in their state. All children are deserving of the safety and stability of a family.

States receiving the award are Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming. Puerto Rico also qualified for an incentive award.