by NAFAadmin | Feb 26, 2016 | Education
Did you know that NAFA is a member of the Coalition of Oregon Adoption Agencies (COAA)? We are a non-voting standing member. A few years ago, COAA voted to only offer memberships to Agencies and Home Study Providers. At the time, NAFA and Adoption Mosaic were allowed to be grandfathered in as non-voting members. With the closure of Adoption Mosaic, we are the only such entity. Two requirements must be met: an annual membership fee and attendance at 2/3 of the monthly meetings (there are usually 9 per year). As the current board president, I attend these meetings. I really enjoy knowing representatives of the adoption agencies and hearing the latest trends and laws affecting the adoptive culture. Instead of having the narrow focus of how my adoptions played out, I now have a frame of reference that includes agency, state, international, and foster adoptions. I learn how the state is treating adoption, special needs adoption, adoption assistance and licensing of agencies. All this helps in my preparation for the Waiting Family Meetings and Baby & Toddler Care Class that I coordinate for NAFA. I want to share with you some of the information I have picked up at the first two meetings in 2016. -Dove Adoptions International has closed. -After it’s closure, Adoption Mosaic made a $620.23 donation to COAA -Sally Guyer resigned from Boys & Girls Aid Society (BGAID) effective 2/5/16; Sally will be working with the Parent Mentor Program at The Morrison Center. -May 2016 is the next SNAC (Special Needs Adoption Coalition) Training at BGAID -April 1-3 DHS Training for foster and state adoptions -Holt...
by NAFAadmin | Oct 10, 2015 | Uncategorized
Dear Members of NAFA, The Members of the Board met last Sunday to close out the 2014-2015 year and plan for the upcoming 2015-2016 year of NAFA events. We declared the past year a success! We hope you were able to attend one or more of our events. We work hard to keep NAFA present. We want to celebrate our uniqueness yet also the common bond we share. In June we mailed membership forms to those whose membership has lapsed. This is a significant number because previous attempts brought low return. We are happy that many families have chosen to stay with us. But we need more! Currently we have 90 current memberships. We would like that number to be over 100. A larger community assures diversity and that we can make an impact in the adoption world. Our events are primarily social in nature—but within that the emotional support for both parents and kids is immeasurable. I have talked to teens and young adults who grew up in NAFA. They always say that it was important to have friends who understood who they are and what they may be going through. I have talked to parents of these young adults. They still cherish the friendships they have because of NAFA. These are parents who knew the pains of wanting to be a parent. They share the stress of maintaining a relationship with a birth family. If you haven’t been with us in a while, I suggest you attend an upcoming event or help with an upcoming Baby & Toddler Care Class. See if you feel that NAFA is...
by NAFAadmin | Jul 18, 2015 | Uncategorized
What a wonderful weekend at Nehalem Bay State Park! The weather cooled off– it felt like someone turned on nature’s air conditioning. Saturday had a few rain drops but that didn’t dampen the NAFA spirit! The weekend began with a group campfire Friday night. Sticky s’mores, greeting new friends and catching up with familiar friends. Saturday morning we tried out our “group campsite”– a gathering spot for weekend events–with a shared coffee hour. Thank you for helping us get it under cover when the first shower came! And a big thank you to the Van Winkle’s for their screened canopy! We divided up during the day for different activities– biking, geocaching, clamming, crabbing, games. Families blended together depending upon interests. Unfortunately our NAFA Sandcastle Contest failed due to a heavy wind in the afternoon. We’ve got a better plan for next year! At 6 pm Tessa rang the dinner bell for our group potluck meal. So much good food!! And a campout is not complete without the Adams’ famous doughnuts for dessert! I’m having a hard time putting in words how much fun we all had! So please check out our photo album on our facebook page. And if you have photos to share, send them to diane@nafaonline.org I can’t wait to see our group photo from Saturday night! And put July 15-17, 2016 on your calendar (make a campsite reservation starting October 15, 2015). At the end of the summer, I think my son will still be raving about the great weekend he spent with this friends. When he was younger he referred to this group as his “NAFA...
