Open House!

Mission WV is organizing another Adoption/Foster Care Information Open House in Beckley, WV on November 6th at 11AM. The event will take place at the Prosperity First Baptist Church located at 308 Prosperity Road Beckley, WV 25801.

At the Open House, potential foster/adoptive parents will learn more about waiting children in WV, the certification process to foster and/or adopt,what to expect as a foster parent, international adoption and how the adoption process works, and get to hear the personal story and advice of an experienced foster/adoptive parent.

By attending this event, you don't have to make any commitments, we just hope that you will join us to learn more about foster care and adoption if it is something you are interested in. If you have any questions about the Open House or would like an information packet about fostering and/or adopting, we can send that to you today! Just call 866-CALL-MWV or email Carrie at crobey@missionwv.org

Thanks and we hope to see you on the 6th!

What exactly is PRIDE training and how do I sign up?

Any family who is interested in becoming certified to provide foster care and/or adopt a foster child, must complete the PRIDE training course and have a completed homestudy. PRIDE stands for Parent Resources for Information, Development, and Education. The training covers topics including child abuse/ neglect, emotional and behavioral issues, discipline, and overviews of adoption and foster care.

While at the training you will have an excellent opportunity to meet with other families who are also going through the certification process. We also have a letter from a couple who took the PRIDE training and wanted to share more about their experience.

"My husband J and I completed the PRIDE 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." - J & B from Pennsboro WV

We thank this couple for sharing their story and if you have a positive and encouraging foster/adoptive story to share, please email us! Our email is adopt@missionwv.org

If you are interested in becoming certified, please give us a call at 866-CALL-MWV and we will send you more information. Also, there is a calendar of PRIDE trainings listed on the WVDHHR website and can be viewed by clicking here: http://www.wvdhhr.org/oss/adoption/adoption_calendar/diary.asp

Save the Date! Another FREE workshop!

FREE Workshops on:

"What the Fostering Connections Act Means to You and Families" presented by Joanne M. Brown, JD, MSW, National Resource Center on Legal and Judicial Issues
AND
"An Overview of WV Grandparent Visitation and Minor Guardianship Law" presented by Honorable Mike Kelly, Eleventh Family Circuit Court.

When: Saturday, May 22nd, 2010 - 10 AM to 3PM

Where: YWCA 305 Washington Ave. Clarksburg, WV 26301

Who Should Attend: Kinship families including grandparents raising grandchildren, Foster Parentes, Attorneys, Judges, FRN Directors, DHHR Staff, WVU Extension Services Staff, Private Agency Staff, CASA Staff and Volunteers, Social Workers, and other interested people.
Lunch and child care up to age 12 provided.

Preregistration for workshop and childcare must be made by MAY 14th. To register, call Mission WV toll free at 866.CALL.MWV (866-225-5698) or email Laura Lou Harbert at lharbert(at)missionwv.org

This workshop is a joint effort of Mission WV, the WV Department of Health and Human Resources, the Supreme Court of Appeals of WV, Legal Aid of WV, the American Bar Association, WVU Extension Services and the Bureau of Senior Services.

Support foster/adoptive programming and win!

The Hurricane Rite Aid has generously provided an Easter Basket valued at $216.87 to be raffled for a good cause. All funds raised from the raffle will be donated to Mission West Virginia’s FrameWorks program, which works to find loving families for foster children in WV.
The Easter Basket contains a Polaroid MegaPixel Camera, a remote control Mini Cooper, a Hurricane Redskin Hoodie, two Hurricane Redskin bears, Disney Pez, and a variety of candy and other goodies. You may purchase a one chance ticket for $1 or ten tickets for $5.

We hope if you live in the area you stop by and buy a few tickets!

Adoption/foster Resource Library

If you are interested in learning more about adoption, foster care, kinship care, child behavior, mental health, parenting, etc. it is likely that you will be able to find the information in the FrameWorks' Resource Library. A variety of books,DVDs, periodicals and articles are available for loan and three (3) books can be "checked out" at one time. (Photocopied copies of articles and other publications will be provided and will not count toward your borrowing limit).

To view a complete list of the resources available through the FrameWorks' Library, click on the following link: FRAMEWORKS RESOURCE LIBRARY

Books are due back three weeks from the date of being mailed or given to recipient. A pre-addressed and stamped mailing envelope will be provided. Materials should be returned via media mail. If books are not returned within one month , the borrowing party will be responsible for the replacement costs.

Borrowing requests may be made by phone (1-866-CALL-MWV/304-562-0723) or by e-mail (rprobst(at)missionwv.org).

Requests may be made for materials which are not currently available through the resource library. Materials will be purchased based on funding availability and relevance of topic.

Thanks for reading the FrameWorks Blog and please call us if you have any questions.
866-CALL-MWV

Thanks and have a great Wednesday!

12 ways to support foster care all year long

After the blog article I wrote about resolving to make the difference in someone else's life this new year, one of our facebook "fans" asked for suggestions of how they could help to empower the lives of foster children and those who are dedicated to either finding or providing forever families that can provide a home filled with support and love. So, we came up with a list! If you would like to do everything on this list or just one thing on this list, it will provide more support and encouragement than you could ever being to realize. Also, if you would like any help in fulfilling any of the "ways to help" on the list below, just call us and we would be more than glad to help out.

