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FASInating News

FASInating News, our agency’s newsletter, is published every other month beginning in February.  It is designed to be informational reading for adoptive families and others interested in adoption.  We welcome your suggestions and original articles.  You can find local and national news related to adoption, educational comments, parenting information, and more.  If you would like to receive a copy by e-mail or snail mail, send us your address.  You can go to our most recent issue by clicking here (newsletter).

Executive Director’s Thoughts: There are resolutions and there are commitments.

Even though the New Year 2005 he as begun, there’s still time to make some resolutions for the year ahead.  You know the things you should do, i.e. go on a diet, regular exercise, pay off your debt, save money, and organize your closet and your office.  And there are other reliable ones like reading that book you intended to read, maybe put all of those unfinished books on your night stand in a box and start all over. Each of these good intentions could be beneficial but how can you and I make this more than a repetitive exercise of good intentions which little if any change in myself, others or the world. But regrettably for most of us New Year’s resolutions have a short half-life and all too soon are forgotten.

A recent call from a woman helped me to have a new insight on the difference of resolution and Commitments.

For me I have concluded the essential difference between resolutions and commitments, is while resolutions like good intentions are things we know we should do, commitments are anchored in passion that doesn’t extinguish, and require more time, energy   disciplines and sacrifice but offer much more reward. Most often commitments require us to redefine in some way myself my community or the world.

Thankfully these thoughts were stimulated by an enjoyable telephone call I received last week from a   lady, who with her husband, could not take herself away from the news of the devastation by the Tsunami that hit the Far East.  After a while they were no longer 67000 miles away, and they began to hear a voice from with in saying “we ca do something for those children”. And shortly afterwards they were talking about how they would like to adopt a child orphaned by this horrible disaster.  I could easily tell that she was finally committed to do something they had resolved many times before to do.

All across the world today, millions of children, waiting for the dream of a permanent family continue to survive in orphanages, institutions or foster care.  Many have never experienced the nurture, protect and teach only a permanent family can give.  . The vast majority of these children (and at least 130,000 residing in America) could be adopted if enough families made the Commitment.  Just as the lady and her husband last week has done. 

She had her husband had talked before about adoption, but this time, deeply touched by the desperate needs of the children they confirmed to each other “we can give one of those children a home ” and soon she began making calls to find out how to get started.

 Of course not every adult over the age of 21 can’t adopt, but every adult or child in this Global Community can help, those over 21 and those under age can commitment to, through FASI, enable more children to achieve their Right to a Permanent Family.  Although all the numbers are not complete yet, but in 2004 alone, over 42 individuals gave over $20.031 to FASI’s general budget and 35  individuals gave over $18,225 to the US Waiting Loan Fund, and over 4760 hours of time was given by over 130 volunteers to make it possible for FASI to achieve it mission. This e/mail will be sent to over 153 households. Can you imagine what we could do if every household committed to give $20 or more each month and 20 hours per month so more children could be raised in permanent families.  What a wonderful Dream, why not tell your family this is something we can do.

Thank you, for all you do for the children,