Smile! You're on Facebook.

Much like the fairs and festivals that dot our summer calendars, social media is a popular gathering place for large groups. Because of this, we've renewed our community building and marketing efforts in Facebook. Log in and "like" Open Adoption & Family Services to see for yourself! You'll find frequent postings from the world of reproductive rights and open adoption, all curated with an eye for highlighting the best practices. And we won't hesitate to jump into the conversation when depictions are less than accurate.  

 

Another important aspect is advertising. We know our prospective adoptive parents are amazing. To get the word out we've placed Facebook ads that feature pictures of each waiting family.  Chances are you might not see these online -- they're targeted to women ages 16-30 -- so here are samples:

 

 

These join our ongoing campaign of text ads that appear with Google search results. And as they say on the Midway -- but wait, there's more! New content for Pinterest and Twitter is in the works. We're excited to use all to advance the mission of pro-choice, unbiased all-options pregnancy counseling and genuine open adoption services.  See you online.

Announcements

Welcome to the Pool:

• Jennifer Noll and Borg Norum of Portland, OR
• Laura Rollins-Martin and David Martin of Portland, OR
• Tricia Rosenkranz and Matthew Baxter, of Portland, OR
• Jenny and Clint Zilliox of Missoula, MT
• Lori Aoki and Skyler Stone of Yakima, WA
• Brian Gardner and Andy Magee of Issaquah, WA

In Adoption Planning: .

• Jennifer and Kevin Palmer have entered adoption planning with an expectant mother in Bend who is due in October.
• Joshua and Johnathon Hawley-Molloy from Hawaii are in adoption planning with a couple due in mid-August.

Congratulations:

• Deanna and Collin Madden of Seattle, Washington were filled with joy to meet their daughter Arianna on July 7. Immediately after her birth she was placed in their hands which they felt was an amazing blessing. Deanna and Collin met Arianna's birthmom only one week before her birth but they all felt so connected that it was hard to believe and seemed like they had known each other much longer. In that short time they were also able to meet and spend time with birthmom's family and group of close friends who all stayed up all night at the hospital waiting for Arianna to arrive. Deanna and Collin gave birthmom some special jewelry and an orchid. They all spent time together at the hospital and they invited birthmom to come visit in Seattle. They were very touched by birthmom's gracious nature and her quiet strength.

• In the early morning hours of July 14th in Medford, Oregon, Kallie Morgan made her way into this world and both her birthmother Stephanie and her adoptive mother Melissa were there to receive her, while her adoptive father Chuck was in the waiting room anxiously awaiting the arrival of his new daughter. Chuck and Melissa Lewis of Kent, Washington agreed that meeting their daughter for the first time was the highlight of their time at the hospital but having the next two days to spend with Kallie's birth family was extremely important and precious as well. Kallie was showered with love and affection from her great aunts, great uncles, great grandmother and a number of cousins along with her birthmother Stephanie of course. Chuck, Melissa and Stephanie took turns caring for Kallie and constantly remarked at how beautiful, perfect and content she was. Everyone is looking forward to strengthening their bond through visits, pictures and plenty of text messages.  

• Stephen Dooley and Robert Santucci of Seattle, Washington received a call during their lunch hour announcing they were chosen by a beautiful, courageous, thoughtful birthmother who had just delivered an adorable baby boy. Stephen and Bob met their son, Cole Theodore, only nine hours after hearing about him, and they eagerly obeyed his birthmother's request to shower him with love! Cole snuggled right into both of them and the three of them are delighted with one another, and grateful to have Cole's birthmother's presence in their lives.   

 Gatherings

We had a wonderful turn out at the Seattle OA&FS picnic held on Saturday, July 28th at Magnuson Park.  A great mix of waiting families and adoptive families came out to share delicious food (thanks for the amazing array of food!) and connect with other families on a sunshine filled day in the city. The Bubble Man was a huge hit for the many children of all ages!  Kids were mesmerized by his goofy bubble makers and bubbles of all shapes and sizes!  Families rolled in throughout the day even up until the very end of the picnic.  A good time was had by all.  Check out more pictures of the Seattle Picnic!

Official gatherings are on break until September or October, but don't miss the Eugene and Portland picnic fun.     

Eugene

Event: Summer Picnic 

Date/Time: Saturday, Aug. 11 from noon-2 pm 

Location: Bethel Community Park, 5700 Babe Ruth Lane

RSVP to info@openadopt.org  by Monday, Aug., 6

Portland

Event: Summer Picnic 

Date/Time: Saturday, Sept. 15 from noon-2 pm 

Location: Creston Park, Site D, SE 44th Ave. and Powell  

(Parking on 43rd)  

RSVP to info@openadopt.org  by Monday, Sept., 10  

Community Gatherings

Check out the following community events and resources organized by other OA&FS adoptive parents in your area:

Salem

An adoption support group meets the third Tuesday of every month from 6:30 -7:30 at Pringle Hall in Salem.  For information contact Christie Van Winkle at  justaminion@gmail.com. 

Eugene

Karen Luks, adoptive mother, welcomes OA&FS families to join the Eugene-Springfield area Yahoo! Group, by sending an email to  EugeneOAFS-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

Seattle

Transracial Family Group 

Hi all!!! We are on a summer schedule for Transracial Family gatherings. Summer picnic/wading pool gathering on Sunday, August 12 at the Greenlake Wading Pool, 3:00-5:00 pm (or later!) Let's bring snacks to share in the afternoon, and you can bring a picnic dinner for your family if you'd like, too! Hope everyone is having a great summer, Mary-Pat, Terri, and Aaliyah.  

For more information, or to be added to the group's email list, contact adoptive parents Terri and Mary-Pat at terriandmarypat@comcast.net. 

Gay and Lesbian Family Group

The Gay and Lesbian Family Group meets every other month on the second Sunday. To join this group, please email adoptive father Bill Soderberg at bjsoderberg@comcast.net.

Christa Richardson, adoptive mother, hosts a Yahoo! Group to arrange potlucks in Olympia. Join by sending an email to: olyoafs-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

Kitsap Penninsula

Traia Wensel, adoptive mother, invites open adoption families in the Kitsap Penninsula area to join a Yahoo! Group for arranging get togethers and play groups. To join, email: kitsap_oafs-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

Adoption Related Events

Adoption Mosaic LBGTQ Monthly Support Group  

Common questions that prospective adoptive parents ask at different points in the process of adopting, with a focus on LBGTQ interests and challenges. 

- Thursday August 16, 6-8:00 pm