Children First Foundation Celebrates
National Adoption Day in Connecticut (11/15/08)
To help celebrate National Adoption Day, which falls on November 15th this year, the Children First Foundation (CFF) invited over 50 pro-life and pro-adoption leaders to its “2008 Choose Life Award Breakfast & Conference” which was held on November 13th in the beautiful Gardens Room of the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Cromwell, Connecticut. CFF’s Guests of Honor traveled from all over Connecticut – and even as far away as Mississippi and New York -- to help the Children First Foundation celebrate and promote adoption as a loving and courageous choice for an unintended pregnancy as well as a life-saving option for an unwanted newborn.
Before offering the event’s Opening Prayer, Fr. Douglas Mosey, Rector of Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Cromwell, quoted Denver’s Archbishop Chaput who recently stated that “[s]ociety has an obligation – and Christians have a Gospel duty – to provide adequate and compassionate support for unwed and abandoned mothers; women facing unintended pregnancies; and women struggling with the aftermath of an abortion. It’s not enough to talk about ‘pro-life politics.’ The label ‘pro-life’ demands that we work to ensure social policies that will protect young women and families, and help them generously in their need.”
During the breakfast, a very moving 15-minute video entitled “Consider the Possibilities” was shown. The video was produced by the National Council for Adoption and features Elizabeth Muto, Miss Nevada 2004-2005, who was abandoned as a newborn and lovingly adopted 13 days later. The video also interviews a birthmother, a birthfather, an adoptive couple, and an adoption counselor who lovingly explain the benefits of the adoption option for an unplanned pregnancy from their own personal perspective and real life experience.
Assisted by Bill O’Brien, President of Connecticut Right to Life, Sister Suzanne Gross, the Pro-Life Program Coordinator in the Archdiocese of Hartford, Msgr. Ernest Esposito, Director of the Respect Life Ministry in the Diocese of Bridgeport and Ms. Susan Williams, the Director of the Office of Family Life in the Diocese of Norwich, CFF’s President, Dr. Elizabeth Rex, then recognized and thanked -- first and foremost -- the many dedicated directors, staff and volunteers of Connecticut’s 33 pregnancy resource centers and maternity homes who were invited to attend CFF’s event as special Guests of Honor.
Also honored were three outstanding individuals who have demonstrated exceptional leadership in promoting adoption. Marek Kulkulka, the Executive Director of Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Norwich and Deacon David Reynolds, the Legislative Liaison of the Connecticut Catholic Conference, received CFF’s 2008 Distinguished Service Awards; and Terri Herring, Founder of Choose Life Mississippi, was honored with CFF’s 2008 Choose Life Award for sponsoring the legislation that established the Mississippi Choose Life License Plate that since 2002 has raised nearly $1.5 million dollars for Mississippi’s 35 pregnancy resource centers and maternity homes that help women choose life and consider adoption for an unplanned pregnancy.
Following the Award Breakfast, Dr. Rex introduced Tim Jaccard, President and Founder of the National Safe Haven Alliance and Ms. Nancy Dykstra-Powers, Director of Bethany Christian Services in New York and New Jersey, who explained the importance of Connecticut’s Safe Haven Law and how it provides desperate women with the life-saving assistance they may need in order to make an adoption plan for an unwanted pregnancy or safely and anonymously relinquish an unwanted newborn in the State of Connecticut. In Tim Jaccard’s own words, the purpose of Connecticut’s Safe Haven Law is to help stop infant abandonment so that “not one single baby is ever thrown in a garbage pail again.”
Dr. Rex presented CFF’s new 30-second public service announcement to help promote CFF’s “Choose Life” License Plate and “License to Live” Campaign to help increase public awareness regarding CFF’s efforts to promote and support its adoption and safe haven efforts in Connecticut. Pastor Eugene Young of Gateway’s Christian Fellowship in West Haven offered the Closing Prayer on behalf of these important, life-saving efforts.
Since 2001, The Children First Foundation has granted over $68,000 to Pregnancy Centers, Maternity Homes and Safe Haven efforts throughout the Tri-State Area to help promote and support Adoption as a positive choice for unwanted pregnancies and unwanted newborns.
