Join the festivities this Saturday, May 5th from 10am-7pm in support of LGBT rights and all of the wonderful families formed through open adoption. Don’t forget to stop by our booth and say, “Hi!” to our friendly staff who will be handing out information and goodies!

Night Out! is an annual event celebrating the work of those involved with OFC. This year’s event takes place on Thursday, April 19 from 6-9pm at the Parc 55 Hotel in downtown San Francisco. Tickets are available for $125 and include cocktails & wine, a sit-down dinner, silent auction, and the comedian, Marga Gomez as MC.

As an LGBT friendly adoption agency that helps create culturally and ethnically diverse families, we do all we can to encourage the continued success OFC’s programs and events. Come join us in celebration of Our Family Coalition and their efforts to make the San Francisco Bay Area a supportive and fabulous community for LGBT parents and their children.

To learn more about Our Family Coalition visit their website or follow them on Facebook.

We are thrilled to share this brand new film on families of open adoption. Produced by Pixel Fish, this film will be used to show prospective adoptive families what open adoption involves and the caring, compassionate role that the IAC plays in the process.

The participants in the film, all IAC clients and staff, share their personal stories and address the fears and realities of open adoption. By weaving these true-life stories of adoptive parents and birth parents, it is evident that, while no two stories are the same, everyone wants what is best for the child.

A big thanks to all participants who volunteered their time and beautiful stories. And thank you also, to Pixel Fish for providing their professionalism and expertise in the making of the film.

Parenting.com’s Celebrity Kids Parents Blog featured an in-depth story by celebrity gay dads, Bill Horn and Scout Masterson. They explain why they chose open adoption over surrogacy or closed adoption and how adoption fits into their daily lives. They also describe their hospital experience as gay adoptive dads in a small catholic hospital. Read the full story on the Parenting.com blog.

The article highlights a recent research report released by the Evan B. Donaldson Institute (http://www.adoptioninstitute.org/index.php) finding that California, Texas, New York, and Massachusetts have the largest number of gay and lesbian family adoptions. It is important to note that California, Texas, and New York are also the most populous states, which may explain the larger number of adoptions in these states regardless of the sexual orientation of the adoptive parents. Florida is the fourth most populous state, but does not have a large number of gay or lesbian adoptions because of a 30-year ban on the practice that the courts overturned last year. The Evan B. Donaldson Institute report also found that 60% of the agencies they surveyed accept applications from gay male and lesbian families seeking to adopt.

The Annual Adoption Celebration, hosted by GALAA, is a fun event for the whole family. This year the celebration offers games, entertainment, a mobile petting zoo, and food to keep you satisfied all afternoon. For adoptive families, it’s a great opportunity to mingle spend time with people of all ages in the adoption community. For families considering adoption, there will be adoption professionals, including the IAC, in attendance to answer your questions. Mark your calendars — this is an event you don’t want to miss!

The Who/Where/What/When:
Who: The Georgia Association of Liscensed Adoption Agencies (GALAA)
What: 2011 Adoption Celebration
Where: The United Methodist Children’s Home Campus
500 South Columbia Drive, Decatur, Georgia 30030
When: Saturday, Nov. 5, 2011 from 11AM to 2PM

The MEGA Family Conference, put on by MEGA Family Project, is an all-day conference for LGBT prospective parents, parents, and their children. Adoption professionals will be handing out information and prizes and hosting workshops. There will be plenty for kids to do as well, with a healthy mix of learning and playing. This is the greatest event in the South for families and perspective families in the LGBT community. Registration ends October 12, so sign up today! For adults, admission is $30, and children are $15. Please stop by our booth and, “Hi!”

The Who/Where/What/When:
Who: MEGA Family Project
What: MEGA Family Conference
Where: Unitarian Congregation 1911 Cliff Valley Way, NE, Atlanta, GA 30329
When: Saturday, Nov. 5, 2011 from 8:30AM to 5PM

IAC has also recently published detailed wait time statistics for 2006 through May 2011. This is discussed on page two. On page 10, we reveal a selection of comments pulled from our Facebook page that answer the question: “What is the significance of your child’s name? And/Or how did you decide upon a name for your child?” The answers from both adoptive parents and birthparents are touching and inspiring.

On page three, get to know Lyn Dawn, Manager of Agency Services. Learn about her love of animals, her feelings about family and what it’s like to be the IAC Halloween Decorating Champion 10 years in a row.

Turn to page four to read an endearing story of how Erin Garcia-Norris and her wife bonded with their son’s birthmother without being able to speak her native language. On page six is our feature article, by Jamie Clark, who has two daughters, both adopted through the IAC. She tells of her search to find her older daughter’s birthmother and how Facebook and other social media play an important role in their ongoing relationship.

On page nine, hear from resident expert Kathleen Silber as she offers great insight into how to teach your adopted child the significance of birth siblings. As always, the final pages contain up-to-date birthparent statistics and upcoming support group dates. DOWNLOAD & enjoy!

~ Ann Wrixon, Executive Director ~

Bo and Tom built their family through both international and domestic adoption. They talk about both adoptions in the article. Their older son is from Guatemala, and their younger son was born in Texas. They highlight the open relationship they have with their youngest son’s birth mother.

In addition, they talk about their relationship, their work, and why marriage equality is so important to their family. Bo and Tom are both cheerleading coaches for Radford High School, and they explain how their jobs have prepared them for parenting by teaching them how to connect to young people. This is clearly a strong point for this couple as the Radford Cheerleaders just won their sixth consecutive state championship.

The article has beautiful photos of Bo and Tom and their sons. In addition, there is a photo gallery of additional photos taken during the photo shoot with the family.