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President's Letter
January 2011
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The New Year always brings a time for reflection. Have we hit our goals? What has
changed? How far have we come in the last year?
At CAFFA, we are coming up on our 20th Annual “Parenting Through Adoption”
Conference. I’m in awe as I think of all the volunteers who have made these
conferences happen, I mean TWENTY conferences .... wow! I’m amazed by the
continued dedication by volunteers to keep these conferences going for 20+ years.
Thank you for supporting CAFFA through membership and conference attendance.
Just being a member of our community has kept it alive and growing. Your participation
has established the culture of the adoption community in Chicago.
Why is our community so important? Oh sure, with the influx of electronic media, it
is easy to integrate and invest into online "only" adoption communities. While these
serve the purpose of passing information (and by the way, CAFFA does have online
networks), they do not provide the ‘face to face’ contact that is so important to building
our children’s self esteem and self worth. When we get our children together at social
events, we instill a sense of pride in being part of the adoption community in Chicago.
At these events, our children are not "different", they are just one of the gang. It’s
so nice to bring families together, see the children having a good time and making
connections that last through the years. Even in the waning adolescent years when your
teenager becomes too "busy" to attend events, keeping your family engaged in CAFFA
through membership, sharing newsletters and attending conferences sends a message
that this community is important.
According to our last survey, this newsletter that you are reading is one of the most
valued services that we provide to you, our members. Through this newsletter and
our CAFFA website hope to educate families through articles authored by cutting-edge
experts on adoption. We want to inform you on pending legislation or adoption events
in our area and share your experiences through the question of the month. We have
very dedicated volunteers that make our newsletter and website happen. Thank You!
Now drumroll please ... we are investing in some updated publishing software that will
bring a new look to the newsletter. Our valued content will be of the same high quality
standard, it’s just our look that’s being updated. Our plan is to have our new look roll
out in the newsletter that arrives post conference (mid to late March).
Another valued service, according to our survey, is our conference that is held bi-
annually. We have a terrific speaker/workshop line-up beginning with our keynote
speaker, Adam Pertman who will kick-off the conference. Mr. Pertman will be
presenting "Welcome to the Revolution" where he explores the changes taking place
in the adoption community and explains their profound effects on us all. Whether you
are exploring adopting or in the through of raising a teenager, this conference has it all!
I hope that you consider investing one day, March 5, in your adoption community and
family. Our volunteers, led by our education chair, Shila Khan, have worked hard to put
this fabulous conference together.
Speaking of volunteers, I want to end by thanking all the CAFFA volunteers for your
time, dedication, creativity and resourcefulness. There are probably times when you
question the worth of your work or the sacrifices you make for CAFFA. It is your work
and your sacrifices that have kept the adoption community strong in Chicago. On that
note, I want to end with a big THANK YOU!
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