Thanks for reading and we hope to hear from you. Do you have any ideas to add on to this list?

FrameWorks' 12 ways to support foster care:

1. January - Write a note to a foster kid that provides encouragement and advice for the new year.
2. February – Bake heart shaped cookies and donate them to a group home facility.
3. March – send flowers to a social worker who works hard to find families for children. A group of people could chip in on this and a member of the FrameWorks staff could help you with finding a social worker to give to if you don’t already have one.
4. April – put together a “rainy day” care package for a kid living at a group facility.
5. May – Make a team for Walk Me Home! The walk will be May 15th this year!
6. June - Time for another care package that could include sidewalk chalk/beach towel/sun screen.
7. July – Send a note of encouragement to a foster or adoptive family! They would probably really appreciate a small gift certificate for a family activity like a visit to the ice cream store or a night out to the movies.
8. August – School will be starting and a little pencil pouch full of cool pencils, pens and erasers would be a handy gift to give a foster child.
9. September – this is a time of year when a lot of kids get to go school shopping with their families and children living in a group facility don’t get to enjoy that experience. A gift card to a clothing store would come in handy and an adoption recruiter could go for a one on one shopping trip with one of their kids. This way, the kid would get to feel extra special.
10. October – My favorite, Halloween! Send a group home a bunch of candy or Halloween themed baked items. Maybe by now you have been buying for one special foster kid who needs a family and you would like to buy them a mask or something fun to wear on Halloween.
11. November – November is National Adoption month and a tough month for kids who don’t have a family to eat Thanksgiving Dinner with. This month, you can help out by attending a National Adoption Month event and saying a special prayer for foster children who are waiting for a family.
12. December – The holidays are here! You know what you can do!

Computer training for WV foster children

During the week after Christmas, our e-impact tech program at Mission WV was able to team up with FrameWorks on a project that combined the mission of empowering foster youth's lives and teaching technology to the youth throughout our state. Thanks to a grant given by the Mollohan Foundation, Mission West Virginia was able to provide free computer training to a few of the foster youth who live at Stepping Stones, a group facility for foster children. The program called BIKISI, stands for Build it Keep it Share it. Youth who participate in the program are given the tools, parts, and knowledge to build a computer of their very own that they are allowed to keep at the end of the week.

“These young men were not able to visit with family over the holiday” said Susan Fry, Stepping Stones Executive Director, “and the positive engagement, knowledge and priceless opportunity this program afforded them certainly brought a smile to their faces during a time that is very difficult for many of our kids.”

We are so happy that this was such a good experience for everyone involved. We hope to continue seeking funds so that more foster youth can also have the opportunity to get involved in the BIKISI Program.

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!

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!

2009 Drawing Contest

In celebration of National Adoption Month, which is November, we are having a drawing contest that is open to foster and adopted children/youth who live in West Virginia and are between the ages of 4 to 18. With four age groups, there will a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prize for each age group and the Grand Prize Winner will receive the prize of a digital camera that was donated by an anonymous sponsor!

The theme for the contest this year is "My Dreams." Last year's theme was "Family" and the photos posted on this blog post are from the 2008 Drawing Contest.

The art will be displayed at different locations throughout the month of November during events that celebration National Adoption Month.

For all of the details and the entry form, please visit: http://www.missionwv.org/frameworks/SpecialProjects.html

We hope you encourage your children/youth to participate and we look forward to hearing back from you all. Do you have any suggestions about spreading the word for the drawing contest? If you have any ideas or suggestions, please give us a call at 866-CALL-MWV. Also, if you would like to make a donation to go towards prizes, that would be appreciated as well.

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:

Check us out!!!

In partnership with the WV Department of Health and Human Resources, FrameWorks has developed a billboard that is now on display at three locations in the Charleston area. It is our hope that potential foster/adoptive parents, relative caregivers, potential volunteers, and leaders in the Charleston community will all notice our billboard and either call or visit our website.

If you live in the area, please check out our billboards! You can find one by the Wendy's Parking lot in Kanawha City, another one is at 5414Maccorkle Avenue when heading to the mall and is on the left (the mall where Gabriel Brothers is), and a third one is in St. Albans on Rt. 60 just a little past Value City on the right side of the road. If you see one of the billboards, please let us know. We would like to thank Kanawha Valley Advertising for providing a discounted rate for the billboards. Mission WV is a certified nonprofit organization and we are always looking for free or discounted media, so if you have any connections or suggestions, we are all ears!

Also, in other news, we would like to again thank Carrie Cline for the work she is doing to find permanent families for waiting children. After the segment on Adam was aired we received 11 calls!!! We just love hearing from new potential parents who can provide loving families to children in our state. After all, there are no unwanted children in WV, just unfound families.

