A bright boy, originally adopted from China, age 7, who is in need of a forever home with parents who are affectionate and able to provide a loving, stable environment in which he can thrive. He was originally adopted from China but needs a forever home that does not include young siblings so that his needs, as a possible victim of sexual abuse, can be addressed. He loves to ride his bike, playing with legos and flashlights and is very engaging with his current family. He is a very loving child, described as being very cuddly and attaching easily to caregivers. He is well mannered and easygoing, but can get his feelings hurt easily when reprimanded in a harsh manner. His new family will need to understand that he will require further treatment for a disability, called arthrogryposis, a condition that is characterized by joint contractures. In Ben’s situation it causes the wrist joints to turn inward. Although he has already had one corrective surgery on his right arm Ben will be having his second surgery on his left arm at the beginning of February. His new parents should be aware that although He does have this disability, he is very able to care for himself by feeding himself, getting dressed with only a limited amount of help, riding a bike, and other normal activities. He is adaptable and will be a fantastic placement for a loving family with no other children, or children who are older.

If you would like more information, please email: adopt@childrensconnections.org or call 806-745-7995

Do you need surrogacy assistance? No problem! If you need a surrogate, we’ll refer you to a leading surrogacy agency. If you have a friend or family member who is willing to be your surrogate, even better. We’ll refer you to a leading fertility law attorney to establish a valid surrogacy contract between you.

Join us on Thursday, January 24^th at 6:00pm CST for a Director’s Chat on Adoption Embryos. You’ll talk, via teleconference, with Children’s Connections’ Adoption Director, Debora Phillips, LBSW-IPR, CFLE, LCCA, LCPPA, as she discusses adopting embryos through our Crystal Angels program. Make plans to join us and register today by emailing adopt@childrensconnections.org or by calling us at 800-456-4862. We’d love to help you build your family through embryo adoption!

The adoption process is the ultimate sacrifice by birth parents and an incredible gift to adoptive families.  I am truly one of the lucky ones who get to help build families through adoption while also witnessing the journey.  Being allowed to use my profession in a field that I am so passionate about is a gift.

I have been positively impacted by adoption throughout my entire life, and the impact it has is growing daily.  There is an ever increasing passion in me to be an advocate for children.

Growing up, I was often told stories of the day I was born, but one story told by my favorite uncle, Jeff, is by far my favorite.  Uncle Jeff reminds me periodically that my birth was the reason he canceled a long planned fishing trip with his college friends, so he could be present to celebrate my arrival.  I have always admired, respected, and looked up to him.  He is one of my best role models.  He has such a great sense of humor, and always knows how to make people feel special.  He is a model father, husband, and son.  So how does this story relate to National Adoption Awareness Month?  My Uncle Jeff was adopted.  His birth mother and birth father made the decision to place him in an orphanage at birth, and his adoptive mother and father welcomed their baby home at the age of 6 months.  If I could speak with her today, I would tell her how appreciative I am of her.  If she had not given him the gift of life, we would not have been so abundantly blessed by him.

Although I have always viewed adoption as a wonderful thing, during most of my life I never thought about special needs adoption.  For some reason, I never realized or took the time to think about it.  Thankfully, in November 2010, I had the opportunity to learn about special needs adoption through a service I attended on orphan awareness.  The presenter was a mother, Kim, who had adopted a special needs orphan fromLithuania, and she was about to start the journey to rescue another special needs orphan fromRussia.  I had a great respect for her, and her cause, but I am ashamed to admit, I was somewhat distracted by the euphoria of being pregnant with my first born child.  At that time, I didn’t feel an urgency to personally do something to make a difference for special needs orphans.  During her presentation, she referred to a ministry called, Reece’s Rainbow.  She encouraged all in attendance to view the website and then find a way to make a difference.  After I went home that day, I looked up Reece’s Rainbow on the web, and it started stirring a passion within me for orphans with special needs.

I had already witnessed Kim’s devotion to her son Cole, and couldn’t help but notice his sweet natured personality.  When I found out that she and her husband, Rick, had committed to rescuing another special needs orphan, I was so excited to witness their journey.  Throughout the year that followed, I watched them rescue the most precious little boy named Gabe.

