Family Builders by Adoption

02/11/2021

9-year-old adopted after 7 years in foster care

https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/family/story/year-adopted-years-waiting-foster-care-75786494

Elijah Mays was adopted in January by Mandi and Jon Mays of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

02/02/2021

Amplify Black Stories | Penguin Random House

Join Penguin Random House as they #AmplifyBlackStories all year long! Celebrate Black authors, leaders, creators, and more who have forged a path for themselves and others. Share the Black stories you love and discover books that can transform your world.

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/shop/amplify-black-stories?ref=PRHA391F0F28E7E&linkid=PRHA391F0F28E7E&cdi=576F846E9007F8B7E0534FD66B0A803C&template_id=19795&aid=randohouseinc23956-20

Celebrate Black authors, leaders, and creators who have forged a path for themselves and others. Share the Black stories you love!

02/02/2021

PBS Recognizes the Many Contributions of African Americans This Black History Month & All Year Long

PBS has released new programming in honor of Black History Month to commemorate and celebrate African American achievement. Through powerful documentaries and thought-provoking specials designed to inspire and represent the full range of the American experience, PBS will be showcasing Black excellence, struggles and triumphs this February and all year long.

Check out some of their programming below!

https://www.pbs.org/about/about-pbs/blogs/news/pbs-recognizes-the-many-contributions-of-african-americans-this-black-history-month-all-year-long/

Featured programming includes new documentaries from Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and INDEPENDENT LENS, as well as offerings from PBS Digital Studios.

02/01/2021

Black History Month 2021: Virtual events, performances and more ways to celebrate in the Bay Area

February is Black History Month - an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. We have seen immense growth in the awareness and development of the Black Lives Matter movement over the past year, which arose through massive and widespread protests and civilian acts of resistance and solidarity, even as COVID-19 raged around the world.

This year’s Black History Month has more gravity and significance than ever, and is a time for all of us to look inward, asking what each of us can do to better confront racism and inequality.

There are many ways to celebrate Black History Month! Check out how some Bay Area organizations and arts institutions plan to celebrate Black History Month this year, and how you can participate in celebrating the many important achievements and accomplishments of African Americans throughout history:

https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/guide/black-history-month-2021-virtual-events-performances-and-more-ways-to-celebrate-in-the-bay-area

How Bay Area organizations and arts institutions plan to celebrate Black History Month safely this year.

01/26/2021

Homepage - Family Builders

Family Builders' website is now available in Spanish. To view the website, please visit https://familybuilders.org/es/

El sitio web de Family Builders ahora está disponible en español. Para ver el sitio, visite https://familybuilders.org/es/

Construyendo familias amorosas, cariñosas y permanentes para niños y jóvenes que viven en cuidado de crianza desde 1976.

01/22/2021

Inaugural poet Amanda Gorman delivers a poem at Joe Biden's inauguration

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jp9pyMqnBzk&ab_channel=CNBCTelevision

Inaugural poet Amanda Gorman, the Youth Poet Laureate of 2017, delivers a poem at President Joe Biden's inauguration. For access to live and exclusive video ...

12/23/2020

Family Builders' 2019-2020 Annual Report - https://mailchi.mp/b5fbadba7a83/family-news-family-builders-spring-newsletter-4697530

12/18/2020

Looking for virtual activities for your kids over Winter Break? Sign your kids up for one of the City of Oakland's free virtual winter camps!

To register:
https://cityofoakland.perfectmind.com/23603/Clients/BookMe4BookingPages/BookingCoursesPage?calendarId=c95588e1-5f08-4f42-a59e-67ffdc4c34f5&widgetId=15f6af07-39c5-473e-b053-96653f77a406&embed=False

12/04/2020

Thank you Leslie Silket for helping with our holday drive!

11/30/2020

Tomorrow is #GivingTuesday! Please consider creating a #GivingTuesday fundraiser to support Family Builders! Every donation will help create loving, nurturing, permanent families for children in foster care.

We truly couldn't do this important work without the support of our community!

https://www.facebook.com/fund/FamilyBuilders/

11/23/2020

Parenting Self-Care

PARENTING SELF-CARE: BUILDING RESILIENCE IN DIFFICULT TIMES

Please consider joining Ofosu Born Jones-Quartey at one of his upcoming virtual parenting self-care classes!

This virtual two-part parenting workshop is an opportunity for parents to come together and explore skillful means for meeting the parenting challenges of these times with an open heart, touching upon the intersection of technology, youth mental health, and challenging family dynamics.

