August 21, 2010
2010 FCL Annual Family Picnic
July 22, 2010
Dear Families:
The Florence Crittenton League annual picnic will be held Sunday, September 12,2010 from 1-5 PM at the Colonel Connolly Park in Wakefield, Massachusetts. (Rain date is September 19th). We will have a jumpy, and sell sandwiches and treats, and hopefully have face painting again. This is an annual event, and a good chance for families to see each other again. There is also a nice playground on the grounds of the park. Hope to see you there! Directions: from Route 128 take the exit for Wakefield at route 129. The park is close to the exit, on that end of Lake Quannapowit. We will have signs and balloons to guide you.
Our agency has a Holiday party each year, usually in early December. Look at the FCL website, wwww.fcleague.org where the latest news will be posted. The Holiday Party is held at the VFW Hall, Vernon Street, Tewksbury, MA. 978-658-8986. It is located off of Route 38 closes to the Wilmington line.
The field of adoption has undergone many changes. This is a hard time for adoption agencies. The Hague treaty that many countries signed (our agency is Hague-accredited) outlawed child buying, resulting in many countries having to close their programs. China is now a 5-year wait. Russia is very expensive, and it is hard to get a young child, as they now have foster care. The choices for adoption have grown fewer.
The Florence Crittenton League appreciates hearing from families and values the friendships we have. We are happy to refer you to any needed resources for counseling or support as your children grow. I consider it a privilege to get to know families, and we are grateful for these friendships.
All the best,
Ilze Keegan MSW LICSW Executive Director
November 16, 2009
Florence Crittenton League Holiday Party
VFW Hall, 87 Vernon Street, Tewksbury, MA
Tel. 978-658-8986
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13,2009 From 1:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Our annual Holiday Party will be held on Sunday, December 13, 2009 from 1 :00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the VFW Hall in Tewksbury, MA (same location - see directions below).
We will have entertainment, Santa. raffles and food. There will be crafts and music for the children. You do not have to bring a gift for your child. You can bring a raffle item and a food donation (dessert orfinger foods, cheese, fruit, etc.)
Mary Ann Villeneuve has offered to help again. if you want to help with crafts, food or cleanup, please let Mary Ann know (978-851 -6835), or FCL (978) 452-9671).
Directions: Rt. 495 to exit 38- Rt. 38, if going south, take a left onto Rt. 38, if going north, take a right onto Rt. 38 - keep gong until you see the Wilmington line - right before that you will see Vernon Street on your right - take that and the VFW Hall will be about 1/8th of a mile on your right hand side. If you cross the Wilmington line, you passed Vernon Street.
Rt. 93 north - take Dascomb Rd. exit - then take a left at the end of the ramp and then take the first left after the lights onto Shawsheen St., (a strip mall will be on your left) follow all the way down to a full set of lights, Rt. 38 - follow until you see the Wilmington line, right before that you will see Vernon St. on your right - take that and the VFW will be about 1/81h of a mile on your right hand side. if you cross the Wilmington line, you have passed Vernon Street.
The price is $5.00 per person,/child, and children under two are free. If you can, please send a check in advance so we can have an idea of how many people will be attending. Make checks payable to: Florence Crittenton League and mail to: 119 Hall Street, Lowell, MA 01854. Also, you wil be able to pay at the door. Thank you! Look forward to seeing you at the party!
Download Holiday Party Mailer
November 5, 2009
FCL Guest Speaker: Alejandro Munoz Garzon
Has a birthparent search been a dream of yours?
Announcing a very special event:
Guest Speaker Alejandro Munoz Garzon
Founder and president of the
Fundacion para el Reencuentro
( Foundation for Reunions)
of Bogota, Colombia.
Sunday November 15, 2009 (1:00 PM) *
At the Florence Crittenton League offices, 119 Hall Street.
* Additional smaller living room discussions being planned around the Boston region evenings 11/16-11/20. Please let us know if you would like to host or attend a more intimate meeting with Alejandro after the main event. Contact Franny Eisenman Fezookeeper@aol.com or call 978-697-3554 about smaller discussion groups.
Mr. Munoz Garzon has facilitated thousands of reunions between family members in Colombia, some of whom have been separated by adoption. Colombian adoptees from all over the world have been assisted to obtain information, and in many cases, to have face to face reunions, with birth families. Mr. Munoz Garzon is well known and respected in Colombia, having appeared on TV and in newspaper articles about his search successes.
