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ADOPTION NEWSLETTER

CLIENT HOLIDAY LETTER 2003  

 Dear Friend,

Merry Christmas from all of us at ALTERNATIVES IN MOTION. As you read this letter, we hope that you are preparing for a joyous holiday season. At this time of year, every year, we are excitedly looking forward to spending time with friends and family.and that certainly includes spending time with you! Although we love it when you unexpectedly stop by the office to say "hello", we know that sometimes you need an excuse to take the time to spend with us. So, traditionally, we host a wonderful Christmas party chocked full of good food, good friends, and lots of gifts.

Besides the good food and gifts (and the good friends), one of the neatest things about the party is the "free garage sale". All year we have collected garage sale items from our adoptive families. During the party, you will be encouraged to look through the items and select anything that you might need or want. There is no limit on the "purchases" you make and you will not be charged a penny. We even provide huge black plastic bags for you to carry your things home. Items include household things, decorator items, linens, clothing and shoes for men/women/children, toys, and Christmas decorations. We all love to go garage sale-ing.and this is your opportunity to go with an empty purse and come home with lots of goodies!

Okay, the food is always good, the gifts plentiful, and the garage sale is a blessing..but, the thing that we get really excited about is...(drum roll) THE STEALING GAME! Every year, we put 100 gifts into the middle of the floor. When game time comes around, we let you take turns deciding if you want the gift, the envelope, or to steal from the person who opened their gift just before you. This year, the rules will be simple (and posted) so that we can cut down on the confusion and everything is fair.

GAME RULES

If you participate in the game you will not be allowed to leave during the game. If you must leave during the game, you will forfeit your gift and will be given a consolation prize. You will be given a number when you arrive. Numbers will be called in order. When your number is called, you have 15 seconds to choose between the gift with your number on it, an envelope, or steal from the person played just before you. If you do not decide before the buzzer goes off, you must take the gift. All gifts, after chosen must be placed on the floor at your feet and you must remain facing the circle until the completion of the game. You may not hide your gift. Gifts will be marked and each gift can be stolen only 3 times before it is "dead". Female clients only will be invited to participate. All gifts are selected with a great deal of thought and with the desire to provide a variety of things to make the party more interesting. If you receive a gift that you cannot use, you may approach Anne at the end of the party. She will have a consolation prize for you in exchange for the gift you received. Please do not embarrass us by making comments about the gifts that are unflattering. It takes the fun out of the game. R.S.V.P. so there will be a gift for you.

You are welcome to bring a guest but we suggest that you not bring children. This is YOUR party. We want you to enjoy it and we think you can enjoy it better is your time isn't divided between having fun and supervising your youngster. We have no activities or gifts scheduled for the children and the place gets filled up very quickly with garage sale tables, lunch tables, Christmas trees, gifts, and people.lots of people. There's not room for a little one to move around and they don't usually sit very well for very long. However, if you just can't find a babysitter.don't let that stop you from coming.

As always, you will be asked to complete a card as you enter the party. There will be a number on the back of the card. This is the number that we will call numerically for you to get your chance to play the game. Keep the card with you at all times. It is your ticket to play AND your ticket to receive a parting gift at the end of the party. Your guest will receive a small gift as they sign in at the party, and we will be thrilled to share lunch with them. Guests will not be able to participate in the game and will not receive a bag of goodies at the end of the party. Our resources are limited and we want to be able to provide really, really nice gifts for you. Some gifts for the game are hand-held CD players, VCR players, DVD players, jam boxes, small TVs, microwave ovens, Bath and Body Works gift sets, etc. Envelopes hold gift certificates to restaurants, department stores, theaters, etc.

As always, at the end of the party, each client will be handed a huge bag of gifts. The bags usually include slipper socks, decks of cards, pocket calendars, pens, disposable cameras, crayons, coloring books, brush/comb sets, candles, etc..and the traditional huge Christmas teddy bear with this year's date on the foot. You must present your card complete with updated information to receive your bag.

