Written by Foundling guest blogger, Mia Joshi, FOCUS Educational Specialist at The Foundling

 

 

Youth and families involved in The New York Foundling’s Families Offering Care and Unconditional Support (FOCUS) Program participated in our first Stay FOCUSed: Summer Reading Challenge!

 

This past June, 25 youth received their own personal reading log, a recommended reading list and a package of age-appropriate books to read over the summer. The challenge was intended to help combat summer learning loss and to instill a love of reading for fun. All participants, ages 5-16, had a combined total of 121 hours of reading this summer and everyone received a certificate for completing the challenge!

 

“One of my son’s favorite books is Mufaros Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale by John Stepto. He enjoyed this story so much because it teaches you to be kind to others and to treat people how you want to be treated” –Amanda, Staten Island.

 

Special shout-out: We would like to recognize Enrique R., for reading 19 hours this summer!

Thank you to the FOCUS Interventionists and Skills Trainers at The Foundling for capturing pictures of the youth enjoying their new collection of books.

 

 

Who Should I Include On My Adoption Team? (below) was written by Anthony Zurica (pictured above wearing blue hat) and also appeared as a guest blog on the site Confessions of an Adoptive Parent.

 

Anthony has been a Foundling Junior Board member since 2014. After practicing law throughout a number of specific areas for a number of years, Anthony has dedicated his practice to the area of Adoption Law and all its intricacies. Anthony is an active participant in the Adoption community throughout New York and is very privileged to be working as a volunteer CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate for children) in Westchester County. In his spare time Anthony enjoys teaching and coaching basketball.

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Who Should I Include On My Adoption Team?

 

5 Key Players That Enhance The Journey

 

Adopting a child is a monumental decision for you and your family and it’s just the start of a long journey to bringing home your new family member. To make the process as smooth as possible, it’s vital to carefully choose your adoption team and understand the roles they’ll play.

 

When forming your adoption team, make sure that you fill the spots with individuals who support your wants and needs. Know ahead of time what kind of adoption you’re interested in, and be honest with yourself about your limitations. Think through race and culture differences, gender, special needs, and whether you want an open or closed adoption. Set your convictions on those issues and stick to them. It’s in the best interest of your family and your child-to-be. Once you’ve made those decisions, choose players that will work within the parameters you’ve set.

 

Here are some of the players that you’ll need to get in place as early in the process as possible:

 

Adoption Agency or Attorney – Perhaps the most important key player in the adoption process is the agency or attorney you choose to help you navigate the steps of adopting. Agencies and attorneys operate basically the same, with a few key differences, the main one being the manner in which a child is located. Expecting mothers considering adoption get in touch with agencies directly, while attorneys help adoptive families advertise in order to get in touch with birth mothers. Also, know your state laws regarding adoption, as some states have restrictions on both.

 

Aside from the differences, both an agency or an attorney will help you prepare the extensive paperwork and legal requirements for a fee. You’ll find a large range of fees, some exceeding $40,000, so it’s important to know your budget ahead of time. Once hired, they’ll also help you prepare for your home study and connect you with the next player, the social worker.

 

Social Worker – This person’s main objective is to operate in the best interests of the child being adopted. However, they can also become a major advocate for the adoptive family and help you get through the home study process. Communicate early and often with your social worker to develop a comfortable relationship that will benefit your family throughout the entire adoption process.

 

Birth Parents – Depending on if you have an open, semi-open, or closed adoption, the birth parents of your child could play a long role in your child’s life. Make sure you ask the tough questions up front about their background and wishes for the future to avoid conflict or miscommunication. Some adoptive families maintain regular contact with the birth mother while others choose to let the child make that decision later in life. Either way, there’s a good chance that your child’s biological mother will be a part of your life for years to come.

 

Other Adoptive Parents – These are the people who have been there before and can answer any questions you may have. Adoptive parents often form a close network among other families to exchange stories, give advice and share contacts. Your agency or local church is a good place to get connected with other adoptive families.

 

Family and Friends – The adoption process can be long and tough to handle, at times. It’s important to surround yourself with family and friends for emotional strength. Make sure these people support your decision to adopt and are willing to act as a sounding board for you throughout the journey.