Participants will engage in guided practice around self-care, with an emphasis on identifying and cultivating our inner resources and resilience. Special attention will be paid to attending to our own emotions during stressful times, and the impact this has on how we see and engage with our children. Drawing on our community strength, we will explore how the practices of mindfulness and compassion can reduce tension, enhance inner well-being, and strengthen our relationships.

https://imcw.org/Calendar/Event-Calendar/EventId/3891/e/parenting-self-care-1-dec-2020

This virtual two-part parenting workshop is an opportunity for parents to come together and explore skillful means for meeting the parenting challenges of these times with an open heart, touching upon the intersection of technology, youth mental health, and challenging family dynamics.

11/22/2020

Join us tonight at 7:00pm Pacific Time for our Virtual Celebration of Family! Follow the link below to join us at this special event!

https://app.mobilecause.com/e/N5mRPQ?vid=butjv

Text FBBA to 41444 to RSVP for Family Builders' virtual Celebration of Family!!!

Please join us virtually on November 21st at 7:00 pm PT at our annual Celebration of Family! The event will feature guest speakers and special performances by Beautiful Chorus and Born I.
Reserve your tickets by texting FBBA to 41444, or by clicking the link below!
https://app.mobilecause.com/e/N5mRPQ?vid=cjmb0

11/15/2020

Don't forget to RSVP for next Saturday's virtual fundraising event! Our annual Celebration of Family will feature some of our amazing families... as well as special performances by Beautiful Chorus and Born I.

Registration is FREE! RSVP today to join us at this special event!

Text FBBA to 41444 to RSVP for Family Builders' virtual Celebration of Family!!!

Please join us virtually on November 21st at 7:00 pm PT at our annual Celebration of Family! The event will feature guest speakers and special performances by Beautiful Chorus and Born I.
Reserve your tickets by texting FBBA to 41444, or by clicking the link below!
https://app.mobilecause.com/e/N5mRPQ?vid=cjmb0

11/14/2020

Single Father Adopts Five Kids After Growing Up in Foster Care

https://spectrumnews1.com/oh/columbus/news/2020/11/12/single-father-adopts-five-kids-after-growing-up-in-foster-care

He made headlines for adopting five brothers and sisters.

11/09/2020

Foster Youth Holiday Gift Wishlist

Help us bring joy to a child in foster care and make them feel special this holiday season by purchasing a gift on a child's holiday wish list! We are also collecting grocery, Visa, and Amazon gift cards for older youth in foster care and youth who recently aged out of foster care. Please click on the link below to participate. All donations are tax-deductible.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050944A4AE2EA6F58-foster

Please help a child in foster care feel special this holiday season by purchasing the item on their Christmas list! We are also collecting grocery, Target, and Amazon gift cards for older youth in foster care and youth who recently aged out of foster care. Gifts should be unwrapped or in a gift bag...

11/06/2020

Text FBBA to 41444 to RSVP for Family Builders' virtual Celebration of Family!!!

Please join us virtually on November 21st at 7:00 pm PT at our annual Celebration of Family! The event will feature guest speakers and special performances by Beautiful Chorus and Born I.
Reserve your tickets by texting FBBA to 41444, or by clicking the link below!
https://app.mobilecause.com/e/N5mRPQ?vid=cjmb0

10/23/2020

Please join us virtually on November 21st at 7:00 pm PT at our annual Celebration of Family! The event will feature guest speakers and special performances by Beautiful Chorus and Born I.

Reserve your tickets by texting FBBA to 41444, or by clicking the link below!

https://app.mobilecause.com/e/N5mRPQ?vid=cjmb0

10/23/2020

OREO Proud Parent

Thanks you to all the #proudparents everywhere.

https://youtu.be/EpfLklSG2dQ #proudparent #LGBTQ #LGBTQHistoryMonth

A loving world, starts with a loving home. ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜 Learn about our #ProudParent partnership with PFLAG National to create a more loving world at OREOProudPar...

10/16/2020

Register today to reserve your place at Family Builders' virtual Celebration of Family! Please join us at this event to honor the many amazing families who have changed the lives of children in foster care, and to raise money to create more loving, nurturing permanent families for children and youth in foster care.

