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E-Newsletter: November 2016
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November is the perfect time to remember waiting children who so deeply need the life-long love and stability of a forever family. We are reminded how hard the holiday season can be for youth who do not have a place to call home. That's why CAP is excited to join in celebrating November as National Adoption Month and share the need for adoptive homes for children waiting in foster care.
CAP hosted our 10th annual Heart Gallery that showcased professional photos of waiting youth. Our Luncheon at Rochester's Staybridge Suites on 11/4 built awareness of the need to find adoptive homes for waiting childen. We are looking forward to participating in Monroe County's Adoption Day celebration on Friday 11/18 at 10am. This event is held at the Monroe County Court House and honors local families who finalize the adoption of children to build their forever family. Please consider witnessing this beautiful ceremony as children are given a place to call home for the rest of their lives. If you attend, be aware that it often takes a while to get through security at the court house; plan to arrive early.
We invite you to tour CAP's Heart Gallery displays of waiting youth around the Greater Rochester area! Thank you to the following businesses who agreed to host a Heart Gallery display: Rochester International Airport, Strong Museum of Play, Marketplace Mall, The MRB Group and City Sense. If your business or organization would like to help us find homes for waiting youth, please contact us to host a Heart Gallery display.
The displays are featured year-round in different county wide venues.
We welcome calls for assistance from families at any point in the adoption journey. Please call us to find out how you can lift the wait for children languishing in foster care:
585-232-5110.
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CAP's Heart Gallery Luncheon: a moving tribute to waiting youth and adoptive families.
This year's Luncheon guests were inspired by Keynote speaker Loryn Smith's powerful story of the affect of adoption on her family and the practical strategies she offered to help more youth find homes. Loryn explained the importance of redefining success when it comes to adopting older youth. Families can witness beautiful transformation in their children when they allow them the freedom to heal at their own pace and be flexible to understand what "success" means for each child. Loryn says success occurs via family relationships, not by achieving certain milestones.
Special guest Don Alhart shared success stories of WHAM 13's Bright Spot segment called "Friday's Child" that has featured CAP's waiting children for the past 38 years. CAP was honored to have Don Alhart emcee the event. He has been a strong advocate and spokesperson for waiting youth over the past 40 years.
We would like to thank all of the luncheon attendees, Heart Gallery photographers, CAP volunteers and the waiting youth who make this event possible.
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Holiday Giving
The holidays are a special time when many of us think of ways to be generous to those in need.
What better way to make your donation count (no matter how small) than by helping a child unite with a forever family.
A family will love and guide them for the rest of their lives, be there to walk them down the aisle, provide a place to call home for the holidays and every day of their lives, help them land their first job, give their children someone to call "grandma" or "grandpa", and so much more.
Instead of a one-time donation that will help a child today, your donation to Children Awaiting Parents will help a child, and generations of their children, for years and years to come.
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Your Online Shopping Can Benefit CAP!
Let the holiday shopping begin!
Remember to use Amazon Smile when you make online purchases so that Amazon will donate to Children Awaiting Parents! Using the computer or mobile device with which you plan to do your shopping, simply click the link to the left and log in with your Amazon username and password. Now, every time you shop with Amazon on this computer, Amazon will donate to CAP! Be sure to double check that you are signed in to Smile when you make a purchase. Thank you!
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Eileen Steinchen, photo by Vladimir Kasha |
Caseworker Corner
CAP is privileged to partner with some very special social workers who go above and beyond to help waiting youth find permanent familie. Eileen Steinchen of Hillside Children's Center is one such professional. As a Clinical therapist and transition coordinator at Crestwood's Children's Center, Eileen Steinchen is recognized by many of her colleagues as an organized, caring and thorough clinician. Eileen strives to find creative ways to teach the youth she works with life skills and prepare them for adoption. She has utilized out of the box techniques like children's books, peer-to-peer mentoring and she even created a life skills plan based on Star Wars! Eileen understands the importance of an adoption transition plan and open communication with older, foster youth. Thank you, Eileen for helping more children find their forever families.
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Paychex Surprises CAP with Billboard in the City of Rochester
Working in a small, nonprofit means that we have serious passion but very little funds - which means that the majority of the time you see our name, it's because someone helped us put it out there. We are incredibly grateful to
Paychex for surprising us with our very own BILLBOARD on Scio and University! It has been about 15 years since CAP has had a billboard with our name on it.
Paychex is creating a video of the exciting billboard reveal that will be available in the next couple weeks. In addition to the billboard and video, Paychex is increasing awareness about the need for families by donating a beautiful graphic design for CAP's Facebook page.Thank you so much to this local company for helping CAP get the word out to our community about our children who wait.
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Waiting Child Feature: Michael
Birth Date: July, 1999
State: New York
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Michael is a sweet, soft-spoken young man who has been described as "intelligent with a large vocabulary and a friendly personality." He has a big heart and is concerned about others, especially animals, which is why he decided to become a vegan (he does not eat any meat or animal by-products). At age 17, he is in need of a family who will offer guidance and support during this critical point in his life as he transitions into adulthood.
Learn more or inquire on Michael click here
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CAP Support Group Helps Youth Cope with Waiting for a Family.
CAP is currently hosting our 10-week waiting child support group for local children who are in the process of finding an adoptive family. The support group allows foster youth to realize they are not alone. Teens are encouraged to talk about topics that may be difficult but can help them transition into an adoptive home (topics include birth family, losing connections, moving from home to home, residential treatment and ageing out of foster care). One of the most inspiring sessions of the support group is when adult adoptees come as guest speakers to share their experience and encourage children that adoption is possible, even at an older age.
If you are working with a waiting youth that you feel may benefit from this group, please contact Tatiana Joseph (585-232-5110 or
Tatiana@capbook.org).
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Upcoming Events
- Foster Care MAPP Training: December 1, 2016
CAP is hosting MAPP (Model Approach to Partnerships in Parenting) classes for families interested in providing foster care. Please register in advance by contacting: Veronica Black: 585-232-5110 or veronica@capbook.org
- Derby Party and 45th Anniversary Celebration: 5/5/17
Save the date for CAP's annual Kentucky Derby Party on Friday, May 5th 2017. This year, CAP also celebrates 45 years of finding homes for the longest waiting children in foster care! If you have had a blast at CAP's Derby in the past, get ready for an even bigger, more exciting event complete with dinner, CAP's live horse race game, silent auction, live music and more! More details to come.
- Adoption Information Meeting
Interested in becoming a foster or adoptive parent?
CAP hosts general information meetings on the second Tuesday of every month at our
Office: 274 N. Goodman St., Suite D-103,
Rochester, NY 14607
(Inside the Children's Institute).
Learn all you need to know about foster care adoption, the process and how to get started
!
Please
RSVP to Veronica at 585-232-5110 or veronica@capbook.org
- Council of Adoptive Parents Support Group
About the Group: CAP's support group for adoptive parents offers
educational resources for parenting adopted youth (at any age and stage) as well as fun, family events where families can build relationships with other adoptive parents.
New families & their children are always welcome!
Please contact Veronica Black for more information (585) 232-5110
or
email Veronica
*Childcare will be provided*
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Children Awaiting Parents | 274 N. Goodman St., Ste. D-103, Rochester, NY 14607 |
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