February at Adoption Support Alliance in NC/SC area – Check Out Their 2020 Calendar!

ASA News Hello all, I apologize that it has been so long since our last newsletter!  Like you, things get hectic around here with the holidays and New Year and All. The. Things. At the end of 2019, we accepted the “retirement” of our board members, Katie Pendergrast and Lindsey Vickers.  Both have served the organization for three years. Katie was our Board Chair for one year and Lindsey has been serving from Florida since her family relocated there.  Their contributions to ASA has been invaluable to the organization. Thank you, Katie and Lindsey! At the beginning of 2020, we welcomed two new part-time staff members, Molly Mayhoff and Morgan Goodrum.  Molly is currently running our social media and communication efforts and keeping me organized. Morgan is a talented artist and designer and joined our team to help draw your attention to our events and keep everything pleasing to the eye. Welcome, Molly and Morgan! We are so very glad to have you! Our focus in January was to develop a calendar for all that we will accomplish in 2020.  We are so excited by all that we are offering! Our focus this month will be our support groups and support-ucation groups.  Important distinction- support groups are ongoing groups that happen monthly- no beginning, no end, just come when you can and pay when you attend. We’d hope to have a core group develop but no one is committed to anything! Our support-ucation groups (part support group, part education… get it?) are time-limited and topic-focused.  We want participants to commit to each meeting of the group to get the most out of the time together. We have some great new options to offer our community in these areas. Check out all the details on line and let us know you are coming via email or our events page: Support Groups Creating a Family support groups- if you aren’t familiar with Dawn Davenport and Creating a Family, you should be!  We are excited to pilot Creating a Family’s support group curriculum in two new groups. Adopted Teenagers- for teenagers who joined their family through adoption at any age Adult Adoptees- for adults who joined their family through adoption Parents of Adopted Teenagers- for parents whose teenagers joined the family through adoption Growing in Attachment- for parents having a hard time connecting with their adopted child Support-ucation Groups Mindfulness Parenting- facilitated by Amanda Zaidman of Constructive Parenting, 6 week group to help parents find joy in parenting again Caring for Kids Who have Experienced Trauma- for parents who have adopted internationally or from foster care.  This curriculum was developed by the National Child Traumatic Stress Network and offers valuable education and skills for parenting children from difficult places. Talking to Your Kids About Adoption- for any parents who want to get more comfortable with the sometimes uncomfortable topics of adoption. Erin Nasmyth, LCSW ASA Executive Director Calendar COMMUNITY BUILDING Family Fun Brewery Events Sunday, March 1 4 to 6 pm at NoDa Brewery CLASSES Adoption 101 Saturday, February 8 9 am to 12 pm at our office Race, Culture & Adoption Saturday, April 25 2 to 5 pm at our office  SUPPORT GROUPS Group for Parents of Adopted Teenagers First Monday monthly 6:45 to 8:15 pm at our office  Group for Adopted Teenagers First Tuesday monthly 6:00 to 7:15 pm at Amelie's in NoDa Group for Adult Adoptees Third Monday monthly 7 to 8:30 pm at our office Growing Attachment in Adoption First & Third Tuesday monthly 9:30 to 11:00 am at our office Creating a Family (Morning) Fourth Monday monthly 7:30 to 9:00 pm North Charlotte Creating a Family (Evening) Third Friday monthly 10:00 to 11:30 am South Charlotte SUPPORT-UCATION GROUPS Talking to Kids about Adoption 3 session group - Wednesday Feb 19, 26 & Mar 4 10 to 11:30 am at our office STAR/Mindfulness Parenting Group 6 session group - Monday Feb 24, Mar 2, 9,16, 23 & 30 10:00 to 11:00 am at our office Caring for Children who have Experienced Trauma 8 session group - Wednesday Mar 18, 25, Apr 1, 8, 22, 29 & May 6, 13