Adoption Exchange Association Newsletter

Always a great place to learn and grow, this year’s NACAC conference was especially good for reconnecting with AEA members. Through workshop attendance and as many one-on-one and group meetings as I could squeeze in, I got a chance to catch up with what many of you are doing, how the work is changing, and what you need from AEA.

I was also privileged to present a workshop on AEA’s new Standards and Ethics. Still in draft form, I am hopeful that this document will be finalized and released to all AEA members this fall. The NACAC workshop was well-attended—especially considering that it began at 8am on a Saturday morning in lovely Ottawa—with an especially large showing by the Canadian contingent. I have many requests from our Canadian counterparts for copies of the final Standards as well as for AEA membership information. The conversation was lively, and I look forward to continuing that dialogue with all of you.

Ellen W. Carey Scholarship Fund
The 2007 Ellen W. Carey Award honored DebyAnn Lavon James, a native of Silver Spring, Maryland. At the time of the award, Ms. James, a mother of two young children, had been in the child welfare field for more than eight years, specializing in Child Protective Services.   Following graduation from Howard University, DebyAnn James plans to continue in family and child services on a direct services level. She also dreams of opening an agency to serve adolescent parents.

In tribute to Ellen W. Carey, the Adoption Exchange Association (AEA) created this award in 2004. It is given annually to an M.S.W. student, with an interest in child welfare, in his or her second year of study at Howard University.   Today I am writing to ask you to consider a tax-deductible gift to AEA. Through your contribution, you will honor Ellen W. Carey—a remarkable advocate for children, friend, mentor, and colleague—and, at the same time, give hope and assistance to a promising young person committed to a career in child welfare. The 2008 recipient will be chosen this month and he or she will receive the award at a reau at the time of her death on December 11, 2003. Ms. CChildren’s Bureau luncheon in Washington D.C. in October 2008.

Ellen W. Carey was Director of the Child Welfare Capacity Building Division of the Children's Buarey had led the Division since its inception, having joined the Children's Bureau in 1992 as National Adoption Specialist. Throughout her thirty-eight years career, Ellen W. Carey worked on behalf of children in the child welfare system. She took a creative approach to recruitment and was truly committed to children of color and children with special needs. Ellen had risen in her profession to a point of enormous national responsibility and prestige, but 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 Carey considered her to be a lifelong mentor and feel a debt of gratitude for knowing her.

Organizations and individuals can contribute to the Ellen W. Carey Scholarship Fund by making a contribution on-line at http://www.adoptea.org/Donate/elleWcarey.html, or by mailing a check made payable to the Adoption Exchange Association and write “Ellen W. Carey Award” in the memo field.

Changes at AdoptUsKids
Barb Holtan, Project Director of AdoptUsKids left the project effective August 12th. In her role leading the initiative since 2002, Barb has been a true advocate for children and families. Because of her work, thousands of children are no longer waiting. Please join me in extending thanks and best wishes as Barb moves on to the next phase of her life. Kathy Ledesma (kledesma@adoptuskids.org) will be serving as Acting Project Director while a search process is conducted.

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!


