Adoption Exchange Association Newsletter

I recently received a hurried email from my friend Susan. To paraphrase, Susan—a longtime child welfare colleague who has led New York City’s efforts to find families for teenagers in residential placements—said, “I found my kid.” Her kid is 18 year old Shariff. Shariff and Susan are now mother and son. He moved into her apartment, began voice lessons and now has a summer job at the same music school in Harlem. Shariff and Susan share a love of college football, the same birthday and now a lifetime committment. I soon learned that several other NYC colleagues have taken similar steps, and I attended my second “baby shower” to celebrate these new families.

Susan reminded me of how we carry this work with us. And that, when we live with heart and conviction, how inspiring our actions can be to ourselves and others.

Another friend sent me a link this week to the J.K. Rowling’s address at the Harvard commencement. Thinking I had far too much to do to take the time to read this, I took the time anyway. And I am glad I did. Here is the link. I hope you can find a few minutes to read her words and find their applicability in your life and work. http://harvardmagazine.com/go/jkrowling.html

The Ellen W. Carey Scholarship Fund was established by the Adoption Exchange Association in 2004 to honor this remarkable advocate for children, friend, mentor, and colleague. Ellen W. Carey, M.S.W., Director of the Child Welfare Capacity Building Division of the Children's Bureau, passed away on December 11, 2003 while recovering from surgery. She had led the Division since its inception, having joined the Children's Bureau in 1992 as National Adoption Specialist. In both of these capacities, Ellen W. Carey was an integral part of the operations and successes of the Children's Bureau.

Throughout her thirty-eight year career, Ms. Carey worked on behalf of children in the child welfare system. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work from Howard University and a Masters in Social Work from Atlanta University. During her long career, she served as a case manager in Baltimore City, St. Mary’s and Prince George’s County in Maryland, as supervisor in Montgomery County, Maryland, and as Resource Recruitment Coordinator for the Maryland Dept. of Human Resources. She also served as Coordinator of the Consortium for Child Welfare in Washington, D.C. Ellen W. Carey took a creative approach to recruitment and was truly committed to children of color and children with special needs.

Ellen W. Carey was considered by her colleagues in the field to be one of the wise elders in child welfare, one who had risen in her profession to a point of enormous national responsibility and prestige, but who never forgot the reason for the work—to achieve permanency and safety for the nation’s children. She was known for her passionate advocacy for adoption, foster care, and the prevention of child abuse and neglect. Those who worked with Ellen considered her to be a lifelong mentor and feel a debt of gratitude for knowing her.

In tribute to Ellen W. Carey, the Adoption Exchange Association created a scholarship fund. The scholarship will be given this year to a student studying social work at Howard University, Ms. Carey’s alma mater. Organizations and individuals can contribute to the Ellen Carey Fund, both to honor Ellen Carey’s life, and to give hope and assistance to a promising young person entering our field. The award will be given out this year at a Children’s Bureau conference in September. Contributions can be made on-line or sent to the Ellen Carey Scholarship Fun-d, c/o the Adoption Exchange Association, 8015 Corporate Drive, Suite C, Baltimore MD 21236.

A committee of AEA members—Colleen Ellingson (Adoption Resources of Wisconsin), MaryJane Link (Children Awaiting Parents), David Wing-Kovarik (Families Like Ours), and Rachel Pratt (AEA)—has revised AEA’s Member Standards & Ethics. This is the first revision in more than ten years, and the tremendous changes in the field are reflected in the new Standards. The nearly completed document is now with AEA’s Executive Committee members. The full Board of Directors will discuss at its September 2008 meeting and it is the committee's hope that the document will be released to the AEA membership and the full public early this fall.

In anticipation, MaryJane Link and Rachel Pratt presented a workshop about proposed changes at the CWLA Conference in New Orleans in December, and will again present at NACAC on August 2nd. If you will be in Ottawa for the NACAC conference, please stop by to participate in the discussion.