Although the process was a joyous event, it was also plagued with sorrow.  By observing and reading her blog, I learned some startling information.  Gabe had been in an orphanage since birth because he had down syndrome.  Gabe was much like the first special needs child she adopted, Cole.  Cole was placed in an orphanage at birth because he had fetal alcohol syndrome and autism.  Children who are born with any “defect” in the region where they originated, are quickly labeled as “imperfect” and their parents are encouraged to leave them at the hospital.  Unfortunately, many of the parents are influenced by this advice, and these children are deemed inappropriate for society.  These precious children usually spend 3 to 4 years in a baby house, and then they are transferred to adult mental institutions, depending on the country and region.  I still cannot believe that 3 and 4 year old children are sent to adult mental institutions and isolated their entire life.  Kim described Gabe’s transfer to the institution as “traumatic” for him.  Often times these children are severely abused and neglected in these institutions, sometimes to the point of death.  I want to do more for children like Gabe and Cole who are still waiting to be rescued.

There is so much to be learned from Cole and Gabe.  In speaking with Kim, she described Cole and Gabe as “the light of her life.”  She also explained that parenting these 2 boys brings more joy than can ever be imagined.  She described 17 year old Cole as her “hero” who finds beauty in everything and everyone.  When speaking about 5 year old Gabe she stated, “I can’t imagine his precious spirit being suppressed, and him not being allowed to express himself and his needs.”  For myself personally, I look forward to any opportunity to interact and converse with Cole or Gabe.

My experiences with my Uncle Jeff, and with Cole and Gabe, have greatly impacted my life.  I love my job at Children’s Connections, and it is so much more than “just a job,” for me.  Adoption is my passion.  I can’t wait for the opportunity to help create more families through adoption.  I am also very honored to be working with birth mother’s who are giving the ultimate gift.

If you are considering adoption, or in the process of adopting, whether it be domestic or international, I extend my deepest respect and gratitude.  Adoption is a beautiful thing for all involved.  I would like to close with a picture of Cole and Gabe, because a picture brings a story to life.  I am thankful that they have a reason to smile, and that they are deeply loved.

We really appreciate your generous donation to help a pregnant women in crisis!

Learn more about #GivingTuesday:

Waiting for Our Happy Ending…or at Least the Next Chapter

It’s hard to pin point one particular day that began our adoption journey.  We knew during the pregnancy with our first and only biological daughter that we if we should grow our family of three, it would be through adoption.  After several years of “getting settled” we decided we were ready to begin the adoption process.

We began with researching types of adoptions, and quickly decided that we would pursue a domestic adoption through an agency.  After talking to several agencies, we decided to commit to working with Children’s Connections. From there we got busy completing forms, compiling documents and all that leads up to getting home study approved and eventually active in the matching program.

Getting to the active, waiting to be matched stage seemed daunting; little did we know what “waiting to be matched” would be like.  It’s been a roller coaster of high and lows with every new situation.  Hopes and dreams of being selected and eventually bringing home a child.  Sadness and wondering “why not us” when discovering we were not chosen.  Questioning ourselves and how we have presented our family in our profile book.

After many months with the ups and downs of hopeful situations, we were matched with an expecting mother who was not due for several more months.  She requested a closed adoption and only wanted minimal contact.  Over the next several months we had a couple of phone calls and I would text with her a couple of times a week.  Then, just four weeks before due date, we received a dreaded call.  The mother we were matched with changed her mind.

Devastated. Sad. Angry. Hurt, Disappointed. Guilty. Again the questions, was it something we said or didn’t say? Something we did or didn’t do?

So here we are today, working through our mixed emotions of a broken match, but prepared to move forward. Our profiles books have been reordered and we are back to waiting for a match.  At times it feels like the past year and a half has been for not.  Then I must remind myself that we have much to be thankful for.

Far from knowing the pains of hunger, the fear of being truly alone, and the despair of not have a place to call home, our family is blessed.  My husband and I have withstood many challenges and are stronger for it.  We support each other’s dreams and respect each other’s differences.  We have a beautiful daughter, who by all accounts seems to be remarkably happy and healthy, and growing up much too fast.   We have dear friends that we know we can (and have) count on to be there for a laugh, a helping hand, a shoulder to cry on.  It seems almost unfair to want for more…

..but we are human.  We ask for more.  We ask that we might be chosen to share our many blessings with another child or children.  And we wait, with hopeful anticipation, for “the day” to come that our family grows with adoption.

