Grace Landing First Annual Foster Care/Adoption Summit April 9 in Osceola Co.

Grace Landing, a mentoring ministry for young adults , is sponsoring their first annual foster care & adoption summit this Saturday, April 9, at Heartcry Chapel in Kissimmee, FL.  The main speaker for the summit is Doug Sauder from 4Kids in Ft. Lauderdale and author of The One Factor.  He is an amazing speaker and has so much to say about helping kids in the foster care system. You can go to www.gracelanding.com for more information and also to register.

Jedd Medefind's (the President of Christian Alliance for Orphans), Top 5 Books on Orphan Care

This article is from July's Christianity Today, focusing on adoption and orphan care.

1.  Adopted for Life: The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families and Churches
     by Russell D. Moore (Crossway)
With deep theological moorings, Moore builds an inspiring case for why adoption carries special priority for Christians. Even readers who don't agree with Moore on all points will find it difficult to escape the power of his conviction that God's adoption of all believers is the wellspring for Christian action to "defend the cause of the fatherless."

2.  The Connected Child: Bring Hope and Healing to Your Adoptive Family
      by Karyn Purvis, David Cross, and Wendy Lyons Sunshine (McGraw-Hill)
Built on research and medical expertise, this accessible book provides both compassionate insight and concrete practices that any parent can apply to nurture and connect fully with children coming from difficult backgrounds. Purvis's new study guide and other resources are also invaluable.

3.  There Is No Me Without You: One Woman's Odyssey to Rescue Africa's Children
      by Melissa Fay Greene (Bloomsbury)
Greene opens unforgettable windows into the plight of children orphaned by HIV/AIDS with the true story of one Ethiopian widow and the children she took in. Her well-crafted account is both haunting and hopeful, exposing both aching need and the complexity of responding wisely, alongside the beauty found when we do.

4.  Fields of the Fatherless: Discover the Joy of Compassionate Living
     by Tom Davis (David C. Cook)
Weaving together Scripture and compelling narrative, Davis paints a simple yet powerful picture of what it looks like when Christians come to share God's passion for orphans. Fields of the Fatherless offers not only inspiration and provocation, but also practical steps for action.

5.  The One Factor: How One Changes Everything
      by Doug Sauder (4Kids of South Florida)
Focusing on real stories of children from foster care, this slim volume delivers its punch with dozens of poignant reminders why the number one matters more than all the statistics in the world. Sauder helps us turn the tired adage that "one person can make a big difference" into a vibrant, vivifying confidence.

CGC Update

Hello Everybody,

Hopefully everyone had a happy and safe 4th!

We wanted to update you on what we have been doing at CGC.

A few weeks ago Sheri and I took a trip to Ft. Lauderdale to visit 4Kids of South Florida. They have an amazing ministry going there and it was a wonderfully overwhelming day to see all that God was doing in the lives of kids in South Florida. As we begin to try and make a difference in the lives of children in foster care here in Central Florida we were asking 4Kids for advice on where to start. They recommended that we try and work with Florida Baptist Children's Homes and begin to recruit and train our own foster families. Several days after returning, we learned that 1st Baptist Orlando is already doing just that! They actually have a caseworker from FL Baptist Children's Homes on their property and they are about to begin foster training at the church. They are going to be doing several classes and they will all be taught from a Christian perspective.

Please join with us in trying to get this word out to churches. The state has lost over 50 foster homes so far this year and it would be such a wonderful thing if the churches would be there to step into this need. The contact at First Baptist is Laurie Ingram and her number is 407-514-4394 or laurie.ingram@fbchomes.org

I also want to remind you all of our bi-monthly meeting coming up at Willow Creek on Tuesday night July 21st at 7pm. We would love to have any of you join us!

Looking forward to seeing you!

Debbie Titus
Sheri Bell

Retail Orphan Initiative Selects Charities

May 22, 2009

RetailROI (the Retail Orphan Initiative), the Nashville, Tenn.-based retail technology charitable group that aims to raise awareness of adoption issues and help provide lasting solutions for vulnerable children worldwide, has selected four organizations to receive its initial grants.“We are humbled to be able to make these first four gifts in such a short time, gifts that we know will save lives through the innovative work of these organizations,” said Greg Buzek, founder and president, IHL Group and co-founder of RetailROI. “There are 143 million orphans and 400 million vulnerable children in the world. With ongoing support from the retail community, RetailROI can continue giving funds to important organizations like these who are on the front lines in care for orphans and adoption. ”The organizations are 4 KIDS of South Florida, which provides licensed foster homes, family-style residences and adoption support for foster kids in Florida; LifeSong for Orphans, which offers no-interest loans and grants to couples who wish to adopt; Share the Blessings, which provides education and clean-water projects throughout Uganda; and Warm Blankets Orphan Care International, which restores the lives of orphans in partnership with churches, corporations, organizations and individuals who have a passion to help needy, parentless children.“As a retailer who is also privileged to be involved with Share the Blessings, I know these first donations will have a big impact,” said Ed Collupy, VP of information technology, at The Pantry, Inc. “I encourage others in the retail community to get behind the work of RetailROI. Working together, we can begin to make a huge difference.”RetailROI solicits donations from retailers, vendors and employees. Its long-term goal is to create programs such as “RoundUp for Orphans” at the point of sale, in which customers can round up their transactions to the nearest dollar to support the fund, or custom multiretailer gift cards that would dedicate a portion of the sales to RetailROI. For more information about how you can get involved, please visit www.retailROI.org

RetailROI is a charitable foundation established to help the 400 million orphaned and vulnerable children worldwide. Created under the umbrella of The Giving Back Fund, RetailROI provides grants to charities that provide hands-on efforts in such areas as orphan care, foster care and adoption support organizations, and child rescue from human trafficking. The initiative has grown out of the work that Paul Singer, former SVP and CIO of Supervalu, has done in support of orphans.

Find this article at: http://www.progressivegrocer.com/progressivegrocer/content_display/features/supermarket-technology/e3ib5e9d934e920f5490e59a01e198c792c