As you know, AdoptUsKids is dedicated to increasing the public awareness of children in foster care who are available for adoption. Members of the Adoption Exchange Association are an important part of our national media outreach. We receive many requests from radio, television and print reporters across the country. We have available spokesfamilies who are willing to participate in these interviews. However, we still need more families! If you know families who might be interested—families who speak either Spanish or English and who have experience with adoption and foster care— please ask them to contact:

English-Speaking Families
Kate Kirkpatrick
kkirkpatrick@adoptuskids.org
(717) 545-5251

Spanish-Speaking Families
Carmen Hernandez
chernandez@adoptuskids.org
570-426-9169

Please tell your families that they they are the best voices for adoption! We also understand that each family has many commitments and therefore may need to decline an invitation to participate in an event or interview. By agreeing to be a spokesperson, it is not assumed that they will be available to participate at all times! Please contact Kate directly if you have questions. Thanks so much!


July/August 2008
In This Issue: Message from Rachel Pratt - Leading Inspiring Lives Ellen W. Carey Scholarship Fund Member Standards & Ethics Help AdoptUsKids Find More Media Families Nationwide Member News: Member Highlights	Message from Rachel Pratt - Leading Inspiring Lives I recently received a hurried email from my friend Susan. To paraphrase, Susan—a longtime child welfare colleague who has led New York City’s efforts to find families for teenagers in residential placements—said, “I found my kid.” Her kid is 18 year old Shariff. Shariff and Susan are now mother and son. He moved into her apartment, began voice lessons and now has a summer job at the same music school in Harlem. Shariff and Susan share a love of college football, the same birthday and now a lifetime committment. I soon learned that several other NYC colleagues have taken similar steps, and I attended my second “baby shower” to celebrate these new families. Susan reminded me of how we carry this work with us. And that, when we live with heart and conviction, how inspiring our actions can be to ourselves and others. Another friend sent me a link this week to the J.K. Rowling’s address at the Harvard commencement. Thinking I had far too much to do to take the time to read this, I took the time anyway. And I am glad I did. Here is the link. I hope you can find a few minutes to read her words and find their applicability in your life and work. http://harvardmagazine.com/go/jkrowling.html back to top Ellen W. Carey Scholarship Fund The Ellen W. Carey Scholarship Fund was established by the Adoption Exchange Association in 2004 to honor this remarkable advocate for children, friend, mentor, and colleague. Ellen W. Carey, M.S.W., Director of the Child Welfare Capacity Building Division of the Children's Bureau, passed away on December 11, 2003 while recovering from surgery. She had led the Division since its inception, having joined the Children's Bureau in 1992 as National Adoption Specialist. In both of these capacities, Ellen W. Carey was an integral part of the operations and successes of the Children's Bureau. Throughout her thirty-eight year career, Ms. Carey worked on behalf of children in the child welfare system. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work from Howard University and a Masters in Social Work from Atlanta University. During her long career, she served as a case manager in Baltimore City, St. Mary’s and Prince George’s County in Maryland, as supervisor in Montgomery County, Maryland, and as Resource Recruitment Coordinator for the Maryland Dept. of Human Resources. She also served as Coordinator of the Consortium for Child Welfare in Washington, D.C. Ellen W. Carey took a creative approach to recruitment and was truly committed to children of color and children with special needs. Ellen W. Carey was considered by her colleagues in the field to be one of the wise elders in child welfare, one who had risen in her profession to a point of enormous national responsibility and prestige, but who never forgot the reason for the work—to achieve permanency and safety for the nation’s children. She was known for her passionate advocacy for adoption, foster care, and the prevention of child abuse and neglect. Those who worked with Ellen considered her to be a lifelong mentor and feel a debt of gratitude for knowing her. In tribute to Ellen W. Carey, the Adoption Exchange Association created a scholarship fund. The scholarship