Sending Love to You from Angels
Nurturing relationships are the key to everything for children! Starting from birth, babies are learning who they are by how they are treated. Loving relationships provide young children a sense of comfort, safety, and confidence. They teach young children how to form friendships, communicate emotions, and to deal with challenges. Strong, positive relationships also help children develop trust, empathy, compassion, and a sense of right and wrong.
 
At Angels, we want all children to thrive. We recognize how integral it is to their well-being and development that they gain the ability to form satisfying, trusting relationships with others. When a child's early relationships have been chaotic, neglectful or abusive, it is absolutely imperative for them experience a reparative relationship with a caring and stable adult as soon as possible.  For this reason, a healthy, nurturing relationship between a child and Angels parents is the very foundation of the Angels' model of foster care and our primary focus of intervention with little ones who have been traumatized and neglected.  With consistent, responsive and nuanced care-giving, young children can heal, grow, and flourish!
 
To learn more about how early emotional development unfolds and what parents can do to nurture a child's social and emotional skills, please listen to a podcast sponsored by Zero to Three of Dr. Ross Thompson, professor of psychology at the University of California, Davis at:

Sincerely,
Jennifer Mills, LCSW
Angels Foster Care  
The Ortega Family

Our Angels children are growing up! Meet 8-year-old Jacob, and his parents Lucy and Frank. The Ortegas became foster parents to Jacob when he was two days old, and eventually became the first Angels family to complete an adoption when they finalized in 2008. Since then, Lucy and Frank have also cared for several other Angels children in short-term situations until they transitioned into permanent placements.
 
Lucy describes Jacob as kind, empathetic, bright, funny, confident, humble and a natural born leader. He excels in every sport he plays. Recently Jacob wrapped up a successful Youth Football League (YFL) season, scoring thirteen touchdowns for his team, the Spartans, and playing in the championship YFL Superbowl. He challenges himself to aim for his very best. He is also gifted in music and singing, and has played the violin for three years and the cello for one year.
 
In recent years, Lucy has served as a member of Angels' Advisory Board. Through her work in the medical community, she has encouraged numerous families to explore foster parenting as a different path to parenthood and adoption.
 




When reflecting back on her fostering experience with Angels, Lucy adds, "The Angels staff was loving, kind and supportive throughout every step of the foster-adoption process. Everything with Angels has been amazing and meaningful."

Congratulations to the Ortegas for being part of a major milestone in Angels history!
Congratulations to the Brian and Alissa who finalized their adoption of Christian in early February. We're so happy for you!

A warm welcome to two adorable toddler girls who recently came to Angels and thank you to Lisa & Larry and Tricia & Matt for opening their homes and hearts. Congrats also to Mandy and Eric of North Santa Barbara County for accepting a toddler boy.   

Angels would like to recognize the amazing efforts of Cindy and Wally of North Santa Barbara County as our February Foster Parents of the Month. We are very grateful for the time you spend as foster parents, and for the love and support you have given your Angels child! 


SAVE THE DATE
Empowered to Connect Conference in a LIVE SIMULCAST
April 8-9, 2016
Hosted by Calvary Chapel of Santa Barbara
The  two-day conference will feature researchers from Texas Christian University and experts in the field of research-based interventions for children from hard places, led by Dr. Karyn Purvis. It will be an invaluable experience for professionals & families alike who seek to provide hope and healing to children who have been adopted or are fostered. More details to follow.


5th Annual Al Fresco Afternoon 
on the Riviera
Friday, April 22, 11am (note date change*)
Four Seasons Biltmore
Please join us for our annual luncheon set in the exquisite gardens of the Four Seasons Biltmore Santa Barbara. Shop in the Angels Marketplace filled with wonderful items for purchase ranging from jewelry, home goods, fashion accessories and florals. Enjoy the European-inspired luncheon served "alfresco" and beautiful table decor, music, floral arrangements and a fashion show featuring the latest spring trends. Bring your friends and celebrate National Foster Care month with us as we honor Angels families, volunteers and supporters. All proceeds from the event support the Angels Foster Care program. Tickets will go on sale in early March. For more information, please contact Ellen at ellen@angelsfostercare.org or (805) 884-0012.


