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Adoption Spotlight: Shania, Age 12

Adoption Spotlight: Shania, Age 12

My family was blessed with Shania six years ago. We loved her from the moment we saw her. She has three brothers, including a twin! Being the ONLY girl in a house full of boys is not easy. One of Shania’s best qualities is her incredibly strong spirit. Her no-fear attitude led her to not only enter her 5th grade speech competition, but come in 2nd place for the entire county! She is now in her middle school's law program. We are so proud of her and so blessed to call her out daughter. 

Here is the beautiful speech she wrote specially about adoption, based on her personal experience of being adopted:

 

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Adoption Spotlight: Shania, Age 12

Adoption Spotlight: Shania, Age 12

My family was blessed with Shania six years ago. We loved her from the moment we saw her. She has three brothers, including a twin! Being the ONLY girl in a house full of boys is not easy. One of Shania’s best qualities is her incredibly strong spirit. Her no-fear attitude led her to not only enter her 5th grade speech competition, but come in 2nd place for the entire county! She is now in her middle school's law program. We are so proud of her and so blessed to call her out daughter. 

Here is the beautiful speech she wrote specially about adoption, based on her personal experience of being adopted:

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Summer Fun In & Around Water

Summer Fun In & Around Water

Swimming is one of the most popular summertime activities, and living in Florida, we are never at a shortage of bodies of water to swim in. Between pools, lakes, oceans and water parks, there are plenty of ways to cool off from the sweltering Florida heat. With the pool and beach season now upon us, it is important to be mindful of your family’s safety in and around water. (As my mom always reminded us... "SAFETY first!)Read More
Relationships & Attachments Play a Role in Psychological Health & Well-Being

Relationships & Attachments Play a Role in Psychological Health & Well-Being

Forming relationships and attachments with others is inevitable even among the most shy and isolated individuals. So long as one lives and interacts with others, a form of attachment or relationship is established. There are different types of relationships that the average person can associate with: parent to child, foster parent to foster child, grandparent to grandchild, and sibling to sibling, spouse to spouse relationship along with extended family relationships. There are also the romantic, friendship, colleague, and the roommate relationships. The list can go on and on. A relationship, simply put, is being related to or interrelated with another individual on some level.Read More
Staff Spotlight: Human Resources

Staff Spotlight: Human Resources

Meet Heartland for Children's lovely ladies of HR--Leslie Ziegler, Director of Human Resources, and Jacquelyn Bobb, Human Resources Generalist.Read More
Summer Reading Fun!

Summer Reading Fun!

Many children in school know how many days are left in this school year, and if they don’t know, they can always ask their teacher.   Soon, they will have a lot of time on their hands, so parents are given the monumental task of helping them find ways to pass the time.   If you’re like me, you know it won’t be long before you hear those two words that every parent dreads – “I’m bored!”  What if I told you there was something you could put in their hands to help with that?   I’m not talking about the latest smart phone, tablet, or video game controller; this is even better than that.   I am suggesting that you put a book in their hands, and if you plan it right, they can actually have fun reading it!  Read More

Ashley Beckwith was a constant source of information and support during the two years and five months of our adoption journey. My husband and I completed the Adoption 101 (now MAPS) class in 2012. Ashley stayed in touch and available to us through the adoption newsletter and checking in via email. She was present at match meetings and adoption events. We finalized our adoption a month ago. I am finally a mother and I feel so thankful and blessed to have been able to work with Ashley through this process. Ashley, you are so dedicated and positive. It was a pleasure to work with you.