Our Condolences

On Thursday July 9th, a couple who was known for adopting special needs children was killed in their home. The couple’s names were Byrd and Melanie Billings and they lived in Pensacola, Florida. Together, the couple had 16 children, 12 of which were adopted – several having Down Syndrome, Autism, and other disabilities.

While three men have been arrested for the murder of these parents, the whole story and what is referred to as a “complex web of relationships” hasn’t been released. According to the media, the family did not know any of the murder suspects and robbery was one of the reasons for this horrible tragedy.

The Billings were a wealthy couple who wanted to share their wealth with children who were in need, but “didn’t imagine their family would grow so large.” The FrameWorks staff would like to send our condolences out to the family and friends of this family. It is sad to see that such a loving family who opened their lives and their hearts to so many children have had such untimely deaths. To read more about the story, please click on the following link: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/31887302/ns/today_people/

Carrie's Kids

FrameWorks has teamed up with Carrie Cline at WSAZ Channel 3 to help find loving, permanent homes for children available for adoption. Every Tuesday on First at Five tune in to WSAZ Channel 3 news to watch "Carrie's Kids," a short segment that features foster children who are legally eligible to be adopted.

On June 9th, Carrie interviewed Adam, a 13 year old boy who enjoys fishing, swimming, riding his bike, and exploring the outdoors. The segment was filmed at Ritter Park in Huntington and we are excited for it to air on Tuesday June 14th on WSAZ's 5 o'clock news. Also, you can see Adam's segment and others online by visiting http://www.wsaz.com/carrieskids

We would like to thank Carrie and WSAZ for this partnership as we are very excited about this new opportunity to recruit families for waiting kids.

What is a Home Study?

A home study is a series of meetings between you and an agency social worker. Once you have applied to adopt, all 50 states require by law that applicants go through a home study, which is a study of a family and their home. This process involves education and preparation as well as a gathering of information about the applicants. As an applicant, you may need to gather documents such as:

Birth Certificates (for yourself and your spouse if applicable)
Your Marriage License
Child Abuse Clearance
Personal References
An autobiographical statement
Some agencies may require a health statement
You are usually asked to verify your income by providing an income statement

You will also go have several interviews with your home finder. It is important to know that the home finder isn't doing a "white glove" inspection, but is learning more about you and your family to verify that the child will be entering a safe and healthy environment.

While it may seem intimidating to face the entire process and gather all of this information, if you are armed with accurate information you can face the home study experience with confidence and the excitement of knowing you will be welcoming a new child into your loving family.

On average, a home study takes between three to six months.

If you have any more questions about the adoption process of home studies, please call FrameWorks at 866-CALL-MWV or email adopt@missionwv.org

Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Dine for Kids

On Wednesday August 26th, 2009, if you eat breakfast, lunch, or dinner at the Southridge Bob Evans in Charleston, WV 15% of the proceeds will go to FrameWorks! All you have to do is give the cashier our flyer when you pay your bill! Please download and print the flyer by visiting: http://www.missionwv.org/frameworks/News.html

Please distribute the flyer to all of your friends and family and don't forget to bring it with you when you Dine for Kids!

The flyer can be used when you carryout or dine in. We hope this is a successful event and we look forward to seeing you at Bob Evans on Wednesday, August 26th!
The Southridge Bob Evans is located at 2809 Mountaineer Blvd.

Foster Care Mentoring Act of 2009

As I was browsing foster care related news stories this morning I came across a very inspiring story of a young lady who was raised in foster care and recently earned her doctorate in Pharmacy. In that article I found some very interesting information about the Foster Care Mentoring Act of 2009, which was written to support programs throughout the nation that provide mentoring for children in foster care. With an overwhelming amount of research that shows that caring adults can make a difference in the lives of children (73% of mentored teens achieve higher goals generally), mentor programs offer a cost-effective approach to empowering the lives of foster children and youth.

This bill, if passed, will provide millions of dollars throughout the US to establish or expand mentoring programs. From what I was able to find, states will be eligible to receive up to $600,000, volunteer mentors will be offered student loan forgiveness in federal loans up to $20,000, and there will be a national $4 million public awareness campaign.

Volunteers who participate in the mentoring program will be eligible to receive $2,000 of loan forgiveness for every 200 hours they serve.

If you are interested, you can call your United States Senator and Member of Congress and ask them to support the Foster Care Mentoring Act of 2009. (Call 202-225-3121 for the U.S. House and 202-224-3121 for the U.S. Senate.)

Carrie

Miss West Virginia!

Yesterday, June 30th, we were pleased to have a meeting with Miss West Virginia 2009, Talia Markam. We would like to congratulate Talia on her accomplishment and we are very excited to partner with her on our common goal of finding permanent loving families for foster children in West Virginia.

Talia is an advocate for children and their right to have a safe home and a loving family. She is very educated and passionate about issues surrounding foster care and we couldn't be more excited to work with Talia during the upcoming year. We will keep you updated on this partnership and again, CONGRATULATIONS Talia!

The children pictured in this photo are legally eligible to be adopted. If you have any questions about adoption and/or foster care, please contact us at 866-CALL-MWV or email adopt(at)missionwv(dot)org