Carrie's Kids - Day at Camden Park

Above: Carrie Cline interviews foster youth

On Saturday August 29, the owners of Camden Park offered free admission to West Virginia and Kentucky foster children who are legally eligible for adoption with no identified resource. These children were able to enjoy a fun day at the park and get interviewed by Carrie Cline of WSAZ to be featured on Carrie's Kids, a segment that features children who are legally eligible for adoption.

Below: Carrie Cline interviews foster youth

We had a great day at the park, filmed several segments, and had tons of fun! We would like to thank Camden Park for being so generous and helping us to recruit forever families for these children. We would also like to thank WSAZ and Carrie Cline for her dedication to find loving families, the social workers who used their personal time on a Saturday to bring the kids to the park, and everyone else involved.

Above: Foster Youth at Camden Park

Those who worked together to make this event possible include: Mission West Virginia, Inc., Children's Home Society, Kentucky Health and Family Services, WV DHHR, Carrie Cline of WSAZ and the owners of Camden Park.

If you are interested in adoption, please call us at 866-CALL- MWV or email adopt(at)missionwv(dot)org.

FrameWorks Adoption Myth Buster

Myth: Adoption is too expensive and I can't afford it.

Fact: There is NO COST to adopt a child through the West Virginia DHHR. While private adoption agencies may differ in cost, there is NO cost to adopt through the state. Also, subsidies are also available for special needs children to assist with general and medical care.

Do you have any questions about foster care or adoption that FrameWorks could answer? We are here to bust all of the common myths about adoption and offer you factual information about the process of fostering and/or adopting a WV foster child.

For more information, check out our FAQ web page by clicking here: FrameWorks FAQ Page

Give us a call at 866-CALL-MWV or email adopt(at)missionwv(dot)org

Are you a foster and/or adoptive parent who reads our blog? We would love for you to leave comments of encouragement to those who might be thinking about starting the process.

Thanks!

The Heart Gallery of WV

The Heart Gallery is a traveling photography exhibit that features portraits of West Virginia’s foster children who are eligible for adoption. The exhibit, named “The Heart Gallery of West Virginia – Portraits of Hope”, seeks to bring a face and give a voice to children who need and deserve the love of a family. By sharing their stories, the Heart Gallery hopes to touch hearts and find families for the children ready for adoption. Recognizing the need to accomplish this goal, photographers from across the state have volunteered their time and talent to create intimately compelling portraits of some of West Virginia’s waiting children.

The purpose of the Heart Gallery is to feature children who have yet to find their permanent family. Many of the children featured have waited years to be matched with a family who will love and support them to adulthood and beyond. Every child deserves to grow up with love, support and the safety of a family.

The goals of the Heart Gallery of West Virginia are to spotlight children available for adoption, recruit families for children featured in the Heart Gallery, and recruit additional foster and adoptive families for West Virginia’s children.



We are always seeking out new venues to host the Heart Gallery. Please contact us with suggestions or ideas. Thanks! 866-CALL-MWV

Our Photographers

The Heart Gallery wishes to extend a special thank you to our photographers for volunteering their time and putting their own “heart” into this project. These photographers are as full of hope and courage as the children they so beautifully portrayed. We thank them from the bottom of our hearts and appreciate their willingness to share their creativity and talents.

Dewayne & Ginnie Lowther - Parkersburg, WV
John Fluharty - Charleston, WV
Nicki Starcher - Parkersburg, WV
Paul & Dottie Bibbee - Parkersburg, WV
Ric MacDowell - Lincoln County, WV
Kim Earl - Charleston, WV
Courtney Bell - Huntingon, WV http://www.courtneybellphoto.com/
Amanda Glass Photography - http://www.amandaglassphotography.com/
Tonya Rohrbaugh - Country Charm Photography http://www.countrycharmphotography.com/
Rebecca Kiger Fotografia - http://www.rebeccakiger.com/

WV Recruitment and Retention Collaborative

Mission West Virginia has partnered with several foster parents and private and public agencies in WV to form a foster/adoptive family recruitment collaborative. By bringing together several entities from across the state, we are working to combine efforts to recruit new families who are open to foster parenting and adoption in the state of WV.

The group met yesterday, November 18th, at the Mission WV office in Hurricane, WV. The group meets every third Tuesday of the month and if you are interested in joining us and would like more information, please call 866-CALL-MWV. The R&R Collaborative is currently planning events to celebrate National Adoption Month, which is November.

