PRIDE Training - The Adoption Process

There are several steps in the process of certification so that one can adopt, and one of the most important steps is called PRIDE. PRIDE stands for Parent Resources for Information, Development, and Education and is a training is designed to prepare you for fostering/adopting and explain the details of becoming a foster/adoptive family.

The training is designed to help you gain the best possible understanding and preparation for parenting and adopted or foster child. The training provides an excellent opportunity to meet with other families and social workers, answer your questions, ease fears, dispel myths and educate yourself on children in the child welfare system. In a two parent household, both parents are required to attend training. The standard training in West Virginia is called PRIDE. Training schedules vary between agencies, however many try to accommodate workday schedules and host trainings on evenings or weekends.

At this point, you might be asking yourself why you have to take this training. You are probably thinking something along the lines of "I've raised 2 kids, I have grandkids, I know what I am doing!" However, we would like you to read the following story from two recently certified foster parents and hopefully this will ease you into being more comfortable with PRIDE training.

"My husband John and I completed the PRIDE training classes last month. We were told we needed 27 hours of training to become foster/adoptive parents. We couldn't imagine what they would teach us since we already raised two boys and have two grandsons. Not that we know it all, but 27 hours?! Well, now we would like to say this: The classes provided us with so much information and necessary skills to prepare us for a child who has experienced losses. We had a wonderful teacher who did a great job sharing her knowledge and experiences. We learned things we didn't know anything about and now realize how important this information will be in caring for foster/adoptive children."

We hope that you too are able to register for a PRIDE training and receive such wonderful instruction. If you are interested in becoming a foster/adoptive parents and would like to know more about PRIDE, please give us a call at 866-CALL-MWV. Or perhaps you have a PRIDE training story you would like to share?

Thanks for reading and for the PRIDE training calendar, follow this link:http://www.wvdhhr.org/oss/adoption/adoption_calendar/diary.asp

Winter 2009 Newsletter

Hot of the press, come and get it! The FrameWorks Winter 2009 Newsletter has been completed! We hope you take a few minutes from your busy day to read our newsletter. Just click on the image above and a PDF file should open. Please let us know what you think and if there is anything you would like to see in future issues of "Open Your Life."

Thanks and Happy Holidays!

A Happy Adoption Story

Please follow this link: http://www.wgal.com/news/21907362/detail.html to watch a video and read an article about a man, 93, who adopts his 64 year old foster son who has been living with him since the age of 14.

Do you have a touching adoption story you would like to share? We would love to post it on our blog or possibly in our newsletter.

Please give us a call at 866-CALL-MWV or send an email to adopt(at)missionwv.org

Have a wonderful evening!

Foster Parents Forming Statewide Group

An article was posted in the Charleston Gazette today about the new group that is being formed in West Virginia. To read all about it, please click on the following link: http://wvgazette.com/News/200912040573

We hope you give us a call at 866-CALL-MWV and speak with Rachel if you are interested in participating!

Please vote for Mission West Virginia

Chase Community Giving is giving away 5 million dollars to various charities and is letting YOU pick which ones! All you have to do is vote for your favorite nonprofit organization, (Mission WV!), and the top 100 organizations will receive 25k!!! We, like many nonprofit organizations, could really use this donation and we know that if our supporters and friends pull together, we can be a part of that top 100!

Please click here: Vote for Mission West Virginia! or on one of the two image links in this post and vote for us! We sure do appreciate it, and we would really appreciate it if you would ask all of your friends, family and neighbors to support us as well.

FrameWorks is a program of Mission West Virginia that works to find loving forever families for children in West Virginia who are legally eligible for adoption. With approximately 1000 children legally eligible for adoption and waiting for a family of their own, we could really use your help! It only takes a couple seconds!

Thank you very much!

Please give to WV Foster Children this holiday season!

Have you been wondering what you can do to help someone else out this holiday season? If so, we have a great opportunity for you to make a foster child's Christmas extra special this year!

FrameWorks has teamed up with eight Rite Aid stores to receive gift donations for West Virginia Foster Children. With approximately 4,000 children in the WV foster care system, we ask that you open your life to them and give from the heart.

You can currently donate gifts to foster children at one of the eight Rite Aids at the following locations: Hurricane, Teays Valley, St. Albans, Charleston (South Hills), S. Charleston (McCorkle Ave.), Charleston (West Washington Street), Dunbar, and Huntington (5th Ave.). Barrels that have been decorated with art created by foster children are available at each store for the deposit of gifts.

Thanks for giving and if you have any questions or would like to donate directly to FrameWorks, give us a call at 866-CALL-MWV.

Happy Holidays!

