Ripple Effect

No one ever knows the ripple effect of what they do. How could we have predicted that a film documentary maker who attended one of “match party” would lead to 170 children living in foster care having the opportunity to hear a weekend concert by Jay-Z in Philadelphia? Leah Stauffer, who is working on a documentary about foster care and adoption was so impressed by the children and social workers she met at a “match party” several months ago that she was determined to stay in touch with us, arranging to interview the our executive director and communications director as her work progressed. When she had the opportunity over Labor Day weekend to get several tickets to a special Jay-Z concert in downtown Philadelphia, she knew she wanted to make them available to the children she had met. Within 48 hours, a social worker for SWAN, Pennsylvania’s statewide adoption network, had emailed her families. Leah was stunned when emails flooded her computer—dozens of children with their foster parents wanted to attend. When Leah passed the word on to the Shawn Carter Foundation, started by Jay-Z and his mother, Gloria, the director there told her to include as many children as wanted to come. That number turned out to be 170. Jay-Z was so moved by the experience that he made a similar offer to children living under the care of New York's foster care system for a concert at the new Barclay Center in Brooklyn!

Teen Matching Event Wrap Up!

We’ve been very busy here lately with our SWAN teen matching events. On April 10, 2010 we hosted a Teen Party in Lancaster, PA. 20 teens and 21 families approved to adopt attended and had a very good time getting acquainted and doing a variety of activities. After the party, we exchanged additional information between the families’ social worker and the youth social workers so that they can follow up.

On May 1st we had the chance to do some additional follow up. The youth and the families joined us for a laser tag party where we played laser tag, ate lunch, played arcade games and saw a laser show. This gave the youth and families an opportunity to spend more time together in a fun environment.

As of now, many of the families have expressed interest in the youth. We are very hopeful that in the near future we will know of the new families that have been created as a result of the SWAN teen matching events!

Teen Matching Event

Pennsylvania has some amazing teenagers who you may want to meet. Yes, there are teens who still long for a permanent adoptive family. On April 10, 2010 the National Adoption Center will host a Teen Matching Event. Several of Pennsylvania’s waiting teenagers will come together with families who are approved to adopt a teen. They will share an afternoon of fun, food and hopefully some new lasting connections.

We hosted two similar events last year. Teens, prospective parents and social workers alike enjoyed the day. And best of all, some new families were formed as a result of the events.

This year our event will be held in Lancaster, PA. We welcome you to join us if you have an approved home study and are interested in adopting a teen! Click here to view the invitation.

The Teen Matching Events have been made possible through the generous funding of the Pennsylvania Statewide Adoption and Permanency Network (SWAN).

For more information or to register, please contact Julie Marks, Teen Project Manager, at 215-735-9988 x367 or at pateen@adopt.org Or register online here.

Match Parties for Teens

“Family is very important because they’re the main ones you can look to when something goes wrong or you need a helping hand.”

“It would be really great having a home for the holidays, just sitting around and opening presents.”

“I need someone to be there for me.”

These are teens in foster care talking.

To help teens in Pennsylvania find “forever” families, we recently held two teen match parties (one in Philadelphia, the other in Pittsburgh), sponsored by the Pennsylvania Statewide Adoption and Permanency Network (SWAN). The goal was to bring together in a relaxed, fun setting teens waiting for a family and families wanting to adopt an older child. Families who had already completed their home study were invited to participate.

Prior to the parties, two events were held in each city to prepare the teens. A facilitator led them through a series of activities designed to help them feel comfortable and to see both what they had in common and how they differed. They learned that it was okay to be themselves. In addition, the teens felt empowered when they were asked for their input on activities for their match party.

The pre-events helped the teens to relax and enjoy themselves at the match parties as they interacted with potential adoptive families. At the match parties, each youth was presented with a certificate and a t-shirt imprinted with a photo of a person the teen said had influenced him/her.

In Philadelphia, 18 of the 22 teens attending the match party received inquiries from families, Nine of the ten teens attending in Pittsburgh had inquiries. After the parties, teens were asked for their views of the day. Among the responses:
• It was great and wonderful to be around new people, both kids and adults.
• Awesome…there’s somebody who cares for you and wants to help you find a family. .
• You get to meet families and other kids in the same situation.
• It was fun and entertaining.

Families also had a good time. One family said, “We truly enjoyed our day and meeting the kids. Hopefully, we have found a match. It is so much better to meet the children in person, as opposed to a picture on a web site.”