Yesterday's meeting was attended by representatives from Mission WV, National Youth Advocacy Program, Children's Home Society, Braley and Thompson Inc., the Administrative Office of the Courts - Division of Children's Services, and the WVDHHR.

Youth in Transition Conference

FrameWorks' AmeriCorps VISA Memory Cooper who is currently working on a mentoring program for youth aging out of foster care recently attended the Youth in Transition Conference at Cedar Lakes in Ripley West Virginia.

According to Memory, "The Youth in Transition Conference was a great success. It is one of few conferences held throughout the year for youth that are transitioning out of foster care. This conference brings the youth together in a fun environment where they can learn valuable information to help prepare them for their life's journey."

At the conference, youth attended many workshops that gave them valuable tools and information to prepare them to live on their own, these included: T.H.I.N.K (which discusses the importance of abstinence), Career Path and Planning, College Readiness, Goal Setting, a Panel Discussion from college students, and stress management.

Among those who attended the conference was special guest, Karen McKay, who played her banjo while entertaining youth and staff.

The Conference was organized by the WVU Center for Excellence in Disabilities' Chafee Foster Care Independence Program. Phone: (304) 558-6067

Top 10 Reasons to Adopt a Teen!

There are many reasons to adopt a teen and there are several "Top Ten Reasons Why" lists floating around the Internet, but I found this one especially fun and up-to-date. I give complete credit for this list to the County of Fresno Dept. of Children and Family Services.

TOP TEN REASONS TO ADOPT A TEEN

1. NO DIAPERS TO CHANGE, NO BOTTLES, FORMULA OR BURP RAGS REQUIRED.

2. WE SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT.

3. WE WILL BE READY TO MOVE OUT SOONER...BUT WE WILL ALWAYS COME HOME TO VISIT.

4. YOU DON'T JUST GET A CHILD, YOU GET A FRIEND.

5. WE WILL KEEP YOU UP TO DATE ON THE LATEST FASHIONS AND TRENDS.

6. NO MORE CARPOOLS; WE CAN DRIVE YOU PLACES.

7. WE CAN PICK UP AFTER OURSELVES AND HELP AROUND THE HOUSE...WHEN WE WANT TO.

8. WE CAN LEARN FROM YOU AND WE CAN TEACH YOU TO BE MORE PATIENT, UNDERSTANDING, KIND AND EMPATHETIC.

9. WE CAN TEACH YOU HOW TO PROGRAM YOUR CELL PHONE AND IPOD, AND TEACH YOU HOW TO WORK YOUR COMPUTER.

10. WE WILL BE PART OF YOUR LIFE; SOMEONE TO SHARE OUR LIFE DREAMS; ACHIEVEMENTS AND HOLIDAYS WITH.

In WV there are many teens who are waiting for a forever family. If you would like to learn more information about adopting, please call FrameWorks at 866-CALL-MWV

CELEBRATIONS!

Celebrations!, our newest project, is helping to fund special events for children in the foster care system. Celebrations! was created to create special days and positive memories for children growing up in the foster care system. Donations are used to fund expenses for birthday parties, proms, graduations or other special events.

Check out the latest CELEBRATIONS! story:

Breanna and her brother were adopted by their aunt. Their worker wrote that the children “had recently moved to a new location with their aunt. The home has minimal furnishings. The aunt works 2 jobs to pay the high rent and uses what is left for the kids basic needs. Her adoptive mom will help her decorate and organize her room. She has many friends over and would like a room to be proud of. “

Breanna’s aunt wrote about the room makeover:

It was a great joy to watch them. We have all gone through some very emotional days while going through the adoption process. I cannot thank this organization enough for making the end of the process a better celebration. Breanna was so excited to shop for decorations to match the paint she chose. ...Breanna and her new sisters became a little closer as they all worked on her room together. Once again I would like to express sincere gratitude for all that was given to our family through this experience.


Breanna wrote:

I am writing this letter to you to thank you for the money for my room. I really enjoyed shopping for my room. I also enjoyed spending time with my sisters. My room is not quite finished yet with the painting the ceiling. But I love it and so does my friends and family. Thank you so much my room looks amazing.

Items bought for the bedroom makeover:

New bed sheets (brown and white)
New paint (brown and pink and white)
A brown basket (little)
A new laundry basket (white)
New curtain (pink and white and brown)
New curtain rod (dark brown)
Picture frames (pink)
A new bathroom rug (blue and yellow)
Another basket to hold stuff (white)
New picture

Before photos:

After photos: