The O'Shea Family

      

Hello! We are the O'Shea family. We are a family of four that enjoy being together and doing fun things.

We adopted our two children from Russia 8 years ago. Eric was 12 and Dasha was 5 when we adopted them. Eric knew just a little English when he came to America, and Dasha didn't know any, so we had a very interesting and fun time communicating with each for the first few months. It's amazing what you can communicate through sign language when you have to! Eric and Dasha both learned English amazingly fast, and did a great job of adjusting to life in a new country and a new family.

 

Although we have had to work through issues with their adjustment to America, Eric and Dasha have come through with flying colors. We have been there for our kids during the tough times and we have all worked through them together.

  

For a more detailed description of this family, including child preferences and parenting experience, click here

 

Family Adoption Specialist: Katy at katy.colburn@afamilyforeverychild.org 

 

Adoption Worker Contact: Nancy Jorgesen 309-557-1030. njorgese@TheBabyFold.org 

The Papay/ LaPointe Family

      

We live in beautiful Walton Hills, Ohio, on five acres with two great dogs. One is a mix breed Cocker Spaniel (Buddy) and the other is a pure bread Cocker Spaniel (Levi). Both are rescue dogs and great with children. We enjoy day trips, eating out and just staying at home.

 

Our neighborhood is safe, culturally diverse and with children of all ages. We have strong family ties and visit with them often. We enjoy planning day trips as well as staying at home every Friday evening and having movie night where we make popcorn and watch a movie. We value our weekends and dedicate them to family time.

 

Over the past 18 months we have dedicated our time to learning more about child development, child care, taking care of special needs children and trauma associated with children placed in foster care. We have taken over 100 hours and have signed on for more classes. To help in our education and experience we have fostered several children. Our last foster placement was three children ages 10 months, 2 years and 4.5 years old. We enjoyed every busy moment.

 

We both enjoy watching the wildlife around our house (deer, turkey and chipmunks). They are a natural part of the landscape. In the Spring, Summer and Fall we enjoy outdoor barbecues and making milk shakes. Dean is pretty good at coming up with some great new flavors.

  

For a more detailed description of this family, including child preferences and parenting experience, click here 

 

Adoption Worker Contact: Amy Caseline 330-305-1668. mailto:njorgese@TheBabyFold.org 

Steve & Cindie

      

  

Hi! Let me introduce ourselves to you!

My name is Cindie, and my husband is Steve. We are in our 40's, but are a pretty "young at heart" couple. We have been married for almost 5 years now and feel it is time to add to our family.

 

I have three boys from a previous marriage, and all of them are 'out of the nest' so to speak, and living on their own. Steve was never able to have his own children, so this will be a special event of sharing and raising an adopted child together!

 

We live out in the country on five acres and love the quiet peacefulness that it brings. Our location is unique in that we sit right on the line for both school districts. In fact, we also have a charter school very nearby (1 1/2 miles) that also affords another choice. We feel because of that we can address the child's individual needs based on their assessment, and plug them into the best school to meet those needs.

 

We have several pets, two dogs and two cats...as well as two Nigerian Dwarf goat wethers (bottle babies) and love them to pieces! All of our animals do well with young children and enjoy being pet and spoiled!

 

I was a single mother for quite a few years prior to meeting Steve and marrying him. It wasn't easy, but I managed to get through it all, and have raised three wonderful boys. There were quite a few trying times, don't get me wrong...but they all turned out to be well adjusted, great guys. Two of my boys were still at home when I married Steve, so he got to have a hand in raising them the rest of the way and he does a wonderful job of parenting them. They respect and love him. I'm pretty proud of him.

 

Our favorite pastimes are generally being outdoors. Being in Oregon tends to limit those times, but we do look forward to camping, fishing, boating, and riding our quads. We generally make a special week long campout with all the family to Florence, Oregon, where we sleep in tents out in the sand dunes, and ride our quads. I like going for walks, riding bikes and hiking.