Register or make your gift today!

igfn.us/e/N5mRPQ

09/28/2020

Bridge Bank | Bay Area Business Bank | Banking and Lending

We are honored to have the continued support of Dale Marie Golden MacDonald and Bridge Bank! Thank you for making a difference in the life of so many children in foster care!

https://www.westernalliancebancorporation.com/bridge-bank-home

09/28/2020

Older youth in foster care age out of the system when no legal permanent connection (such as being reunited with their birth family, adopted, or placed under the care of a legal guardian) is available to them by the time they reach the age of majority. Older youth who age out of foster care experience an increased risk for homelessness, young parenthood, low educational attainment, high unemployment rates, and other adverse adult outcomes.

Find out more about how you can help us create the permanent, secure relationships older youth need to successfully transition to adulthood. Give us a call at (510)536-5437 or visit www.familybuilders.org for more information.

09/28/2020

Home - Durie Tangri

Thanks to our newest Celebration of Family Gold Sponsor @durietangri! We look forward to working with you to create more loving, caring families for children in foster care!

If you're interested in learning about sponsorship opportunities with Family Builders, send us an email at [email protected].
https://durietangri.com/

09/13/2020

Happy Grandparents Day!

"Between the earth and the sky above...
nothing can match a grandparent's love."

Happy Grandparents Day from Family Builders!

Please consider making a donation to help give a child in foster care the gift of a grandparent’s unconditional love.

09/08/2020

Young boy's dream comes true when he's adopted by local family

https://www.wsmv.com/news/davidson_county/young-boys-dream-comes-true-when-hes-adopted-by-local-family/article_36337be0-ebbc-11ea-a3be-f7e734c7e172.html

A local family is talking about the impact adoption has had on their son.

08/28/2020

Family Builders Stories

Meet a few of our amazing Family Builders families!

Thanks to our partner FITNESS SF for putting this video together.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOIByHAZmQk

Learn about Family Builders by Adoption, and hear stories from families who adopted through foster care with Family Builders.

08/28/2020

Terri Brauher, Realtor - Century 21 Homefinders of Hawaii

Thank you to our first Celebration of Family event sponsor, Terri Brauher, Realtor - Century 21 Homefinders of Hawaii!

If you would like to learn about partnership opportunities for Family Builders' virtual Celebration of Family, please email [email protected]!

https://www.facebook.com/terribrauherrealtor/

Real Estate Agent

08/28/2020

On Saturday, November 21, we will gather virtually to celebrate 44 years of creating loving, nurturing, permanent families for children and youth in foster care. Stay tuned for more information about registration and other ways to get involved in this special event.

To learn about partnership opportunities for this event, contact [email protected].

08/19/2020

New Ways and Means Report Finds HHS Allowed Federal Dollars to Be Spent on LGBTQ and Religious Discrimination in the Foster Care System

There is no place for religious or LGBTQ discrimination in our foster care system. Children in foster care deserve to be matched with loving, caring parents.

As we await the Fulton v. City of Philadelphia case coming before the Supreme Court this fall, the Ways and Means Committee has issued its report into the investigation of “The Trump Administration’s Waiver of Foster Care Nondiscrimination Requirements” in South Carolina. During the investigation, Chairmen Davis and Lewis requested testimony from foster youth and several health, child welfare, and LGBTQ organizations on the impact of the waiver HHS issued to South Carolina faith-based organizations allowing them to turn away qualified foster and adoptive families on the basis of religious beliefs.

The report found that:

-HHS granted a waiver to South Carolina that was improper and unprecedented.

-The waiver violates the statutory mandate to act in the best interests of the child.

-The waiver disproportionately harms LGBTQ foster youth.

-Protections against discrimination are in the best interest of foster children.

-The waiver set a precedent for discrimination and harm to individuals outside South Carolina.

https://waysandmeans.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/new-ways-and-means-report-finds-hhs-allowed-federal-dollars-be-spent

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, House Ways and Means Committee Democratic staff released a new report that finds the Trump Administration deliberately caused the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to fail its mandate to act in the best interest of abused and neglected children. In January ...

06/29/2020

Celebrate PRIDE by supporting LGBTQ youth in foster care! Every child deserves a PROUD parent! Text PROUDPARENT to 77948 to donate!

It’s hard not celebrating PRIDE as usual this year… but you CAN celebrate by making a donation to Family Builders and changing the life of an LGBT youth in foster care.

Brunch, cocktails, your rainbow gear… donate what you would have spent on PRIDE this year and change a life forever!

Text PROUDPARENT to 77948 to make a donation!

