FSA National Conference Registration

Registration for the
2010 FSA National Conference
is up and running.

Simply CLICK HERE to be taken to the registration page.



Registration looks something like this:


The Conference will be held at the Davis Conference Center in Layton Utah on Friday July 30, 2010 from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM and on Saturday, July 31, 2010 from 9:00 AM to 4:45 PM.

The cost of the conference is $35 per person.

Please contact the Hilton Garden Inn for lodging information. Use the Group/Convention Code located in the "Lodging" tab of the registration link.


This year we will have a myriad of classes for anyone interested in adoption.

Birth Father, Adoption Triad, Adult Adoptee, Adoptive Couple, Transracial Adoption, Ask a Birth Parent and Birth Parent panels will he held throughout the conference and have been a favorite of attendees for years.

Are you new to adoption? No problem! We will have classes on Drug/Alcohol Impacts in Children, Infertility-Spiritual/Gospel Insights, Understanding Birth Parents, Adoption Law, What Birth Parents Wished Adoptive Couples Knew, and FSA-Who, What, Where, When and How.

Are you looking for more resources and information on transracial adoption? We've got you covered there too. Classes will be held on Latent Racism & Racism & Racial Socialization and an overview of transracial adoption. We will also have the opportunity to view and discuss the film Living on the Fault Line.

We will also have classes on parenting available to attendees. Classes are scheduled to include topics such as Communicating/Talking About Adoption With Older Children, Openness, Communication Between Adoptive & Birth Families, The Power of Positive Parenting, Ages and Stages and Unequal Adoption Relationships.

We will also have information and classes available on Foster Care, Special Needs Adoption, Children Available for Adoption, Creating Profiles, Intercountry Adoption, Gifts for Birth Parents and Adoption Advocacy.

The FSA National Conference is not just for Adoptive Couples, Adoptive Parents and Hopeful Adoptive Couples. There is an entire track of classes devoted to Birth Parents and Birth Families. For more information on those classes, please see the previous post HERE.

*Conference registration for birth parents is free.


Classes are subject to change without notice.

FSA National Conference Service Project

The best way to find yourself
is to lose yourself in the service of others.
~Mohandas Ghandi


This year, Families Supporting Adoption will be hosting a service project at the annual conference. Collection baskets will be set up for conference participants to have the opportunity to serve two great organizations in collecting items that they are in need of. Please bring your donations with you to the conference.



The first organization we will be collecting items for is Birth Mother Baskets.

Birth Mother Baskets is a non-profit organization started by Gina Crotts. Gina is a birth mother and refers to the daughter she placed as her "little butterfly." In an effort to give back to the adoption community and serve other women who have placed and may need some additional love, Gina created Birth Mother Baskets. Donated items are arranged into beautiful baskets and sent to birth mothers in need. We are honored to be part of her cause this year.

Items that we would love to collect for Birth Mother Baskets include:

• Journals
• Lotions
• Bath Salts
• Bath Bubbles
• Movies
• Jewelry
• 8 x 10 or 5 x 7 photo frames
• Music CD's
• Inspirational Books
• Hair Products
• Make-Up
• Fingernail Polish
• Manicure/Pedicure Sets
• Photo Albums
• Magazines
• Small Blankets
• Slippers
• Stuffed Animals
• Gift Certificates (massages, spa treatments, pedicure, manicure, movies or book store, etc.)
• Large Baskets (Gina recommends laundry sized wicker baskets at Wal-Mart for only $4.00)
• Tissue Paper
• Ribbon
• Candles

We will also be collecting school supplies for The Christmas Box International.

The friendly environment of the Christmas Box Houses are unique. Children are brought into the shelter program after being removed from their homes because of abuse, neglect, or abandonment. Instead of spending the night in less comfortable circumstances, they are able to arrive at the House were the staff is immediately available to talk to children and explain what is happening, what will happen, and why. The House staff provides a sense of caring, warmth and continuity at a very difficult time in a child's life.

Currently there are three Christmas Box Houses located in the state of Utah in Salt Lake, Ogden and Moab. The Houses all have the basic concept of a child-friendly, calm, home-like atmosphere and have added programs and services to meet the unique needs of the children in the communities they serve.

School supplies that we would love to collect for The Christmas Box House include:

• #2 Pencils
• Glue Sticks
• Backpacks
• Boxes of Tissue
• Pink Erasers
• Broad Tip Markers
• Scissors
• Pencil Cases
• Wide-Ruled Spiral Bound Notebooks
• Pocket Folders
• Crayons
• Packages of Wide Ruled Loose Leaf Paper

We can't wait to see you at the Conference!
Don't forget to register HERE.

FSA National Conference Art Exhibit

Call to Artists and Those who Love Art

By Rebecca Staley

We are looking for art to put on display during our annual Families Supporting Adoption Conference this July. We all have been touched by the miracle of adoption and know how bitter and sweet that journey is. This is an opportunity to share a piece of your journey with others. All are invited to share their love for adoption through art, whether by craft, photography, sculpture, poem, or paintings.


Deadline: July 1st

All who want to participate will need to submit a photo of their art through email by the deadline to: cutefamilyof5@gmail.com

Photos need to be added as an attachment and in jpeg format. Please include artist's name, title of the work, medium, date completed, and size of the piece.


Art selected will be on display during the FSA conference at the Davis Conference Center July 30-31st.

All art from children will be displayed on a children's wall.

We hope you will want to join us and share your creative side!

Adoption Classes

Thursday, June 3rd
@ 7:00pm
Twin Falls LDS Family Services Office

Brent and Monica Rogers will be teaching again. They have taught for FSA for several years and bring a lot of quality information to their meetings. They have adopted 3 boys, so they are experienced adoptive parents. Please mark your calendar and plan to attend!
Just a reminder: you are required to get some of your 10 hours of education hours from these classes!
We look forward to seeing you there.

National FSA Conference Registration

Families Supporting Adoption
2010 National Conference

Together by Divine Design

The site to register for the
2010 FSA National Conference
is up and running!

Go to the following link
to get registered for this great event!

www.regonline.com/2010_fsa_conference

Adoption - Including the Whole Family

When I was reading the April issue of the Ensign I was excited to see there was an article about adoption.
This article is written by a young lady's experience of waiting to be a big sister.
There are ideas of how to include siblings in the adoption process
and how to make them feel like they are involved in the changes of the family when
an adoption occurs.
Since we have 2 children older than the little guy we adopted I found this article
interesting, so I thought I would share it with all of you.

Enjoy!

LDS.org - Ensign Article - Adoption: Including the Whole Family

Waiting is Hard

Waiting is hard.

Those waiting to build a family through adoption
know just how hard waiting is.



President Dieter F. Uchtdorf said:
"..the work of patience boils down to this: keep the commandments; trust in God, our Heavenly Father; serve Him with meekness and Christlike love; exercise faith and hope in the Savior; and never give up."

During the April 2010 Priesthood Session President Uchtdorf
gave a wonderful talk on patience and waiting.

You can read it at the following link.

LDS.org - Ensign Article - Continue in Patience