More photos from the 2009 Adoption Day Celebration!

Below are a few more photos from the 2009 National Adoption Day Event that was held at the Clay Center in Charleston, WV on November 21st. We had a great turn out and we hope that if you took pictures at the event, you will share them with us!

A recap of The National Adoption Day Event!

WOW! The 2009 National Adoption Day event went better than we could have asked for! Almost 200 adoption/foster care supporters came together to celebrate the love and joys of adoption while remembering the thousands of children in the U.S. who are legally eligible for adoption and waiting for a forever family.

The event started off with two hours of play time at the Clay Center Discovery Museum. At approximately 5 o'clock, all of the children were asked to participate in a craft in which they decorated a luminary for the candlelight vigil. While the craft was going on, participants were treated to light snacks of fruits, vegetables and a delicious cake.

During the vigil, the luminaries surrounded the statue of children in the front court of the Clay Center. Being in the presence of so many wonderful families and children was inspiring and heartwarming. Seeing the candles lit at the vigil provided a beautiful image of how important it is to be the light of a child's life, which was the theme of this year's event. Following the same theme, all of our speakers beautiful stories provided a light of their own as we all reflected on the importance of opening our lives to children who are waiting for a family.

Speakers at the event included Michelle Bush, CASA Executive Director, Barbara Pryor, Legislative Assistant, David & Dawn Heatwole, Adoptive family and 2009 Angels in Adoption Recipients, and adopted teen Amber Beal spoke about adoption and the importance of coming together to celebrate such a special cause.

Thank you WVDHHR and the WV Retention and Recruitment Collaborative for sponsoring the event and thank you to every member of the R&R Collaborative - this was definitely a group effort and everyone did such a wonderful job helping out! Also, thank you to the Clay Center for your hospitality. We can't thank everyone who helped out enough!

Below are pictures of the event and we promise to keep them coming! If you took any pictures at the event and would like to share them, please send them to us - Email: crobey(at)missionwv.org

2009 National Adoption Month Drawing Contest Winners Announced!

Thank you to everyone who helped a child participate in this contest and thank you to all of the children who participated! Overall, we received 36 entries and choosing winners sure wasn't easy. We are posting the Grand Prize Winner and each 1st place winner in each age category. All winners, 1st through 3rd in each category, are posted on our website: 2009 Drawing Contest Winners.

Each participant who won will receive a prize donated by Sheetz and the grand prize, a digital camera with memory card, was donated anonymously. We would also like to thank our great judge and talented artist, Amanda Jane Miller of S.Charleston, WV. Thank you all so much!

The theme for this year's contest was "My Dreams"

The Grand Prize goes to Philip, age 11. Titled: "A New Beginning"

Age Category 4 - 6. 1st Place: Hayden (age6)

Age Category 7 - 9. 1st Place: Austin (age 7)

Age Category 10 - 13. 1st Place: Emma (age 11)

Age Category 14 - 18. 1st Place: Natasha (age 14)

Adoption Month Press Conference

A National Adoption Month Press Conference was held yesterday at The Supreme Court Chambers in Charleston, West Virginia. The purpose of the conference was to promote awareness of the thousands of children in foster care and encourage West Virginians to consider adoption.

Speakers included, Steven Canterbury (Administrative Director), Chief Justice Brent D. Benjamin, Justice Workman, and concluded with a touching adoption story from the E family about their special choice to adopt two different sets of siblings after first having a biological daughter. Spoken with love and compassion in his voice, the adoptive father's story was very touching and when his 9 year old adoptive daughter spoke, almost everyone in the crowd was in tears. His daughter, spoke of the many homes she had lived in while in foster care and about how happy she is now that she has found love in her new adoptive family with her new mommy and daddy.

Above: The E family with Justice Workman
Chief Justice Benjamin and Justice Workman spoke about their personal experiences with adoption as well as their professional experiences helping children who have been abused and/or neglected. As they mentioned, there are thousands of children in the foster care system and approximately 1,000 of them in WV are legally eligible to be adopted and waiting for a permanent family. Chief Justice Benjamin mentioned how important it is for West Virginians to help our children and realize the small things that are important in the life of a child. A child who is waiting to be adopted doesn't have a family of their own to come home to after school, a family to eat dinner with, or a family to be encouraged by.

Those who spoke, urged everyone listening to open their lives, hearts and homes to West Virginia children. There are so many wonderful kids in our state who are legally eligible for adoption, but sadly, their age or other circumstances keep them from finding a loving family. We at FrameWorks encourage you to please visit our website (click here: Waiting Children) or visit the State's site http://www.adoptawvchild.org/ and learn more about the children in West Virginia who are waiting for a loving family. Also, our number is 866-CALL-MWV and we are waiting to hear from you.

