In honor of foster care month coming up in May, the Iowa Foster and Adoptive Care Association is holding its 4th annual “Stride for Foster Care.” This fundraiser is a 3.2 mile walk that will benefit the 5000 children in Iowa foster care. Money raised from the Stride for Foster Care Walk will provide funds for children in foster care to get those special “extras” in life which they otherwise would not receive, such as musical instruments, senior pictures, sports participation, summer camp, etc. Funds raised will also help with developing new trainings for Iowa’s foster, adoptive and kinship parents.

If you are interested in this event, you can find more information on their website, IFAPA.

Can’t make it to West Des Moines? You can participate in their Virtual Walk, walk in your own community and still fundraise for your chance to earn great prizes!

We here at Adoption World Publishing, applaud the IFAPA for their great work.

I just recently heard of The Red Scarf Project. It is the brain child of Orphan Foundation of America (OFA).

The Red Scarf Project sends red scarves in care packages to college students so that they have a hand-made item to wear. While they wear the scarf, they know that they are loved.

OFA put the first red scarves into Valentine’s Day Care Packages in 2005. That year we received 3,500 scarves to send to OFA students away at colleges and vocational schools. The next year, thanks to the support of online knitting blog sites, they received an amazing 15,000 scarves. And the program just keeps growing.

I love this idea. People are always wondering how they can make a difference. This project allows people to work on a small scale but leave a big impact on a foster child.

Kudos to the Orphan Foundation of America.

If you would like to be involved in this worthwhile project, click here
http://orphan.org/what-we-do/programs/red-scarf-project/

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

“My Growing World” , a life book from Adoption World Specialties, features a character named Piper the Pig. Piper speaks to foster and foster-to-adopted children everywhere. This memory book is written for children ages 6 – 10 years of age.

“Hi there! My name is Piper. Your adventures in your growing world are so important that you are going to write them down in this life book. This is your story! You might have a caseworker, foster parents, or adoptive parents who can help you along as you write your story. They will also do their best to help you record information that you may not know.

As you work on your story, you might notice that you have a lot of different feelings. If the information is new to you, you might be excited to find out more about your life! However, there may be things that you think about and record that could make you sad or angry. Don’t worry! We’ll all help you on your journey. All of your feelings are important, and none of them are wrong to feel.

Enjoy the adventure of writing your story!!! If you need to skip a page, go for it! Try to take the time to come back to it later when you feel ready to work on it. It’s more important to think and feel through these pages than to complete each one quickly and in order. You’ll find that some of the pages are just for your enjoyment, and you might find some activities that you can do with other people too! Have fun creating your life book. Happy writing and drawing!”

Kathleen Carroll

Author of “My Growing World”

What is adoption? Adoption World Specialties handles this difficult question for kids in the new foster and adoption memory book, “My Growing World”. This lifebook is full of whimsical characters that help children engage and enjoy working through their life’s journey. Many children’s lives have been so difficult that “My Growing World” is a necessary means of therapy.

Piper the pig, Elley the elephant, BeeBear, Linus the giraffe, Hairy, and Fuzzyhead are characters in this memory book for foster children and kids that are adopted after foster experiences. Piper and all of the characters have had foster and adoption stories. This book has a special page about “moving day” which is most usually a traumatic and confusing day for children. Other special pages for child expression are “birth family tree” and “adoptive family tree”, “memories of foster homes”, “memories of adoption day” and many more sensitive subjects that are expounded upon for child therapy. The foster or adoptive parents and/or social workers are also easily engrossed in this beautiful book of artwork and therapeutic messaging. Each child’s story is different. Each adult that touches their life has a unique perspective. “My Growing World” caters to that important fact and allows for personal expression.

In addition to bibliotherapy, there are wonderful arts and crafts for the child. Dot-to-dots, musical motions (the child is asked to find a song they love and something to draw with and draw how the music makes them feel), coloring pages, mazes, word finds, and even a special list of child-friendly recipes. This concept for kids is to spend time in the kitchen getting to know their foster or adoptive parents better.

“My Growing World” is just one of Adoption World Specialties’ publications. We have resources for teenagers, social workers, case workers, agencies and more! Visit our main website at AdoptionWorld.net, and discover our world.

Adoption Life Books

Adoption Life Books serve several purposes. Adoption Lifebooks are therapeutic because they help children cope, understand and heal. They are also a good record keeping devise for important family history.

Adoption Life Books are serious in places but should also have sections that are simply fun for the child. They tell a child’s story. The child should have enjoyment in telling about their likes, dislikes and positive family memories. In so many cases, the child’s past may be difficult, but Adoption Life Books also assist in allowing the child to address these issues while working with a social worker.

Adoption World Specialties is the leader in Adoption Life Books.  Our website showcases all of our adoption books, and each life book is available to order easily, and conveniently, online at www.adoptionworld.net – please visit our site and discover our world!

Excerpt from our Adoption Life Book:

“Hello! My name is Ricky.”

“Together we are going to record your life story in this “Life Book”.

“Why? Because no one else in the world is exactly like you. WHO YOU ARE, WHERE YOU’VE COME FROM, AND HOW YOU GOT HERE are important parts of your story. With the help of your caseworker, foster parents or adoptive parents, we can complete this book… one page at a time… skip a page and come back to it later… or move ahead quickly as you want to. And, you can add extra pages wherever they fit in. As you write your story, some parts will make you feel happy and others may make you feel sad or angry. It will also be fun to learn any new information about yourself. ALL of your feelings are important and should be shared with your adult helper. SO… LET’S GET STARTED. The first chapter will be fun because it is about who you are right now – a VERY SPECIAL PERSON.”