 

I enjoy crafts for those rainy days, and have done a lot of painting, drawing, scrapbooking and what not. I also write, and have had several things published. A book for young adults is my current writing project, and I look forward to getting that published as well.

 

Steve's first love (besides me) is fishing. He likes to go out in the ocean and fish for halibut, tuna and salmon. He also likes to watch cartoons (Spongebob and Scooby Doo are two of his favorites) and also play video games. We both like to go to the local drive in theater to watch movies during the summer months, mainly because we can bring our dachshund, Willie, along.

 

Our parenting style would best be described as patient and kind, loving but firm. We don't really see ourselves as the drill sergeant type, but have more of a loving approach. I have read the book, "The Connected Child" by Karyn Purvis, and agree wholeheartedly to this approach!

 

I do love interacting with children, getting down on the floor to play barbies, color etc. I build tents for my nieces and play with them, instead of just watching them play. Steve also is a big kid at heart.

 

We hope to offer a permanent home to a young girl or girls. Since we already have three boys, it would be fun to have a girl of our own to enjoy. We just feel we still have a lot to offer a child, and aren't ready to be empty nesters!

 

For a more detailed description of this family, including child preferences and parenting experience, click here 

 

Family Adoption Specialist: Jennifer at jennyhancock@afamilyforeverychild.org

 

Adoption Worker Contact: Sue at sue@afamilyforeverychild.org  

Charisse

      

  

Hello, my name is Charisse and I am a single woman with a lot of love to share.

 

I'm a fun loving person, who enjoys the theater, singing and performing in at least one production a year. I'd love to share my hobbies with a son or daughter, including outdoor hiking and biking.

 

When I am lucky enough to be chosen for a child, he/she will enjoy my patience, compassion and unconditional love. I look forward to being a mother, teacher and parent. I truly believe I have great inspiration and teaching for a girl or a boy. I have many male friends that have offered to help me and share in the "manly" exposure. Boy scouts, camping, sports, etc. I am very athletic and would have no problem keeping up with a little boy. I'd adore a girl just the same and could share many of my "girlie" experiences with her. My family is very excited for me and my mother has offered to start staying with me a few months a year to help me and participate as the child's "grandmother".

 

My family and I get together about three times a year. We pick somewhere we all want to go and share a great time together. We all traveled on a cruise to Alaska last year. My brother has six children and my sister has two. We are all very close and I can't wait for my child to bond with all their new cousins and family. We are planning a trip to Italy for our next family adventure.

 

I want life to be bigger than myself. I have an incredible career as a General Manager for a bed and breakfast hotel in Aspen, Colorado. My work schedule is flexible and allows many hours for working from home. In my work place there are many small children from two-years-old to 16. The house keepers and staff have pooled together to offer babysitting and day care. There is also a day care center within walking distance from the Hotel. I don't envision using day care services on a daily basis. My home has 3 bedrooms and offers plenty of space for a child. Two outdoor patios and a fenced back yard. I take great pride in the beautiful location of Aspen, Colorado.

 

The town of Basalt is very safe and offers incredible outdoor activities for children (skiing, biking, hiking, swimming, etc.) I know most of my neighbors as I have lived in the home since 2001. There are many small children in the neighborhood with a neighborhood park located just next door.

 

My dog is a Bichon Frise and the most amazing dog ever. She loves everyone and provides great fun at the Hotel. Her name is "Viesha" and she goes to work with me every day. People tell me she is the most well behaved dog they have ever seen. I have only given this dog love and positive reinforcement. I've never chased or yelled at her. I plan to parent my child in the same way. Love moves mountains with strict boundaries and where "yes" means "yes" and "no" means "no" (not maybe).

 

I am a Christian and plan to continue going to church with my child. I think it is incredibly important to instill a foundation and belief system in a child. Moral character, love and responsibility of oneself are the building blocks for maturity and growth.