A special thank you to Nikki Tennis and staff of the Administrative Office of the Supreme Court of Appeals of WV for organizing and hosting this wonderful event.

Event Reminder!

We hope to see you on Saturday at the Clay Center in Charleston, West Virginia for our big National Adoption Day Event! Below is a recap of the schedule:

Starting at 3 PM, event participants will have free access to the Discovery Museum, followed by refreshments and a luminary project for children at the Intermezzo café from 4:45 to 5:30. The celebration will conclude outside with a candlelight ceremony.

We hope that if adoption has touched your life in any way or if you would like to open your heart and life to adoption, that you join us.

If you have thought about adoption, what kinds of questions do you have? Please feel free to comment on our blog and we can get some discussion going! Or, if you feel more comfortable making a phone call, our number is 866-CALL-MWV. Thanks for reading our blog and we look forward to seeing you this Saturday at the Clay Center in Charleston, WV!

A BIG THANKS to IHOP of Barboursville, WV!

Above: IHOP's friendly Staff

We had a wonderful event last night at the IHOP in Barboursville. We had several people show up in support of the event and met lots of new people. The highlight of the evening was seeing the Bo family with their daughter J. J’s adoption was finalized yesterday morning and we celebrated with cake and balloons!

Above: The B family entering IHOP

20% of proceeds between the hours of 5 to 9 PM will be donated to FrameWorks. The IHOP staff worked really hard for us and were very accommodating. We are most appreciative for everything Barboursville IHOP and their wonderful staff have done to help us empower the lives of West Virginia Foster Children.

Above, FrameWorks adoption worker, Carol Phipps,

talks with adoptive parent and friend of FrameWorks, Rita Boyles.
And below: Kellie Booton and Patti Harold, WVDHHR Social Workers

came out to support FrameWorks!We would like to thank everyone who came out in support of FrameWorks last night!

Have you ever thought about adoption or fostering?

The FrameWorks PR Director and Americorp VISTA spent Nov. 5 - 8 at the Huntington Mall table fair. Shown above is a photo of the FrameWorks display and Mini Heart Gallery of WV. The Mini Heart Gallery, just like the large Heart Gallery, displays photos and profiles of children/youth in West Virginia who are currently legally eligible to be adopted and waiting for a family. If your business or organization would like to display the Heart Gallery at an event of conference, please give us a call.

We would like to thank the Huntington Mall for inviting us to this event and to all of Huntington Mall's Patrons who stopped by to talk to us about adoption and foster care in WV. Overall, the table fair was a great success and we sent out several information packets this morning to people who are interested in fostering and/or adopting.

If you missed us at the mall, we would love to talk to you about adoption or foster care - just dial 866-CALL-MWV. With approximately 1,000 children in the West Virginia Foster Care System who are legally eligible for adoption, we ask that if you are considering adoption, you stop waiting and pick up the phone!

Dine for Kids

Please join us for another great opportunity to Dine for Kids on Thursday November 12th! That's right, all you have to do is go out to eat, have fun, and you are helping empower the lives of foster children! On November 12th, the IHOP at Barboursville Mall in Huntington, WV is donating 20% of all proceeds between the hours of 5 to 9 p.m. to FrameWorks.

FrameWorks is a nonprofit organization located in Hurricane, WV that works state-wide to find loving permanent families for children who are waiting in foster care and are legally eligible for adoption.

We hope you can join us and spread the word about our upcoming event. Thank you IHOP!

Advocating for the Best Interest of the Child - Free Training

There will be a FREE training sponsored by the Regional Specialized Foster Parent Networks, Regions I, II, and III, with assistance from the Foster Family-Based Treatment Association and the Alliance for Children.

The trainer will be Julie Lynch, Esq. - Legal Director of Child Law Services, Inc.

Highlights: CEUs for Social Workers, Continuing Education Hours for Foster Parents/Adoptive Parents, and on site child care will be available.


First Training:

Where: Christ Church United Methodist 1221 Quarrier St. Charleston, WV

When: November 3rd, 2009

Time: 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM

Child care will be provided for children not in school. Hours will count towards maintaining their certification as foster and adoptive families. Foster and Adoptive Families and staff can RSVP to myself or to the Alliance for Children at lbellomy(at)alliance4children.org or by calling 304.342.8477

FrameWorks' Adoption Myth Buster!

What's thought: 45% of Americans think children in foster care have entered the system because of juvenile delinquency.

