I have the opportunity to have lunch with a few people this week at a luncheon put on by Disability Advocates of Kent County and Faith in Motion. Congressman Vern Ehlers spoke at the even along with a number of state representatives. I found the event to be somewhat dull and unexciting. Even though I love supporting public transit options this even seemed to be more like a social networking political move than anything. Nobody seemed to really enjoy being their unless they wanted to meet someone and pitch an idea.
None-the-less I had the opportunity to sit at a table with Nancy Marshall [Director of Kent County DHS], Representative Tom Pearce [House District 73, Rockford], Gordie Moeller [Food Security Fund], and Mayor James Buck [Grandville].
A collective of young innovative designers in Boston are working in a 4,400 sq ft design studio in Somerville MA, from fashion design, brand development, graphic design, letterpress printing, industrial design, architecture, photography, videography, bike framing, artist and photography studios and more!
I was quite intrigued by this wonderful hodgepodge of young people, check out some of their stuff!
I have been reflecting on adoption the last few weeks. It seems that so many people talk about adoption but never actually participate in it. There are two groups of people that I have found who talk about adoption. First are the group of people that think it is a noble idea especially in the light of overpopulation, and second are the people that hate abortion so much that they hope people would but their babies up for adoption instead. Now, I also hate the idea of abortion but with adoption as one of the only outlets I do not agree that we can easily rule it out. Here are some statistics that formed this dichotomy.
Adoption remains rare in the United States. Among all women aged 18–44 in 2002, only 1.1% had adopted a child and 1.6% were currently seeking to adopt. [1]
Relinquishment of infants at birth is extremely rare. Only 1% of children born in the United States in 1996–2002 to women 18–44 years of age as of 2002 were relinquished for adoption within their first month of life [1]
The Administration for Children and Families estimated that 748,000 were in the public foster care system in 2008 and only 55, 000 children were adopted in that same year. Children waiting to be adopted were 42% Black, 13% Hispanic, 36% White, and 9% other. [2]
Because the characteristics of children that women and couples seek to adopt, as shown in this report, may not correspond to the characteristics of children in the foster care system, women and couples may seek children from outside the foster care system to adopt. [2]
Every fall in Big Rapids Michigan the Waldron family comes together to make apple cider from the apples between their fields and orchards in and around town. I have been privileged enough to be invited to this wonderful event for the past three years. This is a memoir of making apple cider with the Waldrons.