September 2008
In This Issue: Message from Rachel Pratt Ellen W. Carey Scholarship Fund Changes at AdoptUsKids Help AdoptUsKids Find More Media Families Nationwide Member News: Meet Sanctuary House of Chambersburg Member Highlights	Message from Rachel Pratt Always a great place to learn and grow, this year’s NACAC conference was especially good for reconnecting with AEA members. Through workshop attendance and as many one-on-one and group meetings as I could squeeze in, I got a chance to catch up with what many of you are doing, how the work is changing, and what you need from AEA. I was also privileged to present a workshop on AEA’s new Standards and Ethics. Still in draft form, I am hopeful that this document will be finalized and released to all AEA members this fall. The NACAC workshop was well-attended—especially considering that it began at 8am on a Saturday morning in lovely Ottawa—with an especially large showing by the Canadian contingent. I have many requests from our Canadian counterparts for copies of the final Standards as well as for AEA membership information. The conversation was lively, and I look forward to continuing that dialogue with all of you. back to top Ellen W. Carey Scholarship Fund The 2007 Ellen W. Carey Award honored DebyAnn Lavon James, a native of Silver Spring, Maryland. At the time of the award, Ms. James, a mother of two young children, had been in the child welfare field for more than eight years, specializing in Child Protective Services. Following graduation from Howard University, DebyAnn James plans to continue in family and child services on a direct services level. She also dreams of opening an agency to serve adolescent parents. In tribute to Ellen W. Carey, the Adoption Exchange Association (AEA) created this award in 2004. It is given annually to an M.S.W. student, with an interest in child welfare, in his or her second year of study at Howard University. Today I am writing to ask you to consider a tax-deductible gift to AEA. Through your contribution, you will honor Ellen W. Carey—a remarkable advocate for children, friend, mentor, and colleague—and, at the same time, give hope and assistance to a promising young person committed to a career in child welfare. The 2008 recipient will be chosen this month and he or she will receive the award at a reau at the time of her death on December 11, 2003. Ms. CChildren’s Bureau luncheon in Washington D.C. in October 2008. Ellen W. Carey was Director of the Child Welfare Capacity Building Division of the Children's Buarey had led the Division since its inception, having joined the Children's Bureau in 1992 as National Adoption Specialist. Throughout her thirty-eight years career, Ellen W. Carey worked on behalf of children in the child welfare system. She took a creative approach to recruitment and was truly committed to children of color and children with special needs. Ellen had risen in her profession to a point of enormous national responsibility and prestige, but 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 Carey considered her to be a lifelong mentor and feel a debt of gratitude for knowing her. Organizations and individuals can contribute to the Ellen W. Carey Scholarship Fund by making a contribution on-line at http://www.adoptea.org/Donate/elleWcarey.html, or by mailing a check made payable to the Adoption Exchange Association and write “Ellen W. Carey Award” in the memo field. back to top Changes at AdoptUsKids Barb Holtan, Project Director of AdoptUsKids left the project effective August 12th. In her role leading the initiative since 2002, Barb has been a true advocate for children and families. Because of her work, thousands of children are no longer waiting. Please join me in extending thanks and best wishes as Barb moves on to the next phase of her life. Kathy Ledesma (kledesma@adoptuskids.org) will be serving as Acting Project Director while a search process is conducted. 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 Meet Sanctuary House of Chambersburg Sanctuary House of Chambersburg, Inc, an AEA member, is a small private adoption and foster care agency located on the square in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. The agency has been operating since May 2002 and since its opening it has placed approximately 47 children into permanent loving homes with just a small staff of volunteers. Sanctuary House prides itself on offering all its families personal attention from the beginning of their adoption journey until the judge has banged his gavel and the adoption has been finalized. But wait, it doesn’t stop there, twice a year the agency gets together with its families for a Summer Picnic in July and a Holiday Gathering in December. Most of the families that utilize the agency for their adoption journey come to us from word of mouth. Executive Director Pat Clementts “strongly encourages staff to be very patient and understanding with the individuals that call or come into the agency seeking assistance to either start their family or expand it.” The staff understands that no question is to dumb or stupid and that sometimes people just want to hear a friendly voice on the other end of the phone line when they call asking for information. Families that utilize the services of Sanctuary House have the agency director’s cell phone and some even have the home phone. It isn’t unusual for the director to be on the phone with a family late in the evening or even on the weekend. This agency has repeat families and they sometimes encourage others to come alongbecause they had such a wonderful experience. The families search for their own child or children, and one of the Family Matching Coordinators will send their study out to the respective social worker. Sanctuary House will not tell the family what type of child is right for them as we will never know the family as well as they know themselves. We stand behind our families 100%, whatever their decision is concerning a child or children. And so we go on, assisting families on their adoption journey. back to top Member Highlights Congratulations to The Adoption Exchange on 25 years of service to children and families. A regional exchange, TAE operates five offices that serve children and families in Colorado, Missouri, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming. The organization also works with military families and adoptions across jurisdictions. The Iowa Foster and Adoptive Parent Association (IFAPA) is holding a fundraising concert on September 20, 2008 to benefit children in foster care in the state. Billed as an “unforgettable night of jazz and pop music,” the American Dreams concert features Rusty Johnson on saxophone, Buddy Shanahan on piano, and Marvin Matthews on vocals. Rusty Johnson’s personal experience in foster care in Iowa as a youth—along with his current career with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services—has instilled him the desire to help other children. You can read more about the American Dream concert and Rusty’s personal story at www.rustyjohnson.net. The Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange, Inc. (MARE) will hold a fundraising mini-golf event on September 20, 2008. To assist in MARE’s efforts to find families for children, local miniature golf courses are donation between 5% and 10% of their proceeds for the day to the cause. 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