Reality: Children enter the system through no fault of their own, as victims of neglect, abandonment and/or abuse. The majority of these children liven with foster families, not in group homes or institutions.

What's thought: 67% of those considering adoption are concerned the biological parents will be able to take the child back.

Reality: Once a child has been legally made available for adoption, birth parents cannot claim a child or petition for their return.

What's thought: 46% of Americans mistakenly think foster care adoption is expensive.

Reality: Foster care adoption is not expensive, and there is financial support available.

What's thought: Only 37% of Americans think a person over the age of 55 can definitely provide a healthy and loving environment for a child.

Reality: 23% of adopted children live with an adoptive parent 55 years or older.

Do you have any questions about foster care or adoption, or maybe you have a concern that could possibly be a MYTH? Let us know, we would love to hear from you. Give us a call at 866-CALL-MWV or email adopt(at)missionwv.org.

This information is from "A Child Is Waiting - A Step-By-Step Guide to Adoption" by the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption.

Earn CEUs and CLEs at a RAPP Workshop!

To view a larger image of the flyer, please click on it and a PDF file will open.

On Saturday November 14th, there will be a FREE workshop on Grandparent's Rights and Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoption Act of 2008. Grandparent's Rights will be presented by Heather McClung, Berkeley County Law Librarian and Foster Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act will be presented by Heidi Epstein JD, MSW, Director of Kinship Policy with the American Bar Association. The event starts at 10 AM and will be at the Berkeley Baptist Church, Winchester Grade Road, Berkeley Springs, WV. Lunch and Child Care (for children up to the age of 12) will be PROVIDED!Fore more information, please call 866-CALL-MWV or email Laura Lou Harbert at lharbert(at)missionwv.orgAgain, you may read more about the workshop by clicking on the image above.

Thank you and we hope to see you there!

Mark your calendars! 2009 National Adoption Month Event

Please join us on Saturday November 21st at the Clay Center in Charleston, WV for an Adoption Month Celebration. Starting at 3 p.m. with free admission to the Discovery Museum for Adoption Month Event participants followed by refreshments and a luminary project at 4:45 and ending with an outside candlelight ceremony from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

This event has been organized and sponsored by the WV Recruitment and Retention Collaborative and the WV Department of Health and Human Resources. For more details, please click on the image of the flyer to open a larger/printable PDF file or call 866-CALL-MWV. We hope to see you there!

FrameWorks Features Families - WV adoptive families!

Pictured Above: The Boyles Family

Last year, FrameWorks started an Adoptive Family Portrait Project to showcase the positive aspects of adopting through the foster care system. As a part of our 2008 National Adoption Month event, we displayed these photos throughout the lower rotunda of the WV Capitol Building and it was very inspiring to see so many loving families who have opened their lives and hearts to foster children. As a part of that project, the families agreed that we could continue to use the photos and their stories to continue this showcase of love. While not all of the participating families have yet been added to our website, you can read several stories by visiting our website, click here: WV Adoptive Families.

2009 Drawing Contest Update!

We have great news! Sheetz is making a donation to the 2009 National Adoption Month Drawing Contest for the purchase of gift cards for prizes! We now have a very nice Sony Cybershot Digital Camera with a memory card for the grand prize winner, and funding to provide gift cards to many of the children who participate!

We are excited about this year's drawing contest as entries have slowly started making their way into our mailbox, however, we feel that more time should be allotted for the children/youth to submit their art and we have extended the due date until October 28th. We will be accepting art for the drawing contest as long as it is post marked by October 28th! So please, spread the word and submit your children's/youth's artwork - they have a great chance of winning a prize. Also, art is such a wonderful creative outlet of expression and with this year's theme "My Dreams" we hope that the children and youth who participate are able to realize their strengths and know that their dreams and goals are limitless.

We are so grateful to the donor of the digital camera and to Sheetz for providing prize money for this great cause. Thank you to everyone who has helped out, we can't wait to post photos of the art after the final submissions are made. To learn more and download the entry form, please click here: 2009 Drawing Contest.

2009 National Adoption Month Save the Date!

Hey everyone! Please reserve November 21st on your calendar because you are going to be busy that day hanging with us!

On Saturday November 21st we are getting together at the Clay Center in Charleston for some fun at the museum followed by snacks, cake, hot chocolate!, and a candlelight vigil in celebration of National Adoption Month. We plan to have several great speakers and this event provides a great opportunity for West Virginians to join together to celebrate adoptions and remember the hundreds of thousands of children who are currently in foster care.

More details will come shortly so please don't forget to SAVE THE DATE!

