Donor Drive

November is National Adoption Month and on November 15, 2011, betweem 7 and 8 pm, the New York Council On Adoptable Children will be conducting a telephone drive to raise awareness and funds to ensure the sustainability of its adoptive and family support programs. These programs, which have received government funding for many years, have suffered funding cuts already and they are still at risk of further cuts. Please take a moment to show your support for COAC and make your gift online today.  

The 31st Annual APC Adoption Conference 11/20/11

This conference is for those who are considering adoption as a way to build their family, those who have already adopted and for professionals and advocates involved in the adoption and foster care fields. SUNDAY 11-20-11 at St. Francis College in Brooklyn. Click here for more information.

Television Extravaganza 11/19/11

Mark your calendars this Saturday to enjoy a spectacular night of celebrities and entertainers and of course the real stars, our foster children during “The Stars Are Out Tonight…for the Kids” television event.

The 3-hour television event will be jammed packed with all types of fun and surprises. Celebrities scheduled to appear are: incredible singing sensation, Lys Agnes; nationally acclaimed rock/reggae performance artist, Michael Franti; 11 year old singing sensation, Anna Graceman; one-of-a-kind child stage performers-fresh from America’s Got Talent, the Silhouettes.

Tune in November 19th (the Saturday before Thanksgiving) from 8pm-11pm EST. This nationally televised event will be carried live by DISCOVERY – Fit and Health Channel (check your local listings), on DISH network (ch. 457 & 471), and on DIRECTV (ch. 261). The event will also be streamed live at www.xfinity.com.

The New York Council on Adoptable Children is working with The Adoption Exchange. The New York Council on Adoptable serves children and families in the New York City, Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester Counties.

The Adoption Exchange (www.adoptex.org) impacts national trends in child welfare, while helping to connect children with adoptive families in eight member states. It also provides training and knowledge to permanency planning professionals and foster and adoptive families and serves all fifty states and U.S. tribes and territories.  For more information about the programs and services of The Adoption Exchange, go to www.adoptex.org or call 1-800-451-5246.

Holiday Party

 What could be better than a holiday party with Christmas music, delicious food, refreshments, gifts for all, and the whole family present?  How about a holiday party with nineteen families present!  The Family Circle of Support (FCOS) and Kinship Connection (KC) worked hard and came together so the clients could celebrate the holidays at

St. Jean the Baptist Church. 

The children made Christmas cards at the activities table with Beatriz, and Mrs. Claus read them The Night Before Christmas.  Dinner included some of the comfort foods that our clients would find on their own dinner table including: roast pork and chicken, rice and beans, homemade ziti, and homemade cupcakes. Village 38 provided the Macaroni and Cheese the adults loved, Pepsi Cola relieved us with the refreshments, and McDonald’s put a smile on every child’s face with a donation of 100 happy meals. 

The icing on the cake was the look on the children’s faces when they opened their presents.  Whether naughty or nice, Hispanic Federation and Toys for Tots made sure every child received something special.  And the Express Design Studio had Santa’s personal wish list.  They made every child’s dream come true this year.  Absolutely none of the holiday festivities would be possible without the generosity of Conde-Nast.  Every year they traditionally play the role of benefactor and saint; and they certainly came through to make this a Christmas to remember for clients and staff alike.

Thanks to everyone who helped make this holiday special.

Borough Based Post-Adoption Resource Directory for Families and Children

The fruit of many months of collaborative research on the part of COAC and ACS adoption staff, the ACS DivIsion of Famliy Permanency's Community Based Resources For Families and Children is now available in borough-specific volumes, as well as in the original city-wide volume. The resource directory was originally conceived by the COAC and ACS post-adoption services programs as a means to provide information to adoptive families on available services in the five boroughs of New York City. However, the information contained in the resource book is in no way limited to post-adoption services: the book is a comprehensive guide to services of interest to all families and children. 

The colorful and attractive layout of the directory features a clear, concise, large-print summary of each service provider's program including location, phone and primary contact person, hours of operation, languages spoken, geographic area served, target population, handicap access, fees, and a description of services, as well as other helpful details. The directory's sections are clearly divided by type of service - legal, social services, recreation, medical and mental health, educational, special needs resources, and resources for the uninsured, as well as a comprehensive Appendix arranged by detailed topic areas.

Stop in to the COAC office and help yourself to this useful and very "user-friendly" guide, which is free of charge!

Free Resource Library at COAC

...and while we're talking about free publications, COAC now boasts a free resource library on the office premises. All of COAC's publications and program brochures as well   as a variety of other materials of interest to the families and children served by the agency can now be easily obtained from our free family resource library on the agency premises. All visitors to COAC are welcome to browse the shelves and help themselves to one of each of the items in the library.