Unfortunately, we were unable to rent the facility for a Saturday during December and we must hold the party on Friday, December 12th instead. We hope that by letting you know far enough in advance you will be able to arrange for time off from your job to attend. The location is the same as for the last few years, St. Matthews Lutheran Church at 21434 East Hardy. From downtown Houston, you go north on I45 to Richey Road. Go east (right) on Richey to just across the railroad tracks. Turn north (left) on Hardy and go to where it zigzags back across the track. Still heading north, go to the stop sign and turn right across the tracks. The church is just over the tracks to your left. We are in the rec center waiting for you. The party begins at 11am and lasts until 2pm.

We are unable to provide transportation but will be happy to reimburse you $5 to bring another client from your area and/or $5 to take a client home. If you can give a ride, let us know. If you need a ride, let us know. We'll do the coordinating. Please do not have someone "drop you off" with the plan that you will "catch a ride" home. There is no way to know if someone is "going your way". This year we will only be able to guarantee you a ride to the bus stop and a bus token. Speaking of bus stops.our party is held about 1 mile from the AIM office (2509B FM1960 East). A Metro bus stops right in front of our office. If you take the bus, we will pick you up from the office if you make arrangements with us in advance. You must plan to arrive at our office by 10:45am to be picked up because we will not leave once the party starts.

Before we close this letter/invitation, we want to take a minute to talk about our website. We have spent a lot of time developing a website that presents adoption as a loving option chosen by persons who deserve to be respected by society as parents who are making the best plan available for their child or children. We feel that in recent years society has begun to accept this as truth. One of the reasons for the change in attitude about adoption and birth parents is that more and more birth parents are stepping forward and saying, "I made a plan of adoption for my child. It was painful but I am proud of my strength and I have a peace knowing my child now has the chance I wanted for him." One of our websites, www.agencyadoptioncentral.com, is dedicated to presenting the thoughts of those persons involved in the adoption process.birth families, children of adoption, and adoptive parents. If you have an enjoyment for writing, please consider sending us a copy of something you wrote about your experience, your feelings, etc. If you do not have access to a computer, please mail us what you write. We'll re-type it and publish it on our site. If you would like to send a picture, we can include it with the writing. Your contribution can either be a letter to your child, to your adoptive family, or to the agency. It could be a poem. It could be a story written by you. If you draw, it could be a drawing about your feelings that we can scan and put on the site.

Speaking of our website. Visit our main site at www.AIMadoptions.org often and keep up with what is happening. If you have any suggestions for what you would like to see on the site, go to the "Contact Us" link and fill in the information you want us to know or consider.

Now, one more thing before we close.about 5 or 6 times a year, Jan hosts a group home study. This is an all day meeting, at our office, where new adoptive families interact with each other and discuss openness in adoption. We always ask 4 or 5 past clients to come and speak about their adoption experience. This has been a wonderful tool in educating adoptive families about the need for a child to have access to information about his biological background and to ease some of the fear that they have about the process. Seeing you and hearing you talk about your adoption and the ongoing sharing of information.or lack of ongoing sharing.transforms you from "a birth mother" to a human being with feelings, goals, and a heart for your child. These glimpses into your heart and soul can go a long way to eliminate the picture of the birth mother hiding behind the hedge at the child's school to spirit him away. The picture that many TV shows, movies, and newspaper articles promote. Your words do more to promote open adoption than any educational words or tools we could give families. If you are open to sharing your story with families waiting to adopt, please call us.

Until we see you or hear from you, we hope you and yours have a blessed holiday season. Take time to remember this year that our Lord Jesus Christ was the gift Our Father gave to us, someone to hold us in times of pain and sorrow as well as someone to bestow the blessing of friends and family that rejoice with us in times of triump.

IMPORTANT NOTICE! IMPORTANT INFORMATION! IMPORTANT STUFF!

You must RSVP to ANNE LANDRY by December 1st if you are planning to attend the party. We must know how many people are planning to attend. We purchase gifts for the number of clients on our RSVP list and those are the only persons who will be able to participate in the game and the only persons able to receive a gift at the end of the party. A consolation gift will be given to persons who attend but did not RSVP to ANNE LANDRY. RSVP to ANNE @ 281-821-6508 800-776-6508 alandry@AIMadoptions.org