News from the Children's Home Society of WV

The Children’s Home Society announces that US Senator Jay Rockefeller has nominated one of our many dedicated families as “Angels in Adoption.” This award is used to recognize those who reach out to vulnerable children and provide them with a safe and loving home. The parents, David and Dawn Heatwole have an amazing story that has touched the lives of many children.

Senator Rockefeller's press release: Tribute to the Heatwole Family and the Heatwoles' story:

Dawn and David had been married several years when they were told that it was unlikely they would be able to have children. Rather than becoming discouraged, the couple decided that they would like to adopt a young boy from Russia who they had found out about through their church. While waiting for the lengthy international adoption process to go through, Dawn and David decided to become foster parents.

In April 2005 the Heatwoles undertook the challenge of caring for a 7- month-old boy with serious medical problems. Less than a year later the child was placed on a donor list because he required a liver transplant. As his condition continued to worsen, Dawn's sister volunteered to be tested and proved to be an appropriate donor match. The surgery was successful and their adopted son, Adam, is now a healthy 4 year old.

Shortly after bringing Adam into their home, David and Dawn took in another infant foster child, Ethan. Nine months later they welcomed Ethan's brother Asa into their growing family. In January of 2007, the Heatwoles were able to adopt Pasha from Russia, and they did not stop there. In May of 2008, they also accepted Adam's sister as another precious child in their home.
Over the past 5 years, the Heatwoles have provided a safe and loving environment for nine children. They have opened their home to children in need, and have fought to ensure that children are the top priority in the foster care system. Dawn and David have endured the challenges that accompany ailing and drug dependent infants, as well as the challenge of helping a non-English speaking child adapt to a new culture.

To see a photo of the family, please visit the Children's Home Society website: http://www.childhswv.org

West Virginians reaching out to help foster children.

Many thanks are in order to those of you who work to empower the lives of foster children and help our mission of finding loving forever families for children who are waiting to be adopted.

Recently, we received a donation from a preschool class and we hope this great idea inspires you to think of creative ways you can raise funds to help your favorite nonprofit organizations. We would like to thank Gianna Blake and Mrs. Heather's 3 year old afternoon preschool class at Hills and Dales Preschool in Wheeling, WV for their recent donation. Rather than spending money on take home treat bags for a school birthday party, the money was donated to our CELEBRATIONS program which funds special events for children in the foster care system.

Gianna's mother, Marla Blake, wrote "foster care and adoption is near and dear to our hearts and we are happy and honored to help out in any way possible. Thank god for your dedication and commitment to this incredible cause." We are touched by Marla's words and so thankful to Gianna and her preschool class. We would also like to thank Pfizer Pharmaceuticals who is going to match the donation made by the preschool class.

We would also like to thank the Huntington Mall who has given us permission to display the WV Heart Gallery in the mall. The display is in the window front of what used to be Steve and Barry's - on the left side of the main door to the store. Steve and Barry's is in the hallway that leads to Dick's Sporting goods, so if you go to the Huntington Mall, please stop by and take a look at the gallery. Thank you Huntington Mall!

Sunday's Child Column

There are many children in the state foster care system that are legally eligible for adoption and seeking a loving forever family. To see photos and read information about these children you can visit the West Virginia Adoption Resource Network by clicking here: Adopt a WV Child or by visiting the waiting children page of the FrameWorks website by clicking here: Waiting Kids.

Another way that we reach out to find potential adoptive parents is a column called Sunday's Child. Sunday's Child spotlights the photo and a brief description of a child who is waiting to be adopted.

There are several papers in WV that have agreed to publish Sunday's Child and we are most appreciative of their efforts to help us find loving families. To view the most recent Sunday's Child Column online, you can visit the link below. Not all of the papers who participate publish the column online, so check your local paper for the Sunday's Child column. If you don't see the column in your local paper and would like to help us get it published, give us a call at 866-CALL-MWV. Thanks!

Recent Sunday's Child Column:
The Journal
The Herald Dispatch
The Charleston Gazette

Fall 2009 Newsletter

Check out what FrameWorks of Mission West Virginia has been up to, read about our featured adoptive family, fall in love with two featured youth who are legally eligible for adoption, learn about upcoming news and events, and more!

You can open and read the Fall 2009 Newsletter by clicking on the picture above or by visiting the link: http://www.missionwv.org/frameworks/documents/fall2009newsletter1_000.pdf We hope that you take a few minutes to read our newsletter and share it with friends. You can read past newsletters by visiting: http://www.missionwv.org/frameworks/Newsletters.html

If you are currently a FrameWorks newsletter reader, what do you like most about the newsletter? Or perhaps, there is something you would like to see featured? PLEASE, let us know! We would love your input. Thanks!