WHO WE ARE

We are a peer, adoptive family, support group. The group was formed in 1992 to share the wonders, joys and challenges of adoption. Our children include young children, teenagers, and adults in their 20s and 30s. We provide a supportive environment to discuss adoptive and related issues. Many of us are adoptive and foster families of children who came into our homes in middle childhood. Some of us adopted our children as infants, but find that we share similar family situations and needs. Some of us haven’t adopted yet, and want to know more about adopting older children.

Many of us adopted from the city or state foster care system. Others adopted privately in the United States, or adopted children from foreign countries.

We are both single-parent and two-parent families. Many of us are transracial families. We live in the New York and New Jersey metropolitan area.

WHAT WE DO

At monthly meetings for parents, we share our experiences and resources on topics such as:

• Coping with schools, special needs, learning disabilities, educational testing, and public and private residential treatment centers
• Dealing with our children’s mental health issues, pregnancies, criminal conduct, alcohol and drug abuse, and relationship, job and financial problems
• Finding therapists and psychiatrists
• Planning holidays, summers and vacations
• Celebrating our children’s achievements
• Parenting during the teen years
• Helping our children become independent
• Raising children of color in a mixed race family
• Managing stress in parenting

At conference workshops, we provide speakers on adoption of older children and on transracial and transcultural adoption.

We give support to families in crisis, including temporary separation of children in hospitals or residential care.

We hold an annual candle lighting ceremony in December or January.