We will all then go to Truro for a week of Intensive learning at our combined ARC and ACTION conference called Meeting of the Minds.  The conference is fabulous with many wonderful speakers and workshops and films and ideas that will be disseminated and discussed. (It is not too late to sign yourself up for part or all of the conference to be held at the Provincetown Inn July 10-14). You can register online at http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=7phiokcab&oeidk=a07e3tkkqix1ee225cb.

The summer is a time when I have a small grant to write.  Although my book The Family of Adoption is due for a rewrite, and I am finishing a Chapter for a Pediatric Text, and a Chapter for a Marriage and Family Book, the real intense writing is for Grants.  The Federal Grant Proposals come out in May and are due right around our conference every year and so some of the office is scurrying to prepare for the new interns, some are working on the conference and some are working on grants...and some are doing all three at once.   

It is a particularly stressful year because we need an infusion of funding to keep serving the families and children that we serve.

We are lucky to have such an amazing Board.  During the past few months they have raised a pledged amount of over $100,000. to come in over the next year.   One has offered a home to help house our presenters for the conference in Provincetown, One has 'given' us her assistant to take the burden off of our staff while we hire two new people who will begin on July 1, One is helping us with marketing and fundraising through bio -techs, One is working to find more funding for us.  And all of them are constantly guiding CFFC and thinking of new ways to make sure that our very unique and much needed work continues.

A shout out to our Board and to our Advisory Board!!

We are lucky to have a dedicated staff.  Clinical Staff is amazing and we have done a great job of creating a team with some full time staff, some Fee For Service, and some interns/externs.  An amazing team that works diligently to improve the lives of children and their families!

We have an incredible Operations staff, who are new and have had to jump in feet first.  Diane is doing an amazing job of grasping the workings that hold CFFC and she and Mary Jane are an amazing team. Diane is our new Operations Manager. We will welcome Alessandra who will work closely with myself as Executive Assistant.

We just hired Amanda to be our new FFS person as Holly is stepping back and staying on as a consultant to do groups, trainings and supervision.  Julie is switching from staff to FFS, which is her old job and one that will work well for her in the coming year.

So some people will change roles, some will move on, and others will join us.  The summer will be new and exciting.

All that will be happening as the clients continue to come in large numbers.

One recent week we had 24 cases assigned!  So you see, we need more staff!  There is no shortage of clients - there is only a shortage of funding.

68% of our recent referrals are for post adoption services.

We have an increase in working with families for Clinical Mediation to Open Closed or Semi-Open Adoptions.

We have an increase in working with families to Clinically Supervise visits with birthfamily members.

We continue to be amazed at the number of Facebook connections that are being made.  Many secretly, and many causing huge distress to children, and teens who feel that their connections must be secret.  We continue to get about 2 cases a week where a child or teen has found a birth family member and has been corresponding in secret for months on end.  Each of these kids has plummeted in grades and in inner security. 

We will be doing a training about Social Networking and Family Networking in the coming year, because the demand is so high.   You will see our schedule for FaCT Trainings on Wednesday mornings throughout the year.  

Our annual auction and awards night is on November 10, 2011 at the Marlowe Hotel.  Save the Date and Join us.  Also let us know if you have something to donate to the auction.  Our staff will be calling soon to see how you might help us out!

Next year ARC will be July 8 to 11, 2012 (every other year ACTION happens, so next year will be just ARC) .   We are reserving the Provincetown Inn again and hope to see you there at Wood End Lighthouse and at the beaches and shops.

Reciprocity is fun.

You can help us by coming to our summer training THIS year July 10 to 14 in Provincetown and we can help you by enlightening you and giving you fabulous food for thought about your world of adoption!

We have had lovely donations and that helps so much.

One client donated art supplies,

One person donated American Girl Dolls for the auction.

People have donated money which is always helpful and our Advisory Board Member, Reverend Katie Lee Crane is retiring from her UU Church in Sudbury and she asked the parishioners to donate money to CFFC and so we have been receiving a flurry of wonderful donations in Katie Lee's name!!

Your help is critical.  We are in a very precarious position with funding at a minimum and families and children's needs at a maximum.  

Please continue to think of us and make referrals, suggestions, and donations galore!!!

Have an amazing summer.

Sincerely,

Dr. Joyce Maguire Pavao

Founder and CEO