Page 6 - MidWeek - Nov 9, 2022

6 MIDWEEK NOVEMBER 9, 2022
Chris and Manny first con- tacted A Family Tree last August. They had met a
ilies through adoption and how to support the adoptees in their lives. Our current focus is helping the more than 100,000 youth currently waiting to be adopted from foster care find permanent homes with loving families here in Hawai‘i.
Family Celebrates During National Adoption Month
By Shaylah Nichols, LSW, director of social work with A Family Tree
Our current focus is helping the more than 100,000 youth currently waiting to be adopted from foster care find permanent homes with loving families here in Hawai‘i.
decade prior while living in Texas. For them, raising a family was al- ways part of the plan. Their dreams of having biological children came to a screeching halt, though, when they were informed that they were unable to conceive naturally.
families like Chris and Manny for almost 50 years. Initially founded as Hawai‘i International Child (HIC) in 1975, the agency specialized in international adoption. Over the years, HIC helped place children from all over the world to families here in the U.S. Eventually, HIC introduced a domestic infant place- ment program, providing support to local birth mothers and helping them get matched with local adop-
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We are asking the community to donate to A Family Tree to help children in foster care find perma- nent, loving homes. Your donation will also allow us to continue doing the work we’ve been doing for the last 47 years in providing support to adoptees and adoptive families in the community as one of the only adoption competent mental health centers in the state.
After taking time to heal, Manny and Chris eventually decided to pur- sue adoption as a way to grow their family. A Family Tree guided them through the home study process, providing training and counseling along the way. Exactly one year and one day after Chris and Man- ny first contacted A Family Tree, we received the exciting news that the couple had matched with a birth
Manny and Chris with their baby girl.
PHOTO COURTESY A FAMILY TREE
tive families. We also help local families adopt both infants and waiting children from the mainland. In 2020, we re-branded the agency and became A Family Tree and Pono Roots Counseling Center, providing both adoption and mental health ser- vices to the community.
mother in Texas. On Sept. 12, Chris and Manny welcomed their beauti- ful daughter into the world.
November is National Adoption Month, and our goal is to raise awareness about adoption — both how people can expand their fam-
Donate at afamilytree.org. Learn more by calling 808-589-2367 or emailing hello@afamilytree.org.
A Family Tree has been helping
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