A.I.M. NEEDS

We sent out a request for "suggestions" to improve our newsletter. We had several ideas but wanted more input from our friends and families. Fifteen minutes later, Mary emailed us suggesting a section for AIM needs. A list of immediate needs so that everyone would have an opportunity to help. We love it! You never know when someone has something that needs a place...and we might be that place. It was such a great suggestion, that it is now a permanent part of our newsletter. So, our first list goes like this:

• Our offices painted. It's been about 4 years and things are beginning to look a little shabby. It would be a great project for a men's group. We can live with the individual offices the way they are...but the entry area, halls, and kitchen areas need help.
• We always need good used furniture for our apartments...we even confiscate a piece or two now and then to furnish the office.

CHECK OUT THE NEW FEATURE ON OUR WEBSITE

Actually, we have two new features. First, if you are looking at the photo album, you can click on one of the recent pictures and it will resize to a larger/clearer view. It only works on the last 10 or so pictures. However, it will work on anything you send in from now on. So, here's your reminder to send in a current photo of your little darling...or your big darling...or the whole family. We love showing off our children and our families. You can include a caption and we will use it…or Anne will make something up. Of course, she may not be in a creative mood, so you might not want to take the chance.

The other feature is on our homepage. Simply click on the line that says 2006 AIM ADOPTIVE FAMILY BBQ and a slideshow should appear in the upper left hand corner. You can enjoy lots of cute pictures of all of the fun that we had at the picnic alternative.

BRAG CORNER

This is your chance to share all of your wonderful "kid stories", show your child how proud you are of an achievement by letting us publicize it in this forum, or let us get the word out about a change in your life! Somebody graduating? Off to serve in the armed forces? To college? Married? Grandchildren? (Yes, some of our families are welcoming third generation little ones...makes them grandmas and grandpas!) Job transfer?

Over the past 22 years, our families have shared the special times surrounding applying, home study, placement, and the first few years of parenting with other AIM families. Then the kids start getting involved in extra curricular activities and time gets away from everyone. However, they keep up with each other through the AIM parties and newsletters and website. This is your opportunity to keep your family 'in the loop" so that people who think of you often throughout their lives and wonder how you are doing will be in-the-know. An added bonus is that you will benefit from all of the added prayers.

So, we want you to fill this spot for our next newsletter...

SPECIAL "THANK YOU"s

We are very blessed to have hundreds of special people in our midst. We can never express how much their love and generosity mean to us. Listing everyone would be a monumental undertaking. So, here are just a few of the recent acts of love that have been a benefit to our mission:

• Leigh surprised us one day by dropping in with bags and bags of groceries to re-fill our pantry. What a great surprise. We have already begun to disperse the goodies to delighted clients.
• Brittany recently worked with AIM to meet her birthmother. Something she had been waiting for 18 years to happen. During the counseling process, Brittany agreed to share her story, in a group home study session, with some of our families that were in the study process. She did an awesome job of sharing! Then she went home and ask her dad if they could donate all of the furniture that they were not taking with them on their move to Dallas in late summer. She was proud when he agreed. We were thrilled when he agreed! And, we have already furnished a couple of apartments with some very nice things.
• Bert never ceases to amaze us! He is always thinking of ways to encourage others to help AIM. When he lost each of his parents, he asked for remembrances to be sent to AIM. Then, while we were planning the annual picnic, he sent out an email to several of his friends who are also AIM dads asking each family to donate a specific amount to underwrite the cost of the picnic. WOW! Bert has also submitted our name for a grant request opportunity from his church. We have applied and been awarded a grant each year of the past 3 years. One is still pending.
• Glenn submitted our name to apply for a grant from his employer. This grant is also pending.

And the list goes on. We have the very best families in the whooooooooooooole world. They are supportive, loving, and generous. We are making differences because of you! "Thank you" just doesn't cover it.

CHRISTMAS IS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER

That's right! Regardless of how hot it is outside...it's time to start "thinking" about the holidays because they will be here right after school starts...which is right after this newsletter goes out. Please remember that we help over 100 birth parent families during the holidays. We can only do that with your help. There are tons of ways to "give back" to the community (adoption) that has added so much to your own life. Here are just a few ways. It"s never too early to start planning:

• Organize a food drive at your church, neighborhood, or office. We have a food pantry, Jason's Pantry, that empties periodically. We especially need canned meats, fruit, juices, and soups.
• Have a party and ask all of your guests to bring women's socks. This is a ongoing need but during the holidays the weather begins to change and our clients discontinue their flip-flops and start wearing their athletic shoes.
• If you shop at a boutique or small clothing store, ask the owner/manager if they would donate end-of-season, damaged, or returned items.
• Check with your employer to see if they offer some sort of holiday assistance for non-profit organizations.
• Ask your Bunko group to volunteer one night to wrap presents.
• Collect "Turkey Bucks" for client dinners. We deliver the "fixin's" for Thanksgiving Dinner and for Christmas Dinner to any of our clients (past/present) who need a little extra help during the holidays.

And, last but not least, please be considering the possibility of making a financial donation to assist us during the holidays. Each Fall, we send a holiday letter asking for your help. The financial donations go into our F.I.M. (Families In Motion) account. We use that money to provide holiday assistance for clients in need, cover the cost of the Family Holiday Party and the Client Holiday Party, and meet the needs of clients and the agency that can not be covered from the general fund account. The holidays are the only time of the year that we seek this assistance but your gifts keep working throughout the year.

