Tips for birthmothers:
- When choosing open adoption, remember that it is a privilege.
- Set boundaries & respect when the family also sets their boundaries
- Open adoption is not co-parenting
- When addressed as a birthmom, be proud of yourself. It means that people recognize and respect your choice.
- Interview at least four reputable adoption agencies, attorneys and/or facilitators and find the right match
- Know your boundaries but remain flexible & open-minded
- Be honest & open with birth families & be yourself
- Be proactive: tell everyone you know that you are trying to adopt & get yourselves out there
- Remember that adoption is not an "if," it's a "when."
- Be mindful of your birth family's feelings and respect them.
- Children cannot have enough people to love them.
On Sunday, October 4, 2009, the second annual Wine & Wishes benefit will be held at the St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco from 4-6 p.m. and is limited to 200 people. At this fundraiser, sponsors, donors, adoptive families and birthmothers get together to celebrate these incredible women and hear how OYFF is helping. Guests will hear from the founding board members and from birthmothers who are involved and receiving support. It is our goal to raise as much money as possible so that our foundation can continue to prosper and help those who need and deserve it.
Website: http://www.onyourfeetca.org
Featured in this segment:
About Rosangela Braganca:
Rosangela Braganca is a Postpartum Doula/Baby Nurse by profession. Prior to this, she worked as a professional nanny for over ten years. For the On Your Feet Foundation, she leads many activities related to birthmother outreach, which benefit from her personal experiences and empathies as a birthmother who placed her child for adoption in 1999. Rosangela has significant other volunteer experience, primarily in childcare and for agencies providing services for homeless people.
About her work for the On Your Feet Foundation, Rosangela said, "After I placed Isabella for adoption, I realized that there was no organization, group support or association addressed to birthmoms only. I felt I didn't belong to any place until the On Your Feet Foundation found me. This organization is my passion. Here, I am able to educate people about adoption. I celebrate birthmoms, giving them the respect that they deserve, and I also help them to find their way for a better future."
About Erin Farber:
A native Californian, Erin was born in San Francisco and raised in Marin County. Erin taught in the classroom for a number of years. She married her husband Todd in 2000, and adopted her children Ryan (2004) and Samantha (2007).
Erin continues to work with children in her community, volunteers at her local elementary schools, and has recently focused her educational goals on the subject of Dyslexia. She is currently finishing her certification process to become a Certified Dyslexia Specialist.
The open adoptions of her children inspired Erin to make a difference in the lives of birth mothers. She believes they are truly "angels on earth" for families looking to grow their families through adoption. She volunteers for the Northern California chapter of the On Your Feet Foundation, and is serving as Co-Chair of the organization's second annual Wine & Wishes Celebration.
Erin enjoys reading, hiking, yoga and interior decorating. Her favorite pastime is being with friends and family.
She resides in Marin County with her husband and two children.