#PRIDE #SFPRIDE #FosterHopeAdoptLove #LGBTQ #LGBTQYOUTH #PROUDPARENTS #YouthAcceptanceProject

06/27/2020

It’s hard not celebrating PRIDE as usual this year… but you CAN celebrate by making a donation to Family Builders and changing the life of an LGBT youth in foster care.

Brunch, cocktails, your rainbow gear… donate what you would have spent on PRIDE this year and change a life forever!

Text PROUDPARENT to 77948 to make a donation!

#PRIDE #SFPRIDE #FosterHopeAdoptLove #LGBTQ #LGBTQYOUTH #PROUDPARENTS #YouthAcceptanceProject

06/21/2020

Thank you to all the nurturing, loving, supportive, and devoted dads out there.

Happy #FathersDay from Family Builders!

#FosterHopeAdoptLove

06/19/2020

#Juneteenth (June Nineteenth) is the oldest known nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. Juneteenth marks the day that the last enslaved people in Galveston, Texas learned of their freedom in 1865. Celebrating Juneteenth is a step towards recognizing the full scope of American history and the unfinished work of advancing racial and social justice.

How will you celebrate #Juneteenth?

06/15/2020

Supreme Court Delivers Major Victory To LGBTQ Employees

Family Builders is happy to see the Supreme Court affirm workplace protections for the LGBTQ community!

https://www.npr.org/2020/06/15/863498848/supreme-court-delivers-major-victory-to-lgbtq-employees

The Supreme Court says the federal ban on discrimination "based on sex" also applies to gay, lesbian, and transgender employees.

06/10/2020

It's never too early to talk with your child about race.

Below are some helpful resources to help support children in understanding race, racism and resistance, as well as helpful resources for adults.

RESOURCES TO HELP SUPPORT CHILDREN IN UNDERSTANDING RACE, RACISM AND RESISTANCE

1) Something Happened in Our Town ( https://www.apa.org/pubs/magination/441B228)
2) When I was Eight (https://socialjusticebooks.org/when-i-was-eight/)
3) Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History ( https://www.vashtiharrison.com/little-leaders)
4) Ruth and the Green Book ( https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/299104/the-day-you-begin-by-jacqueline-woodson-illustrated-by-rafael-lopez/)
5) The Day You Begin (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/299104/the-day-you-begin-by-jacqueline-woodson-illustrated-by-rafael-lopez/)
6) Childrens books about Race & Racisim (https://www.buzzfeed.com/mikespohr/childrens-books-about-race-and-racism)
7) Aha! Parenting Blog: Talking With Children About Racism, Police Brutality and Protests (https://www.ahaparenting.com/blog/talking-with-children-about-racism-police-brutality-and-protests)
8) Common Sense Media: Books that Promote Diversity & Inclusion (https://www.commonsensemedia.org/lists/books-that-promote-diversity-and-inclusion)

ADULT RESOURCES TO READ:

1) How to be an Antiracist (https://www.ibramxkendi.com/how-to-be-an-antiracist-1)
2) The New Jim Crow (https://newjimcrow.com/)
3) Raising Our Hands: How White Women Can Stop Avoiding Hard Conversations, Start Accepting Responsibility, and Find Our Place on the New Frontlines (https://www.jennaarnold.com/book)
4) I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness (http://austinchanning.com/the-book)
5) Between the World and Me (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/220290/between-the-world-and-me-by-ta-nehisi-coates/)
6) Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower (https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250112576)
7) White Fragility (https://robindiangelo.com/publications/) Angelo (https://robindiangelo.com/publications/)
8) Hood Feminism (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/586743/hood-feminism-by-mikki-kendall/)
9) When They Call You a Terrorist. A Black Lives Matter Memoir (https://patrissecullors.com/call-terrorist-black-lives-matter-memoir/)
10) The Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color (https://www.sunypress.edu/p-6102-this-bridge-called-my-back-four.aspx)
11) The Bluest Eye (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/117662/the-bluest-eye-by-toni-morrison/)
12) So You Want to Talk About Race (http://www.ijeomaoluo.com/)
13) Invisible No More: Polics Violence Against Black Women and Women of Color (http://invisiblenomorebook.com/)
14) Me and White Supremacy (https://www.meandwhitesupremacybook.com/)
15) The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (http://rebeccaskloot.com/the-immortal-life/)
16) Dear White America: Letter to a New Minority (http://www.citylights.com/book/?GCOI=87286100613520)
17) Raising White Kids: Bringing Up Children in a Racially Unjust America (https://www.abingdonpress.com/raisingwhitekids/)