 

I have no doubt I will be an incredible mentor and parent for a child. I'd love the opportunity to give back. I know there will be challenges, difficulties, and problems. I am involved in the community and have many resources to fall back on if needed. I've lived in the Aspen valley for almost 20 years. I have great friends and a circle of people that I respect and consider to be my extended family. I would consider the child's biological parents to have some contact with me and the child via email or USPS. Of course, this would depend on the circumstances and relationship of the child and its family.

 

Lastly, everyone I know is extremely excited for me and are hoping that my dream of becoming a mom will soon be a reality!

 

For a more detailed description of Charisse, including child preferences and parenting experience, click here 

 

Family Adoption Specialist: Jennifer at jennyhancock@afamilyforeverychild.org

 

Adoption Worker Contact: Sandra Whitton at angels@kaycee.net   

The Clemetson Family

      

  

Greetings from the Clemetson family! We are a family of three looking to build our family with one or two more children. We live in Gillette, Wyoming. It is a small town compared to most, but is a great place to live and raise a family. We live out of town so we are able to have a few animals.

 

We love the outdoors and enjoy camping, fishing and hunting. We like to try different foods and love to travel and experience different places. A favorite family tradition is homemade pizza on Saturday night and popcorn and a movie on Sunday. Don't forget football season! There is nothing better than a good football game with family and friends. Another family tradition that we enjoy is hunting for our Christmas tree each year. We typically get together with other family members, go into the timber have a cook out and look for the perfect tree.

 

It has been on our hearts to expand our family and share our lives and home with someone who needs us as much as we need them. We would love to welcome one or two more children into our home to make our family complete. Our biological daughter is 12-years-old and has just started junior high.

 

After much research and discussion we felt that an older child or children would be a perfect fit for our family. An older child or children would allow us to continue enjoying all of the things we like to do and would give us another member to experience things with. We enjoy watching and helping Hannah with all of her activities and would love to add another child and their activities to the mix. There are so many things to experience as a family. We want to continue to build on all the experiences and joys a family offers.

 

Dane is a police officer and has his own contracting business. We work together as a family on a variety of his construction projects. It is hard work but allows us to spend time together. It is a good feeling when we complete a project together. Dane loves to hunt fish and spend time with his family. He enjoys sports and has coached one of Hannah's basketball teams. Dane has traveled to Sri Lanka and Dominican Republic with Mission of Mercy to work on projects for orphaned children. He hopes to continue this in the future.

 

Amy works in human resources for one of the area coal mines. She stays busy with her job and supporting her family in all of their activities. Amy enjoys fishing and camping and watching football. There is nothing better than watching her daughter participate in her activities or show her animals at the county fair.

 

Another favorite past time is going into the mountains with Dane hunting for elk and moose. Hannah is old enough this year to go along. Amy spends time taking pictures of family events and creating scrapbooks for Hannah and other family members.

 

Hannah just started junior high and enjoys playing volleyball and basketball. She loves animals and raises sheep for 4H projects. She likes going to her grandparents house and spending time with all of her cousins and riding horses. Hannah is adventurous and gets along with just about everyone. She enjoys being around and doing things with her entire family. She does very well in school. Her favorite reward for good grades is being treated to Pizza Hut and a movie at the theatre. One day she aspires to be a veterinarian.

 

For a more detailed description of this family, including child preferences and parenting experience, click here 

 

Family Adoption Specialist: Melissa at melissa.cooper@afamilyforeverychild.org  

 

Adoption Worker Contact: Wendy Legerski at adoptwyo@yahoo.com    

The Clay Family

                    

  

Our family consists of Jeremy and Sarah, and our two dogs Darla and Nos. Sarah is a pharmacist at the VA Medical Center and Jeremy works for himself as a carpenter. He is very handy around the house and knows how to fix everything.

 

Jeremy is dissolving his business to become a stay-at-home dad. He will be available depending on the children's ages to stay at home all day, take to and from school and any extracurricular activities as needed. Sarah is typically home from work around 4:30, which will give her time to help with homework, make dinner, and get ready for bed.