Many people have heard about adoption for many years, however, folks may be both intrigued and confused by the concept of embryo adoption. Although embryo adoption is handled in a manner similar to other types of adoptions, there are some differences. The obvious one is that genetic or donor families are placing their frozen embryos for adoption.  They have completed their families via in vitro fertilization (IVF) and have remaining frozen embryos stored at their clinic or lab.  They wish to give these frozen embryos the chance at becoming a live baby and also want to help a family struggling with infertility with their dream to become parents.  Despite the differences, one shared goal in all adoptions is the hope for a child to have a family….embryo adoption offers that hope to genetic parents who must make a decision regarding remaining embryos… and to adopting parents, who desire to experience pregnancy and build a family.

Unfortunately, there are many couples who long to have a child, but struggle with fertility issues. Many of these couples go through the IVF process and are successful at creating families. When couples are finished with fertility treatments, they often have remaining frozen embryos. They may have a single embryo or they may have several remaining embryos and must decide from the following choices:

•Freeze and store the embryos indefinitely, which usually costs several hundred dollars each year and eventually the embryos will deteriorate

•Donate remaining embryos for medical research, which results in their destruction

•Destroy remaining embryos

•Donate embryos for adoption

Donating embryos for adoption is the only method that doesn’t ultimately destroy the embryos. An agency, such as Children’s Connections, Inc.,  experienced in embryo adoption is able to assist genetic/donor parents and embryo adopting parents by providing support and guidance throughout the embryo adoption process. Agencies handle not only the legal aspects of embryo adoption, but the social and emotional aspects as well. Embryo adoption/donation also involves a medical process so there is no guarantee that the embryos will survive the thaw process, or that a pregnancy will be achieved.

Similar to a domestic adoption, the genetic parents can select adopting parents for their embryos by previewing profiles of parents wishing to adopt. They can also determine what level of openness they desire with the adopting parents. Parents wishing to adopt embryos must complete the home study process prior to being matched. This provides genetic/donor parents with confidence that they are placing embryos with a family that is very capable of raising a child. An embryo adoption, unlike other adoptions, is handled through legal contracts, and does not have to be finalized in a Texas court. Upon completion of legal paperwork, the embryos become the “property” of the adopting parents and there is not a requirement for a finalization hearing. Once embryos have been relinquished to the adopting parents, the agency can facilitate shipping the embryos to the adopting parents’ clinic. Genetic parents can receive information as to the date of the transfer(s), outcome of the embryo transfer(s), and the birth of any child(ren).

Children’s Connections, Inc. assists families with all types of adoptions and adoption related services, including embryo adoption. We are thrilled to be part of the embryo adoption journey for so many families, as their frozen embryos journey on to become babies. Embryo adoption is truly a gift from the hear. Just like other types of adoption, embryo  adoption offers hope…to children, to biological/genetic/donor parents, and to adopting parents.

If you would like to learn more about Children’s Connections, Inc.’s embryo adoption program, Crystal Angels, please email adopt@childrensconnections.org or call 806.745.7995. We would love to help you create a family through embryo adoption!

 and USA Today Guide to Kids’ Health!

Crime doesn’t pay, but in Texas, criminals do.

Texas courts collect court costs from convicted offenders for the Crime Victims’ Compensation. Please understand that the statute does not pay to provide for the reimbursement of property damage or losses due to property crimes.

General Program Information:

In 1979, the Texas Legislature passed the Crime Victims’ Compensations Act, creating the Compensation to Victims of Crime Fund and the Crime Victims’ Compensation (CVC) Program. The primary purpose of the Fund is encouraging greater victim participation in the apprehension and prosecution of criminals and reimbursing innocent victims for certain out-of-pocket expenses incurred as a result of violent crime.

The Crime Victims’ Compensation (CVC) Program is supported through a legislative appropriation from the Compensation to Victims of Crime Fund. Revenue for the Fund is collected from convicted offenders through criminal court costs, fees, and fines while victims of violence are assisted with expenses related to the crime. The Fund receives revenue from the following sources:

State Court Costs, Parolee Supervision Fees, Donations, Subrogation, Federal VOCA Grant; Restitution.

The Crime Victims’ Compensation Program is administered by the Office of the Attorney General and is dedicated to ensuring that victims of violent crime are provided financial assistance for crime-related expenses that cannot be reimbursed by insurance or other sources.

The financial assistance may be limited or unavailable depending on laws in effect when the crime occurred and is dependent upon the applicant providing necessary and required documentation.

This information is taken from The Office of the Attorney General.

Making the decision to place your children for adoption is never easy. 

We are working on a list of Resources to help to make a positive choice for you and your child. Please check back with us soon!