SALT LAKE CITY — Hundreds of people from all parts of the country will be gathering on 26 and 27 July 2002 to participate in the annual Families Supporting Adoption (FSA) Conference. FSA, a national organization sponsored by LDS Family Services, will be hosting the conference at Brigham Young University. The theme of this year's conference is "Born in our Hearts." Activities will include workshops on adoption topics, an Adoption Hall of Fame banquet, training for FSA members and a display room with adoption information.
Dozens of workshops will be presented on Saturday, 27 July, covering topics such as the adoption tax credit, infertility and loss, and issues in international adoption. Presentations by panels will include birth parents, birth grandparents and adult adoptees. Tom and Samila Nickells, co-chairs of the FSA National Board, explain: "Whether you are just starting to explore adoption, have previously added to your family through adoption or already participate in FSA, your family will get a lot out of this conference. The workshops topics will have personal relevance — for example, learning how to access the adoption tax credit which now makes adoption feasible for everyone."
This year's Adoption Hall of Fame Award will be presented to Bonneville Communications for its award-winning commercials about adoption. Dale and Jo Ann Trumbo will also be honored. They have adopted 12 children of various ethnicities and have been a positive voice for adoption for over 30 years. Past recipients of this award have included President Thomas S. Monson, first counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and composer Michael McLean, who has written and performed several meaningful songs about adoption.
People interested in attending the conference can register by calling LDS Family Services at 801-240-6052. The cost of the conference is $40 per couple and $30 for individuals, which can be paid in advance or at the door.
FSA was established by LDS Family Services in 1996 and has 55 chapters throughout the United States. The guiding purpose of FSA is to advocate a positive view of adoption and provide support to birth parents, adoptive families and others through outreach, legislation, media and education.
For more information, contact LDS Family Services at 801-240-1711 or sundaysa@ldschurch.org.