 

Our experience as parents includes watching our nieces and nephews of which we have six nieces and two nephews. Sarah also has experience coaching 9 and 10- year-olds in basketball and 8-17 year olds in gymnastics. Various neighborhood children have blessed us with their presence as they come over to chat or play games and have a snack. Jeremy has had experience as a chaperone for boy scouts on adventure trips where he teaches them new skills and encourages them to take risks and gain confidence.

 

We love to give the children in our lives new experiences. We like to play board games, video games, watch movies, go the the children's museum, do crafts and any other sports or games that we can teach or play with them. We are looking forward to traveling with children. There are so many places we've been that we want to share with them. Sarah spends time with her nieces teaching basketball skills and encouraging them to try new things. The children have also enjoyed learning more about her wheelchair and her abilities. They have learned that she can do anything they can do and have appreciated witnessing how.

 

We are no strangers to camping! Jeremy likes to backpack in Utah and do adventure outdoors trips. He gained this love for the outdoors as a boy scout when he was younger and has continued to participate with the boy scouts by volunteering as a chaperone.

 

Sarah has a love for sports. She particularly has experience in basketball and softball/baseball. During the fall and winter she anxiously awaits game day for Notre Dame football as well as Butler basketball. Above is a picture of her playing wheelchair basketball for the Wheelchair Pacers NWBA team.

 

We are looking forward to starting our family! We are especially interested in adopting a sibling group consisting of 2-4 members. We realize that all kids will be different in the degree of special needs, and feel it is important to assess how we can nurture each child individually. We feel as though we have the background capable of dealing with special needs as we have both faced many trials and conquered them with positive outcomes. We would love to help children who have not had a positive experience with adults and prove to them that we can love unconditionally and will be their biggest fans for life.

 

We have a preference that we would like to have at least one girl in our sibling group. The reason for this, as you can probably tell from our family makeup, is that we have the most experience with little girls. Jeremy is the only boy amongst 15 younger cousins who are all girls. We do have experience with boys, as most of the children who visit us in our neighborhood are boys.

 

For a more detailed description of this family, including child preferences and parenting experience, click here 

 

Family Adoption Specialist: Melissa at melissa.cooper@afamilyforeverychild.org  

 

Adoption Worker Contact: Sharon Swanson at Sharon.Swanson@dcs.in.gov     

A Feature of Matching Assistance: Family Biography 

A families biography is sent out with their home study as well as being available on our login site for caseworkers to search from.

It's important to keep your family biography as current as possible. You can update your family page as many times as you'd like, adding new trainings and experiences as you go through the adoption process.

 

Your family bio/profile page should consist of:

 

- A well-done profile

- Warm, welcoming and genuine

- Information about yourselves, interests, and immediate family

- Display photographs that show your family and your hobbies  

 

The family should provide a statement about the child or children whom they believe they can welcome into their hearts and home as well as parent effectively.

 

 

Matching Assistance Family Profiles generally include:

• information about family, your interests, and your families interests
• information about the children you are hoping to adopt
• trainings and parenting experience
• one or more photographs
• family video

Writing a profile can pose a stressful challenge to those hoping to adopt.

Don't rush. Take time to compose your profile and review it with friends or trusted family members. Consult with your adoption worker and ask for advice and suggestions.

 

Photo Hints:

- Avoid using blurry, or black and white photos

- Make sure they are clear and appropriate

- Check your spelling and grammar

 

Other Helpful Hints:

- Make sure to update your profile

- Have you expressed personality characteristics and interests?

 

Many adoption professionals state that personality is the most important area in which to focus on determining a good fit between children and families. Common interests often are a bridge to developing a relationship between a parent and a child.

 

Another Benefit: Submitting Your Study

 

One of the benefits to matching assistance is the ability to submit your home study on your own.

Once you are logged on to your account and viewing the children, you can submit your home study directly from the child's page. At the bottom of the child's biography you will see "Submit your home study for a child".

Answer the three questions and click the submit button at the bottom. When doing so, your home study, family biography and pictures will be sent to the child's worker. You will be notified when the submission has been completed as well as your worker or agency will be cc'ed on all home study submissions.