 

A strong adoption team will make all the difference on the journey that you’re about to begin and a team is only as strong as its weakest player. Do your due diligence on the front-end so you can move forward knowing that you have a firm foundation to build on.

 

The Employment Transition and Support Program helps individuals with disabilities prepare for employment. Participants gain meaningful and professional experience by engaging in different work experiences—we call this a discovery phase.

 

The required tasks compliment and challenge their abilities and give participants a sense of pride and accomplishment while allowing them to identify their dream job. Paired with a job coach and an employment seminar, participants gain the confidence to explore new opportunities and develop the skills necessary to become valuable assets to potential employers.

 

Participants must be 16 years old (or older) to participate. For more information please email I&R@nyfoundling.org. Click here to complete a referral form.

 

About The Foundling’s Developmental Disabilities Division:

The New York Foundling provides residential services, innovative community job training and placement, supported living, day habilitation, recreational and educational opportunities and in-home services to individuals and their families. The majority of individuals we serve are adults or young adults and the programs we provide address a specific period in someone’s life or span a lifetime.

 

 

The Foundling has programs in all five boroughs of New York City and Rockland, Westchester and Orange Counties.

 

 

We discover, build and celebrate the abilities of all people. Our person-centered approach to supporting individuals empowers them to choose where they live, be connected to their communities, have relationships with family and friends and maintain good health, enabling them to live rewarding, fulfilling lives.

 

 

 

 

Written by Foundling Guest Blogger, Tiana, a Former Road to Success Student

 

This summer, I had the amazing opportunity to intern with AT&T. This was by far the best opportunity that anyone could ever ask for. It was more than an insight to working in the real world. I had the opportunity to shadow individuals in multiple positions.

 

I was able to work closely with the Director of Market Sales, the New York and New Jersey Market Director, the Corporate Director of AT&T, Directors of Sales, Retail Sales Consultants and Area Retail Sales Managers. I was placed into a position where I was able to experience AT&T at various levels. I learned both the different and similar skill sets at each position. This also allowed me to learn about AT&T from both a corporate and retail standpoint.

 

From Microsoft Excel, to corporate mapping for company cars, and even basic skills such as how Retail Sales Consultants interact with domestic as well as international customers, it was a true learning experience.

 

Towards the end of the internship we were all given a project. My project consisted of visiting AT&T retail stores in the New York and New Jersey area. I visited twenty- two stores in the Manhattan and Queens area. While I was visiting I observed numerous aspects of the store, ranging from the upkeep of the store, to the sales pitches during each customer interaction and even how each customer was greeted as they entered the store. I took data from each of these stores along with the data the other interns had collected and made a presentation containing information about nearly sixty stores. This internship was truly amazing!

 

Recently I was notified that I was selected for the new AT&T College Ambassador Program. I can’t wait to blog about this upcoming experience!

 

Click here to read my previous blog post for The Foundling! 

The 2016 Rio Olympics are well underway with the United States having won 19 medals, China with 13 medals, and Australia with 8 medals so far—but have you tuned into the Camp Felix Olympics?

 

Last week, the Camp Felix Olympic Opening Ceremony began with each cabin being assigned a country and given the challenge to present to the entire camp unique facts about their appointed country while also exhibiting their cabin-made banner, cheer and dance. The Camp Felix flag was raised and the Olympic torch was passed to each cabin—it’s a tradition at Camp Felix for every single camper to touch and pass along the torch until it reaches the last camper, in which the ceremony concludes. But where the Opening Ceremony comes to an end, the games begin!

 

The day is spent with two countries (cabins) competing against each other at the various Olympic games stations. The stations consist of fun and high energy activities such as pool races, basketball tournaments, ring toss and other sports. There was even a water balloon stomping competition!  At the closing ceremony, each country (cabin) was honored with awards and medals for their individual accomplishments and sportsmanship.

 

Tune in next week to hear about Camp Felix’s Open House which includes a special BBQ and talent show put on by the campers. Click here to learn more about Camp Felix from a recent article on Patch.com!

 

To ensure that children in New York City’s child welfare system continue to enjoy the magic of Camp Felix, sponsor a camper today!