Discussions will include information about searches and reunions with birth families, as well as the methods and results of the Foundation. Come hear it from the source!!
This program is planned with young adult Colombian adoptees and their families in mind. Affiliation with Florence Crittenton League is not required. Adoptees from other Latin American countries can also be assisted by the Foundation and are welcomte at the event.
Attendance at the meeting is free, however a donation is respectfully suggested to assist in defraying the extensive costs of bringing our speaker to the United States. (No family will be turned away due to inability to make a donation.)
Please RSVP with the number of expected attendees, so that we may plan refreshments, seating and materials. Fezookeeper@aol.com or contact FCL by phone 978-452-9671 or Ilze Keegan's cell phone 781-526-8157 before 11/12/09.
September 21, 2009
FCL Parent Mentors on Facebook
FCL parents (during the process and beyond) can join the FCL Mentoring group on Facebook. This group is limited to parents who are adopting or have already adopted with FCL. The group is run by the parents themselves, and all parents are encouraged to join the group. Parents are able to support one another during and after the process, and they have said that having this support/mentoring group has made the process and beyond much easier. Parents share their adoption journey, offer support and advice to one another.
September 12, 2009
The Florence Crittenton League Annual Picnic - September 13 1-5PM
The Florence Crittenton League annual picnic is this sunday from 1-5 (September 13) from 1-5 pm at the colonel connolly park (near rt. 129 and 128) in Wakefield, MA. we will have a moonwalk, and pizza and sandwiches for sale, games with larry keegan, face painting, and fun for everyone. we hope to get a good turnout, come for a little while or for the whole day, see how much the children have grown!
Google map: http://bit.ly/JRxck
September 9, 2009
Galina Visits U.S.
Galina, our Russian facilitator, visited us for the first time in America. She was here two weeks in August, and got to see many families and children, as well as meeting with Florence Crittenton and New Hope agencies.
This is a photo of Galina at a picnic with many children she helped place with families.
April 8, 2009
Lowell's Florence Crittenton League Achieves Hague Adoption Accreditation
LOWELL, Mass. – The Florence Crittenton League of Lowell has received accreditation to facilitate adoptions from countries observing the Hague Adoption Convention, an international treaty to prevent child trafficking and exploitation.
"We are enormously pleased to have received this important accreditation that allows our agency to continue its mission of uniting children overseas with parents here in New England," said Ilze Keegan, Executive Director of the Florence Crittenton League. "The exploitation and trafficking of children are terrible crimes and every adoption agency and adoptive family has an obligation to ensure adoptions are in the best interest of the children involved."
With its accreditation, The Florence Crittenton League of Lowell is permitted to provide adoption services in cases involving one of the 76 nations party to the Hague Adoption Convention.
The Hague Convention is an international treaty created to ensure that inter-country adoptions are in the best interests of children and to prevent abduction, exploitation, sale or trafficking of children. As party to the treaty, the United States agreed to develop regulations and a monitoring process for adoption service providers in the U.S. that work with agencies in countries that signed onto the Convention.
Hague Accreditation attests that The Florence Crittenton League of Lowell is in substantial compliance with the Hague Convention Accreditation Standards. Accreditation is issued by the Council on Accreditation in New York, N.Y., named in July 2006 as the only national accreditor by the U.S. Department of State.
In addition to the Hague Accreditation, The Florence Crittenton League holds accreditation from the Russian Federation required to facilitate the adoption of Russian children by American parents.
The Florence Crittenton League, fully licensed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, facilitates domestic and international adoptions, with programs in China and Russia. The Florence Crittenton League also provides the home studies and post-placement visits required of Massachusetts families who adopt.
December 13, 2008
Holiday Party Still On
Though there is a regional power outage, there is power in the part of Tewksbury where the party will be held. See you there!
October 9, 2008
Florence Crittenton Holiday Party
Sunday, Dec. l4, 2008 1-5pm
VFWHall, Vernon St., Tewksbury, MA. 01876.
October 9, 2008
FCL Receives Hague Temporary Accreditation
FCL received our temporary Hague accreditation in April 2008. We are currently working on the paperwork for our permanent accreditation.