Santa Maria Sunrisers Lions Club
5th Annual Nate Lipscomb Memorial Golf Tournament
Saturday, June 18th 2016 10 am
Monarch Dunes Golf Course
Join golfers from around the Central Coast in a fun day on a beautiful course for a chance to win prizes and awards AND know you are supporting Angels Foster Care.  Proceeds from this tournament will be donated to Angels Foster Care.  SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES are available.  If you or your business would like to participate as a sponsor--foursomes are included in most sponsorship levels--contact Kelly White O'Neill. 
Click here for golf tournament details.

Who is interested in a Family Fun Run/5K in Santa Maria?  
If you are a runner, love a runner or just want to hang around runners, let us know if you are interested in helping or participating in a Fun Run for Foster Care this spring/early summer! Contact Kelly White O'Neill with your ideas or questions, or call the Orcutt office at 805-937-8500.

The Power of Attachment
A secure attachment bond teaches a baby to trust you, to communicate their feelings to you, and eventually to trust others as well. As you and a baby connect with one another, your baby learns how to have a healthy sense of self and how to be in a loving, empathetic relationship. Secure attachment causes the parts of your baby's brain responsible for social and emotional development, communication, and relationships to grow and develop in the best way possible. This relationship becomes the foundation of the child's ability to connect with others in a healthy way. Qualities that you may take for granted in adult relationships--like empathy, understanding, love, and the ability to be responsive to others--are first learned in infancy.

Myths and facts about baby bonding and secure attachment:

Myth: "Babies only attach to a biological parent because they are the ones who gave birth to him or her."
Fact: Infants have independent nervous systems that may be different from those of their biological parents. What makes a parent feel good may not be the same thing that makes their infant feel good. So it's most important to look and listen to an infant's emotional cues to understand his or her individual needs.

Myth: "Secure attachment and love are the same thing."
Fact: Bonding and attachment happen instinctively between mothers and babies, but, unfortunately, loving a baby doesn't automatically result in secure attachment. Secure attachment develops from the primary caregiver's ability to manage their stress, respond to their baby's cues, and successfully soothe their infant.

Myth: "I am having a hard time reading my baby's signs or nonverbal cues and I can't always figure out what my baby wants, so he or she must not be securely attached."
Fact: It is not possible or necessary to understand a baby's emotional needs all the time in order to develop a secure attachment bond. As long as you recognize the disconnect and attempt a repair, the relationship will stay strong and may even grow stronger as a result of repairing the disconnect.

Myth: "Always responding to their needs makes babies spoiled."
Fact: On the contrary, the more responsive you are to an infant's needs, the less "spoiled" the baby will be as they get older. Bonding creates trust, and children with secure attachments tend to bemore independent, not less.

Myth: "Babies can have a secure attachment bond with more than one person."
Fact: Babies form a secure attachment with only one person - the person who spends the most time caring for them. However, they can bond or connect in a loving way with all those people who take care of them.

Myth: "Secure attachment is a one-way process that focuses on accurately reading my baby's cues."
Fact: Attachment is a two-way, interactive process where your baby reads your cues as you read his or hers.
 
- adapted from HelpGuide.org

ENDOWMENT CAMPAIGN.  Support Angels far into the future and provide financial stability to the agency as the fund grows and pays out profits annually to support Angels' work. Our goal in 2015-2016 is to bring in $50,000 to qualify us for matching funds. Make a personal contribution, have your business donate a portion of sales or host a small gathering to secure further contributions. Contact Executive Director Meichelle Arntz to get started! 


Visit our web site for full details on requirements, training, support and adoption. Begin the process now in order to take advantage of our May Foster Parent Training Series. Note that pre-screening and certain paperwork are required before prospective foster parents may enroll in parent training classes. Please contact Angels as soon as you are ready to begin the process. 

If you can't foster, please consider a  donation.
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