Happy Birthday Elisheva! 18 years old! I am so glad you are:

Darling
Outgoing
Winsome
Nice
Social
Young
Naive
Delightful
Radiant
Optimistic
Marvelous
Earnest
D.o.w.n. S.y.n.d.r.o.m.e.

Read more about Michele and Chuck Fried’s three daughters who have Down Syndrome.

Read More about Special Needs Adoption: Michele Fried on the Open House and Elly’s Angels, Special Needs Adoption with Shining STAR, In the News: Your Perfect Child, A Family’s Special Needs Adoption Journey, Adopting a Child with Special Needs, Adopting a child with Special Needs Part 2

Michele Fried on Adoption STAR’s Open House and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

CEO and Founder of Adoption STAR, Michele Fried expresses her gratitude and appreciation for Adoption STAR’s Open House and Ribbon Cutting ceremony. The event happened last night 3/13/13 and was very well attended. To view the pictures taken at last night’s Open House please click here.

How do I express how special yesterday was? The Adoption STAR Open House & Ribbon Cutting of our main office has been a work in progress for several months. Under the capable hands of our Development Associate, Kristin Leiby and her team of volunteers, they prepared a day to remember.

Michael Hill, Associate Director put together the Ribbon Cutting ceremony and agenda and though I was privy to the schedule, there were built in surprises placed on the schedule that I did not know about!

One of the first was the words from the Honorable Alec Deull, an Adoption STAR board member and retired family court Judge who so eloquently shared that in his years as an attorney and magistrate, he had never met an organization like Adoption STAR who genuinely puts children and families first.

Elly’s Angels a foundation created in memory of Elly Kausner was a recipient of a thank you award yesterday, for their financial generosity and volunteerism with Adoption STAR. The award was presented to Laura Voight, Elly’s sister. However, we were honored and surprised when Mr. Kausner, father of Laura Voigt and Elly Kausner spoke thanking Adoption STAR for the work we do in placing children with special needs in honor of his daughter’s memory.

Another special surprise was when Melissa Luckey, an Adoption STAR mommy, spoke on behalf of the Rochester Adoption STAR families and presented me with a beautiful bracelet (made especially for me!) I was and am so very touched and will be wearing that bracelet often.

The final surprise for me was that the employees of Adoption STAR got together and purchased a leaf on our Family Tree in my honor as their Guiding Star. Their words, their gesture and this beautiful leaf will always mean so much to me.

From Amherst Town Councilmember Steven Sander’s words thanking Adoption STAR for touching his extended family and the community at large to The Amherst Chamber’s presence with their giant scissors and ribbon cutting and generous welcome, to the private conversations and hugs that occurred throughout the event, I can’t thank you all enough for making this day so special.

Our entire staff was also touched by the attendance of two special STAR families who experienced losses in 2012 when their daughters unexpectedly passed away. Adoption STAR grieved alongside those families and was able to honor their children’s memories by unveiling special leaves on our tree and providing gifts to those little girls’ siblings. Experiences like these make as realize that we are so much more than an adoption agency. We truly strive and have become a member of the family. Our Family Tree represents this trust, love and hope for the future.

If you weren’t able to join us, and especially if you haven’t yet been to our completely renovated main office, please stop by to see us. You will be amazed at the changes, our growth and the warmth that you find. Even if you are geographically distant, I still encourage you to look at your calendar and compare it with our agency calendar and select a time to visit us that will maybe coincide with an event that you can participate in!

Thank you for being apart of our Family Tree and for supporting Adoption STAR in our work!

“I think you will all agree that our roots are firmly planted here… in Amherst. And that our branches have blossomed and have touched many lives . . . I am confident that our branches will continue to blossom and grow and touch many more lives.”

~Michele Fried, Adoption STAR Founder & CEO
At the Open House and Ribbon Cutting, March 13, 2013

To view the pictures taken at last night’s Open House please click here or go to http://suereardon.zenfolio.com/adoptionstarribboncutting

Read More on What is Happening at Adoption STAR: Our Calendar of Events for 2013, Our Grand Opening!, Spring Fling and Egg Hunt, Seeking Parenthood: Coping with Infertility, Have you ever thought about International Adoption?

Bulgarian Boy in Need of a Forever Family

Billy is waiting for his family…and now has a $3,000 grant towards the cost of his adoption.

Bulgaria sounds so far away. But for Adoption STAR it’s a country that feels close at heart. So many Bulgarian children are waiting for permanent, loving homes, and we are committed to helping make this happen!

Billy has just turned 5 years old and since he was 10 days old he has lived in one of Bulgaria’s northernmost orphanages, bordering Romania.

Since birth, Billy has had decreased muscle tone and flexibility. He was eventually diagnosed with congenital hydrocephalus for which he has had surgery, cerebral palsy, convergent concomitant strabismus and developmental delay.

Despite the labels, this little one is determined. He delights in walking with his hands held by adults, and shares smiles and belly laughs with those who entertain him.

Billy receives physical therapy and gets stronger through his efforts to explore the world around him. Inquisitive in nature he seems to crave interaction with others and initiates contact with other children and adults that he lives and plays with.

He tries to be independent in any skills he can master, including feeding himself and demonstrating persistence in tasks he is given.
We are so impressed by his ambitious and interactive nature.

At about 40 inches tall, this peanut is a large present in a small package. We hope that he soon joins his family and we can watch him grow and change before our very eyes!

This engaging little boy is waiting for a permanent family who can accept his current delays and diagnoses and provide him with a nurturing, accepting, and stimulating environment to help him reach his full potential. Adoption STAR has more detailed medical and growth information, including photos and video on Billy that we can review with a prospective family.

We know the perfect family for Billy is out there waiting for him too!

We hope that the $3,000 grant, made possible by Elly’s Angel’s donation to Adoption STAR we will soon join Billy with his family!

With questions about Billy or the International Adoption Process e-mail megan@adoptionstar.com.

Read More on International Adoption: Adopting from Bulgaria, The Changing Face of International Adoption, An Introduction to International Adoption, About Bulgaria PDF, International Adoption Statistics, FAQ’s on International Adoption

Elly’s Angels

In 2009, the Western New York community suffered a devastating event: the crash of Continental Flight 3407: 50 lives were lost and our entire community still grieves with those families. It’s remarkable how the families came together to demand government-enforced reforms for airline safety and to also find special ways to remember these loved ones and memorialize their lives.

Laura Voigt, sister of the late Elly Kausner, approached Adoption STAR about remembering her dear sister. Elly was a 24-year old second year law student who was interested in adoption law and was devoted to her young niece and nephews. Elly’s family established Elly’s Angels Foundation to support the Ellyce Kausner Memorial Scholarship at Clarence High School and Adoption STAR’s special needs adoptions.

Cheerleaders from Sub Zero All Star Cheer Teams, including the Sub Zero Flurries (WNY’s only special needs cheerleading squad) are at the heart of the Foundation’s efforts. We are honored that Elly’s family sought out Adoption STAR and that our special needs adoptions have a special angel.

Children with special needs who benefit from future generous donations from this foundation will be known as Elly’s Angels. These Angels will be placed in a home where they can achieve their highest potential, receive all of the care and love that they deserve, and be provided with unique opportunities.