Today I wanted to let you know about a new organization that is working to promote policies and practices in immigration and legislature that will give children who are adopted into American families the same rights and opportunities as children who are born into American families.

EACH stands for Equality for Adopted Children, and they advocate for children by working with Congress, the White House and government agencies. The mission of EACH is to achieve equal treatment between adopted and biological children of American citizens under federal and state laws.

E – Every child is created equal,... more

The Christmas season is officially here and many people are in the midst of their holiday shopping. While I am guilty of buying in to some of the consumerism of the holiday season, I also try not to overspend, put a lot of thought into what I buy and try to, when I can, give gifts with meaning, and gifts that "give back" in some way.

Since becoming a transracial adoptive parent, I have become very convinced of the necessity for us all to look beyond our own lives and remember others who are less fortunate, especially around the holidays.

You can read all of my posts on this topic below.

My gift idea for today is Kiva. Kiva is a wonderful... more

With Thanksgiving now less than two weeks away and Christmas not far behind, I need to continue on with my "gifts with meaning" posts. If you have missed these, I am making suggestions for holiday gifts to be given by adoptive parents (or given to adoptive parents!) that give back in some way to children in need. Links to the rest of these posts are at the bottom of this post.

Most of you know that I am the supplies and donations coordinator for AHOPE for Children and that our Belane and our Solomon are both from AHOPE.

There... more

One great way that you can celebrate National Adoption Month is to provide some donations for orphans.

It is time again for my regular appeal for donations, supplies and travelers willing to carry donations and supplies to Ethiopia for AHOPE.

I am the donations/supplies coordinator for AHOPE For Children, an organization that provides a nurturing home in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for orphaned HIV-positive children, provides care for HIV+ children in the community through their outreach program and helps to educate the community about AIDS prevention. The children at AHOPE are now receiving antiretroviral drugs--thanks to Jane Aronson's Worldwide Orphans Foundation--and are thriving.... more

*Make sure you read all the way to the end of this post so you can participate in the fun giveaway.

The Adoption.com Glossary defines adoption as:

The official transfer through the court system of all of the parental rights that a biological parent has to a child, along with an assumption by the adopting parent of all of the parental rights of the biological parents that are being terminated and are assumed in their entirety by the adoptive parents, including the responsibility for the care and supervision... more

Today is November 1, which means that it is now officially National Adoption Awareness Month. President George W. Bush issued the official proclamation that November 2007 is National Adoption Month, yesterday. In the proclamation President Bush calls upon "all Americans to observe this month with appropriate programs and activities to honor adoptive families and to participate in efforts to find permanent homes for waiting children." You can read the entire proclamation here.

A few weeks... more

I am a firm believer that adoptive parents have a responsibility to look at the world beyond their family, their children and their problems. I believe that parents who have built (or partially built) their families through adoption tend to be much more aware of the problems in the world. Through their own children's stories, adoptive parents are usually much more aware of things like abuse, neglect, poverty, illness, famine and other problems that lead to children being available for adoption.

I think that even little ways of giving back and showing that we care about the people of the... more

Most people in the adoption community are aware that November is National Adoption month every year, with National Adoption Day occurring on November 17.

November is just 15 days away, and now is the time to start thinking about and planning for what you are doing to do during National Adoption Month to promote, support and educate others about adoption.

I think for a lot of people it can be hard to know just exactly what to do for National Adoption Month. Lots of people write about it on their blogs, or mention it at their jobs or to their families. But there is much more that we can do.

Adoption.com is helping families get involved in National Adoption Month this... more

If you are a parent who has adopted a child transracially, or if you are a person who was adopted transracially, here is an opportunity to participate in a study on transracial adoption. (Please note that this study seems to be interested in white parents who have adopted black children, and black children adopted by white parents). Also note that the study is only allowing adoptees that are 18 years or older to participate.

Cardell Jacobson, who teaches at Brigham Young University and does research on race and ethnic relations, social psychology, and social problems, and Darron Smith, a PhD student at the University of Utah in the... more

As a lot of you know, I am the donations/supplies coordinator for AHOPE For Children, an organization that provides a nurturing home in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for orphaned HIV-positive children, provides care for HIV+ children in the community through their outreach program and helps to educate the community about AIDS prevention. The children at AHOPE are now receiving antiretroviral drugs--thanks to Jane Aronson's Worldwide Orphans Foundation--and are thriving. (For more about the organization, please see their website.)

Because AHOPE has a very limited budget for basic items like clothing, diapers and toys, we depend on the generosity... more