From time to time you hear a story about someone that is truly touching. APC’s very own, Caryl Deiche, Co-president of Long Island Chapter and Board of Governers Communication Chair, was recently interviewed by Katherine Davis in the November issue of The Parent Paper. Looking to start a family, Caryl and her husband made the decision to adopt and with support from APC it couldn’t of gone any smoother. Caryl shares her story on how she first got involved with APC and how it has changed her life for the better.
To read the full article visit pgs 27-29: http://splash.zoominlocal.com/bergen/2011111/
Please feel free to comment or share your story with us !
Monday, November 28, 2011
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
The 31st Annual APC Adoption Conference, 11.20.11: Reflections on a Sunday in Brooklyn
By Anne Malavé, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist and APC Member
Once a year the APC community makes a great effort to create a successful annual conference. After months of behind the scene preparations, volunteers from around the tri-state area get up at the crack of dawn (or before!) to make their way to the conference site to prepare for this event. Participants, including repeaters and many new faces, also make their way to the conference site, accompanied by their fears and dreams.
For those familiar with these conferences, there is always a great feeling about this day. It is well known that many families are formed only after people attend their first conference. For many this event signifies a shift in focus, a change in course, which results in the development of new adoptive families. The ‘before and after’ is quite palpable, and extremely powerful. I would like to explore some of the reasons why this is so.
It is well known to those in the adoption community that there are common misconceptions about adoption, usually known as ‘myths and fears’. Besides the usual concerns that children who are adopted will reject their adoptive parents and turn out badly, there is a concern that there are no longer any children to adopt. People who know little about adoption generally feel as if they know “too much” about adoption even before they do any research. In my opinion this approach is not unusual. The unknown is hard for us all; so hard in fact that we tend to “fill in the gaps” and find a way to act as if we actually know something we do not know. For those unfamiliar with adoption, the differences far outweigh the similarities.
The conference provides a good deal to the attendees, including resources and information and access to adoption professionals. But I would argue that the most important thing it provides is hope. What I hear over and over again from people who attend for the first time is that the adoptive parents seem happy with their choices, and that parenthood finally seems possible. It is not as though the presentations present a one-sided picture of adoption; indeed there is a wide array of topics including the difficult ones. But I think that the fact that so many “regular” looking people have taken this path and seem positive about it makes a huge difference.
Adoption is parents finding their children and children finding parents. This can be dressed up as altruism, but it is for the most part nothing so complicated. Instead it is about ordinary, unremarkable people trying to make their way forwards in life, doing what most people do. The conference shows the attendees that this does happen, that this has happened, and that this can happen.
Parenting is about the cycle in life. Conferences occur because people need what they have to offer. Volunteers fill this need because everyone could do with some help in life. The circle comes around and completes itself when the person who previously crossed the threshold in fear welcomes new faces coming through the door. Hope is alive.
Monday, November 21, 2011
National Adoption Month
In the month of November we raise awareness of the 100,000 children in America that await basic support, being that it is National Adoption Month. Through programs, activities, and events this month we focus on children currently in foster care. Every person can make a difference in raising awareness and together as a nation we can make a difference. President Obama recently issued a proclamation in which he shows us how he is play8ng his part in supporting National Adoption Month.
“My Administration remains steadfast in our support of adoptive families and children in need of homes. Earlier this year, I signed the Child and Family Services Improvement and Innovation Act, which reauthorizes child welfare programs and makes new provisions to help reduce the amount of time young children are without permanent families. I also signed the Healthy, Hunger¬-Free Kids Act to provide balanced, nutritious meals to all children in the foster care system. Last year, during National Adoption Month, I signed the International Adoption Simplification Act, which removed unnecessary regulations and barriers to international adoption. These efforts come in addition to the Adoption Tax Credit, which was extended and expanded as part of the Affordable Care Act to make adoption more accessible to American families. Through these key pieces of legislation, my Administration is moving forward with our commitment to stand with youth in foster care and find new ways to encourage adoption.”
To read the full Proclamation visit: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/11/01/presidential-proclamation-national-adoption-month-2011
Friday, November 18, 2011
The 31st Annual Adoption Conference
The time has come for the Adoptive Parents Committee (APC) to host its 31st Annual Adoption Conference. With various workshops, seminars, lectures and panel discussions we hope to bring together members and welcome new ones as well.
If you or anyone you know is considering adoption come join the APC members at the annual adoption conference, on Sunday, November 20, 2011 at St. Francis College in Brooklyn, New York.
The conference serves to promote better awareness and understanding of adoption and provide members with accurate information concerning adoption and parenting issues.
What better way to get the most accurate information then hearing about it from experts in the adoption field including attorneys, social workers, physicians, and most importantly, adoptive parents who have gone through this process before.
Come and learn with us, share ideas and join together in promoting the joys of adoption. We hope to see you there!
St. Francis College is located at 180 Remsen St. in Borough Hall, between Court and Clinton streets. For more information call 212-304-8479 or visit APC’s website at www.adoptiveparents.org.
To register, click on the link below.
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