Vol. 7, No. 2• May 2003

News from the Family Support Network of North Carolina

by Karen LeClair

The Family Support Network of North Carolina (FSN-NC) is pleased to announce that our offices have moved to a friendly community setting in Carrboro, North Carolina. The new office includes a Family Support Suite with a children’s play space and provides families on-site access to the FSN Outreach Library, with its videotapes and books in English and Spanish. Our physical address is 200 North Greensboro, Suite D-9, Carr Mill Mall, Carrboro, North Carolina. Our mailing address is still FSN-NC, CB #7340, UNC-CH, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7340. Parking is ample and convenient. Please stop in and visit.

New pamphlets are being developed by FSN-NC to increase awareness and inform families about the particular resources available to them as they become foster and adoptive parents. The topics will include chronic health and other medical issues; emotional/behavioral development; fostering and adopting adolescents; and fostering and adopting transracially. FSN-NC is also developing a video that will involve a series of interviews with foster and adoptive parents discussing the joys and challenges of fostering. The pamphlets and video will be used for training across the state.

FSN-NC is delighted to be one of several co-sponsors of the “Light the Spark, Ignite the Spirit” conference in Greensboro on June 6–8, 2003. We will be presenting the following workshops: Meeting the Challenges: The Foster Families Project of FSN-NC; Basic Advocacy Skills for Families; Facilitating Networking Among Families; The ABC’s of IEPs; and Promoting Effective Partnerships Between Parents/Caregivers and Teachers. We look forward to meeting foster and adoptive families at the conference.

The 2003 Summer Camp Directory, published by FSN-NC, is now available to families and service providers who are looking for camps that serve children with special needs. This directory provides information about day and residential camps, helpful guidelines about what to look for in a camp and a listing of camps by specialty. The camp directory is available online through our web site <www.fsnnc.org>. Please email to <[email protected]> or call 800/852-0042 to request a copy or for information about resources and services available to families caring for children with special needs.

See you in Greensboro at the “Light the Spark, Ignite the Spirit” conference in June!

Karen LeClair is the Foster Families Project Coordinator with the Family Support Network of North Carolina

Copyright � 2003 Jordan Institute for Families