INFANT ADOPTION AWARENESS TRAINING PROGRAM

We are so excited about the success of this program, we know it is going to make a huge difference in the adoption community. We told you a little about it in one of our email notes a few weeks ago. For those of you who didn't get a note:

Spaulding For Children of Michigan has been awarded a federally funded grant to educate medical professionals about how to offer adoption in an unbiased, nondirective, non-coercive counseling manner. The goal is to provide the tools to put adoption on a level playing field with other alternatives when providing pregnancy counseling. Many of the nurses, doctors, and social workers that provide crisis counseling services to pregnant women do not understand adoption in the 21st century. Much of their ideas and information comes from out-of-date information, TV shows that sensationalize problems with isolated adoptions, and the media that sees no reason to provide the mundane real story of the thousands of successful adoptions that occur every year.

Who better to teach this program than local adoption agencies? And what better local agency than AIM? We are so excited about this opportunity. Denise and Anne have both completed the training and certification…and are already providing sessions to the community. Other staff persons are in the process of becoming trainers. The response has been well received. It is amazing how much people don't know about adoption.

If you have any one that is a medical professional that needs training hours...these are FREE!. Just give us a call. We will set up a session at a hospital or clinic that can provide at least 6 attendees. Or, we have several scheduled sessions listed on the iaatp.org website. Registration, session, referral guide, training materials, lunch/breakfast are provided.

For more information about the infant Adoption Awareness Training Initiative go to www.iaapt.org.

IT'S A SMALL WORLD AFTER ALL

A story about how one of our birthmothers, Margie a dispatcher for a local law enforcement agency, was instrumental in helping an adoptive family 20 years after meeting us...)

We all know that song, most of us have even sang along as we rode the ride at Disney World, but it is often more than a song or a ride…it's often proven a fact. A fact that was recently beneficial to one special little baby girl. We received a call from TCH about a baby girl born with Downs Syndrome. We began to network with our resources throughout the country. The birthmother had two requests; the family should have a minimal number of children and she wanted a local family who was willing to share letters, pictures, and medical updates. After prayer, and a couple of phone calls, one by one the pieces began to fall into place and WAH-LA..."the perfect family" came into view. The Lord was validating our mission...again. The only catch was that the adoptive mother's criminal history check had not been returned. So, begins the connection to the theme song...as Margie writes:

Debbie called that morning, she was telling me about the baby and then she got into how she had adopted several children. I told her we had a Detective in the building and that I would talk to him and see what we could do to help her out. Then I told her that I admired her for adopting children cause I had a placed a baby for adoption. We talked for long time. Then I hung up with her and spoke to my detective and told him to please help her if he could. She sent me some pictures of the beautiful baby. We were able to help her out. I ran the criminal history and Det _______ sent her the information she needed. We spoke a few more times later that day. She says she will call me an update. Hope to hear from her soon. Luv ya

Twenty years ago, Margie (check out her story on our website...estimonies) placed her daughter through AIM. She has had a reunion and now enjoys a good relationship with the whole family. She has been supportive of AIM and adoption forever… but we were all surprised to watch how the Lord used her experience with us to help this little girl get home. Thank you, Lord, for putting Margie right where she was needed to be a blessing to this family's life. It is a small world after all

2006 AIM FAMILY BBQ

We had a great time! An unbelievable time with attendance nearing 300. We think it was the best attended function the agency has ever held. Some of our families had never been to a function and some families had not been in years. We were thrilled with the number of teenagers that came to share time with us. The grins on their faces as we were able to "know who they were" when they were introduced will stay in our minds for a long time to come. How special they felt.

It has long been a philosophy of ours that our children need opportunities to be around other families who have grown through adoption. That is the motivating push behind the whole idea of family functions. What a blessing to see that you feel the same way.

We sent out an email requesting comments and most responses were in favor of having the function at the same location next year. The pluses seemed to be dominated by the fact that having the get-together in June, indoors, allowed more opportunity for families to attend with less chance of the weather interfering. Sports and other activites seem to keep everyone so busy in May that attending the picnic made for difficult decisions.
As you probably know by now, our BBQ could be guilty of triggering a seriously wet season of rainy days . We think that the two things are synonymous: AIM picnic...rain. We even thought of billing ourselves as drought relief specialists to underwrite the cost of operating the agency. Maybe next year...

STAFF NEWS

We started sharing information about Wade's legal dilemma late last fall. We tried to keep you posted about the different nuances of his court situation, mental health treatment, and family situation. Last month, Channel 11 visited Jan and Alan in their home and then visited Wade at Rusk State Hospital. The spot was done very well and we pray that the Lord uses it to promote interest in making the legal profession more aware of mental health issues. In the meantime, we still need your prayers. Wade remains in Rusk and is loosing some of the progress he made because effective treatment does not appear to be part of his program. He desperately needs counseling and guidance with coping skills. The good news is that Rusk is closer to visit and several of the staff have had a chance to visit and his family goes regularly for visits and treatment team staffings. And, Alan has lots of time to visit since his retirement from Spring I.S.D. Jan has a list a mile long of "honey-dos" but she's giving him the summer off to prepare.

Denise and Dave are reaping the benefit of rearing children to adulthood...grand-parenting! There are pictures of Tristan all over Denise's desk and occasionally we get to see the real thing when Daddy and Mommy stop by to see Grammy. Oh, after eleven years in their home, the Sowders are house hunting. Been there! Done that! We can't wait to see how much fun Denise has trying to sort through the accumulation.

For those of you who attended the AIM BBQ, you may have gotten a chance to meet Dee's family. Well, most of them. All three of her daughters were in Houston (two from out-of-state) for a while...with grandchildren. It was neat to see two of them attend the BBQ with their families. Please pray for Dee as she travels to and from Michigan to mourn the loss of her mom.

Malinda is back! She couldn't stay away...or is it that we can't live without her? Oh well, what difference does it make? She's been back for about a month and we are thrilled. Malinda works in accounting but also is a pitch hitter in maternity...we certainly can't ignore all of that experience