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ADOPTION-SHARE.COM

The Olympics.....There is nothing more exciting then watching athletes in their peak physical fitness excel at the sport they have dedicated their lives to perfect.  Regardless of the sport, I become an engaged spectator....all while eating bon-bons and a second helping of Haagen-Dazs from my couch clad in my comfortable pajamas.  After turning in from an evening of watching the Olympics, I have dreams of getting back into shape. I awake the following morning with a salute to my pink neon Nike running shoes that have been collecting dust for, well we don't need to get into any details.....and sadly, that is as far as the inspiration goes. In all fairness, I do have a certain physical condition: pregnancy. This makes my desire to return to physical fitness a bit challenging.

But Lord knows, there is always an excuse, some reason why my goals and desires get pushed to the back burner. If its not a medical condition, its a time management

issue. If time is of abundance, then the priority genie appears, guilting me into cleaning out the neglected nooks and crannies of my home instead of pounding my feet into the pavement. If my priorities do not pose a problem, then perhaps you too are familiar with the busyness that turns into the consuming exhaustion! The point is there will always be some reason or some rational excuse that comes to our side the moment we aspire to pursue a life goal.

(continued on page 2)

A word from our founderBy Anthea Ramirez, Chief Sharer

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And if we aren't our own worst enemies in this department, the arsenal of well intentioned loved ones are sure to remind us of the excuses we try to keep at bay. The trick to pursuing a goal, regardless of the size of reward, is to acknowledge that these sneaky excuses are part of our DNA and a normal part of our human nature. If you can recognize that these rational thoughts are just in fact excuses, we can react to them with a more consistent response. Its saying to your conscience, or to Aunt Delilah, "thank you for that observation, but I have chosen to ________ instead"  (exercise in spite of my medical condition, cross train in spite of my limited time, make myself a priority, etc). 

When it comes to pursuing an adoption, you must cultivate a decisiveness with a consistency that can overcome the multitude of rational excuses that creep into the process. We have all experienced at one time or another the end result of allowing excuses to dictate our lives. Regret sinks in when the safety we opted for, now feels like an empty vessel of discouragement when we have allowed our pursuits to be thwarted by our excuses. 

Today, I call you to take heart! Pursue your dreams with gusto and when your conscience or well meaning relative throws you a logical reason why now is not the time, understand that this is normal! It happens to every person who has ever embarked on a journey to accomplish a goal. Acknowledge it for what it is and over time, the miraculous happens.....your pursuit becomes stronger then the excuses. And this is when you know you are close to arriving! 

A Word from Our Founder (continued)

Check out the Adoption-Share video!For testimonies of how Adoption-

Share is helping pregnancy centers, adoptive families,

agencies and birthparents, click HERE!

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Resources4adoption.com’s mission is to provide the very latest in Adoption Financing Education, Information and Resources. Founded by adoptive parent Cherri Walrod in 2009, Resources4Adoption is a compilation of nearly a decades worth of research into adoption grants and loans. From her own experience derived from an 8 year adoption journey during which she and her husband completed three international adoptions, Cherri discovered the complete lack of organized resources and accuracy of information listed.

Upon founding Resources4Adoption, Cherri’s main goal was to create a universal chart with all the sources for adoption grants and keep the information updated and accurate. She hoped to offer one place where families could go to

access the information they needed to save them a ton of time and frustration. 

Resources4adoption.com is recognized as an industry leader for the most accurate, up-to-date and comprehensive listing of adoption grant and loan sources available. Today with over 70 sources, Resources4Adoption strives to continue updating their resource list through regular research. Not only are resources updated for accurate information, Resources4Adoption regularly researches and reviews adoption grant and loan organizations’ financial records. Cherri feels a strong responsibility to families to help them avoid organizations which might seek to take advantage of unsuspecting families. 

We were honored to be featured as a positive resource in the quarterly issue of the National Life and Family Advocates newsletter!   Founded in 1993, the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA) provides life-affirming PRCs with legal counsel, education, and training. NIFLA has dramatically grown and now represents approximately 1,200 member

PRC’s across the country.

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12 Upcoming LIVE Facebook Chat!

When: Thursday August 23, 2012 at 9pm EST

Topic to be covered: Financial resources for adoption!

Guest:  Founder and President of Resources4Adoption Cherri Waldron

Join us Thursday August 23 at 9pm EST for a chat with Resources4Adoption Founder and President Cherri Waldron!  Cherri began Resources4Adoption after an 8 year adoption journey resulted in the completion of three international adoptions! She brings incredible insight and knowledge sure to help families struggling to figure out how they can pay the often high costs associated with adopting.  This chat is perfect for both adoption professionals and adoptive families who may have questions about what financial resources are available to those actively in the process of adoption. open adoption as well as requesting more information on this helpful resource. 

On Tuesday July 24 we hosted Jacki Bridges, a hospital social worker who has overseen many adoptions in her 5 years working with maternity and pediatric patients.  Jacki was helpful in giving both adoptive parents and adoption professionals some insights into the dynamics of an adoption placement within a hospital setting.  Jacki explained that despite the staff's feelings and positive regard to all parties involved in an adoption, their primary focus is caring for their patient, the biological mother and her child.  Jacki admits that this can be difficult, especially in cases where the biological mother changes her birth plan excluding adoptive parents from

caring for the baby until consents are signed.  

Jacki recommended that adoptive parents or their adoption social worker contact the hospital the birthmother will deliver at to alert them of an adoption plan at least one month prior to the delivery.  She further recommended seeing if the hospital offers rooming in accommodations for adoptive parents.  This allows adoptive parents to have

privacy as they bond with their new son or daughter and can be very helpful in providing some temporary stability during a very emotional time. 

For more information on our chat or to see the transcript click here.  

Recap of July Chat with:Hospital social worker Jacki Bridges

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12 This past month we asked our Facebook audience: “If you had to compare adoption to a summer Olympic sport which do you feel best reflects the adoption process?”

Karla: The Long Jump

Kristina: Triathlon - as it is one of the longest for a single competitor. With various steps to complete and conqueror - and you feel that much of the time you are alone - Yet you can glance up and see others running that race too - and you realize that in many ways you are not alone. And at the end I can only imagine the feeling one experiences afterward.

Carrie: Hurdles

Kim: Pole Jumping

Marta: Decathlon

Meet our summer intern Courtney!

Courtney is wrapping up her 2 months working for Adoption-Share. As a student, Courtney enjoyed learning more about the adoption option. Her insights as a young person in the United States provided our team with new ideas and ways we can engage the younger generation that may find themselves pregnant during high school. It is our desire to empower women with information on available options. Unfortunately adoption seems to not even make the list of choices for women confronted with an unwanted pregnancy.

Courtney is so gifted and we wish her the best as she continues to discover her passions and how she plans to pursue them in the future!

Thanks for all your hard work Courtney!

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ADOPTION-SHAREWWW.ADOPTION-SHARE.COM

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