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www.FredParent.NET 9 Pouches' Adoptive parents in Fredericksburg now have a new partner on their journey to a healthy family. In 2016, Children's Home Society was awarded a $125,000 grant from the Virginia Department of Social Services to extend their Richmond area post-adoptive services to the Fredericksburg area. said Sara Buckheit, Program Manager for the Children's Home Society (CHS) Post- Adoption program. "Many of our participants suffer from ADHD and more than one-third suffer from depres- sion or anxiety; all have experienced significant loss. Those being adopted from foster care have most often experienced abuse or neglect," added Bruin Richardson, Chief Development Officer for CHS. Now CHS is looking to find adoptive families in the area who need support before they hit a crisis point. "It doesn't matter which agency they adopted from, or when that hap- pened," said Buckheit. "We want to offer a lifetime of support to adoptive families in the Fredericksburg area, especially those who haven't been aware of our services in the past." While CHS offers serious support from social workers qualified in trauma and attachment issues, they also offer fun. Adopted children can participate in the CHS Kid's Club, run by Amy Waldbillig, LCSW, Ph.D., CHS post-adoption social worker for Fredericksburg. The Kid's Club offers eight opportunities each year for adoptees to get together with each other and enjoy an enriching experience while their parents get a respite day. community corner WRITTEN BY LEIGH ANNE VAN DOREN corner The next respite day is Tuesday, November 7, Election Day. Local pot- ter Betsy Curtiss will be teaching a clay creation activity for the children at the quirky and fun LibertyTown Arts Workshop. Many adopted children have experienced a lifetime of trauma, loss and sadness. If you know an adoptive family in the area, refer them to amyw@chsva.org sooner rather than later. "The sooner we can get into the family, the better. There is a six-month waiting period to be adopted, and without significant help and intervention, many child-family matches don't make it through the six-month waiting period," says Buckheit. CHS PROGRAMS 1. CHS handles infant adoption, these are usually medically challenged, at-risk infants. 2. Foster care adoption, with a focus on teenagers and the hardest to place children. 3. Possibilities Project —programs to help the foster children who age out at 18 without being adopted, such as housing, life skills, medicine. 4. Post-Adoption program CHS POST-ADOPTION PROGRAM OFFERS: Parent Coaching, especially how to deal with the special needs of pre-adoptive and adoptive children. Parent coaches can attend IEP meetings and help with special medical needs. Family Support Services, including resources, referrals, education on trauma, attachment, the adoption process, and the key players in the process, online and in-person networking, and advocacy for the family with service providers. Kid's Club activities Pouches Loves the Children's Home Society Adoption Day is not the happy ending. Instead, it's the beginning of a unique and challenging journey to parent a child back to emotional and physical health," "