For Immediate Release                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Date: October 7, 2020

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

This October Adoptions From The Heart (AFTH) will be holding special webinar educational courses made up of panel discussions from all members within the adoption triad. Adoptive parents, birth parents, and adoptees will speak from their own perspective of common themes and events experienced by members of the triad. The series of panel discussions will serve as a prelude to the nonprofit’s overarching theme for the November 2020 National Adoption Month: Hearing from each member of the triad while encouraging the public to listen to stories that are outside of their own experience. Here are titles, dates, times, and focuses of each panel, starting with the first one on October 8th:

Adoptive Parent Panel

Thursday, October 8th

Those who sign up for the Adoptive Parent Panel will get to hear those who adopted through AFTH as each parent touches on a variety of experiences including transracial adoption, medical circumstances, and navigating a healthy open adoption relationship. The Adoptive Parent webinar will be from 5:30 PM- 7:30 PM and facilitated by AFTH Virginia Social Worker Nicole Fowler, NicoleF@AFTH.org. There is a $10 registration fee per person and $15 fee per couple.

Adoptive Parent Panel: Adopting a Special Needs Child

Thursday, October 15th

This adoptive parent panel will consist of adoptive parents who are raising children with special needs, HIV, NAS exposure, etc. The panel of parents will touch on matters of care when it comes to attachment, cognitive development, and emotional and physical needs. The webinar will be hosted by AFTH Adoption Social Worker Rebekah McGee, RebekahM@AFTH.org . Rebekah works within the greater New York City area. The host is also a transracial and special needs adoptive parent. The Adoptive Parent Panel: Adopting a Special Needs Child webinar will be from 8:00 PM- 9:30 PM. There is a $10 registration fee per person and $15 fee per couple.

Birth Parent Panel

Thursday, October 25th

Greater Pittsburgh area AFTH Adoption Social Worker Joan Smith, JoanS@AFTH.org  will host the online birth parent panel. The panel will consist of birth parent who have placed a child for adoption through AFTH both recently and within the last five years. Each birth parent scheduled to speak has a different level of openness with their child and the adoptive family. The panelists will touch on the importance of openness and be available to answer questions from the attendees. The online panel will air from 1:00 PM- 2:30 PM. The registration fee is $10 per person and $15 per couple.

Transracial Adoptee Panel

Wednesday, December 2nd

Greater Philadelphia AFTH Social Worker Jackie Lovell, JackieL@AFTH.org  will host a panel of transracial adoptees who will speak on all aspects of what it was like growing up in a household of a different race from their own. Each transracial adoptee on the panel will give prospective adoptive parents insight into what their parents did well in recognizing their culture growing up, and what could have been done differently. This panel is also available for adoptive parents who have already adopted across racial lines. The online panel will be from 6:00 PM-8:00 PM. The registration fee is $10 per person and $15 per couple.

Prospective adoptive parents from all over will be able to view these educational panels safely from their own home. To register for any of the upcoming adoption panels or a variety of other educational course virtually provided by the agency visit: www.afth.org/events . All participants are encouraged to register within a week prior to each class they wish to attend. Participants may also feel free to email the panel hosts with any questions prior to webinar. All families who register for these webinars will receive a continuing education course credit.

About:

Adoptions From The Heart (AFTH) was founded in 1985 by Maxine Chalker, our CEO and Founder. Maxine, herself an adoptee, wanted to give adoption a new face by breaking down the barriers and taking some of the mystery out of the adoption process. AFTH is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide safe, loving homes for children and offer comprehensive, high-quality services to adoptive families, birth parents, and children. The agency is licensed in PA, NJ, DE, CT, VA, and NY.

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