We’ve mentioned before that, as we travel for the sake of adoption, we come across many different whimsical creatures in the form of local art. Different counties of Florida have claimed animal mascots. Jacksonville has manatees and Clearwater has dolphins. We have already introduced you to the Pelicans of Lee county and a gecko in Bradenton. While traveling in…
Gift of Life occasionally gets the opportunity to speak to groups in the community about the adoption process and adoption law. This is what I did last Tuesday for the Healthy Start Coalition of Manatee County at the lovely Manatee Memorial Hospital. We always love presenting to Healthy Start, because they are familiar with our clientele and, therefore, fully understand…
When I took the job as an adoption caseworker, I didn’t really understand the raw, emotional nature of adoption. I didn’t know then that I would witness the best and worst emotional moments in people’s lives. Or that I’d have to deal with how those best and worst moments often occurred at the same time. In one room I would…
Not all parents, that are working a case plan with the state, know that they have the option to choose private adoption. According to Florida law, a parent may place a child for adoption with a private adoption agency even if the child is under the jurisdiction of the juvenile dependency court and in foster care, and as long as…
In several Florida communities you can find fantastically decorated animal statues. Different counties have claimed an animal as a mascot of sorts and turned them into beautiful statues painted by local artist. We stumble upon these whimsical creatures in our travels all around the state. They are found in many prominent areas in those counties and at most of the…
Having adopted children myself and being in the adoption field for so many years, I have often come across people who have asked me how a mother could “give up her child” for adoption. I always cringe a little when I hear those words. I think it is all the things associated with the word “giving up”. The technical definition…
Twinsters is a touching and truly amazing documentary about adoption. This is a raw story that will tug at your heartstrings, and make you think about what it means to be family. In February 2013, Anaïs, a French fashion student living in London, stumbled upon a YouTube video featuring Samantha, an actress in Los Angeles, and was struck by their…
Because we work in adoption, the Gift of Life staff has spent many hours in hospital lobbies. Whether we are waiting for a birth mother to deliver, signing paperwork with an adoptive couple, or just dropping off Holiday goodies to the nursing staff, we have walked through the doors of dozens of hospitals all through out the state of Florida.…
Over 30 years ago, Ginger West was a foster mother who had cared for over 200 children in her home over the years. Ginger and a small group of foster parents saw a tremendous need in the Citrus County community to strengthen the family unit and to keep children from going into foster care. This group created a corporation called…
Being a Florida adoption agency, Gift of Life is use to seeing sea creatures everywhere. We’ve got alligators in nearly every body of water. We can often catch a glimpse of dolphin fins while going over the Courtney Campbell Causeway in Clearwater. We even named an entire county after manatees. But recently, some of our caseworkers spotted some sea creatures…