will be given this year to a student studying social work at Howard University, Ms. Carey’s alma mater. Organizations and individuals can contribute to the Ellen Carey Fund, both to honor Ellen Carey’s life, and to give hope and assistance to a promising young person entering our field. The award will be given out this year at a Children’s Bureau conference in September. Contributions can be made on-line or sent to the Ellen Carey Scholarship Fun-d, c/o the Adoption Exchange Association, 8015 Corporate Drive, Suite C, Baltimore MD 21236. back to top Member Standards & Ethics A committee of AEA members—Colleen Ellingson (Adoption Resources of Wisconsin), MaryJane Link (Children Awaiting Parents), David Wing-Kovarik (Families Like Ours), and Rachel Pratt (AEA)—has revised AEA’s Member Standards & Ethics. This is the first revision in more than ten years, and the tremendous changes in the field are reflected in the new Standards. The nearly completed document is now with AEA’s Executive Committee members. The full Board of Directors will discuss at its September 2008 meeting and it is the committee's hope that the document will be released to the AEA membership and the full public early this fall. In anticipation, MaryJane Link and Rachel Pratt presented a workshop about proposed changes at the CWLA Conference in New Orleans in December, and will again present at NACAC on August 2nd. If you will be in Ottawa for the NACAC conference, please stop by to participate in the discussion. back to top Help AdoptUsKids Find More Media Families Nationwide As you know, AdoptUsKids is dedicated to increasing the public awareness of children in foster care who are available for adoption. Members of the Adoption Exchange Association are an important part of our national media outreach. We receive many requests from radio, television and print reporters across the country. We have available spokesfamilies who are willing to participate in these interviews. However, we still need more families! If you know families who might be interested—families who speak either Spanish or English and who have experience with adoption and foster care— please ask them to contact: English-Speaking Families Kate Kirkpatrick kkirkpatrick@adoptuskids.org (717) 545-5251 Spanish-Speaking Families Carmen Hernandez chernandez@adoptuskids.org 570-426-9169 Please tell your families that they they are the best voices for adoption! We also understand that each family has many commitments and therefore may need to decline an invitation to participate in an event or interview. By agreeing to be a spokesperson, it is not assumed that they will be available to participate at all times! Please contact Kate directly if you have questions. Thanks so much! back to top
Our Mission
Because all children need families, the Adoption Exchange Association serves its members by stimulating innovative solutions, eliminating barriers, advocating, educating, and sharing excellent practice. Our central goal is to assist and encourage our members nationwide as they find adoptive families for all children and youth who wait in foster care.
	Member News Member Highlights NACAC’s (MN) 34th Annual Conference will be held from July 31—August 2nd in Ottawa, Ontario. By the time you read this, everyone will have their passports and tickets. AEA member MaryJane Link and CEO Rachel Pratt will be presenting a workshop on Saturday, August 2 previewing and discussion the new AEA Member Standards and Ethics (see article, above). The Iowa Foster & Adoptive Parent Association created a new booklet for families entitled “Transracial Parenting in Foster Care and Adoption: Strengthening our Bicultural Family. According to IFAPA, this guidebook was created to help parents and children in transracial homes learn how to thrive in and celebrate their bicultural family; and for children to gain a strong sense of racial identity and cultural connections. This booklet can be found on the agency’s website: www.ifapa.org/resources/Cultural%20Resource%20Manual.pdf. Or, to request a printed copy, e-mail Crystal Thomason at cthomason@ifapa.org. The Michigan Adoption Resource Exchange (MARE) is partnering with Michigan State University and the Michigan Department of Human Services on a study about how and why adoption disruptions and dissolutions occur. For more information, contact Kirsta Grapentine at kgrapentine@mare.org. Make sure AEA is on your mailing list so that all members can hear about your upcoming events, promising practices, and successes. back to top
Adoption Exchange Association \| 8015 Corporate Drive, Suite C \| Baltimore, MD 21236 \| 410.933.5700
www.adoptea.org