“Just Like Dad” Photos for Father’s Day

Whether it’s a dad, grandpa, an uncle or friend … father figures are pretty special. They make us laugh, inspire us and give us someone to look up to.

This photo collection, featuring members of the WACAP family, is a celebration of these remarkable men, and a thank you for all they do. Enjoy, and Happy Father’s Day!

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Welcome, Frances!

WACAP is excited to welcome 1-year-old Frances Rose home. Adopted from Taiwan, she joins her mom and dad, Winston and Emily, in Washington D.C. Frances came home at the end of May, and she’s been settling well into her new routine with her parents’ love.  

Here, Winston and Emily, in Taiwan on the day Frances becomes part of their family, pause to capture the joy it brings to them all.

Frances joins her family

Celebrate Dads, and Help Kids, too!

It’s that time of year again! Time to honor our dads, grandpas, uncles, and other special guys. Why not give them something special, and help kids find families at the same time?

Surprise dad with a trip for four to Disneyland! Send grandpa bass fishing in Florida! Visit our online auction on “Bidding-for-Good” and find something you like for dad (or for yourself!) Click the “Refer Friends” button and spread the word. Proceeds from this auction will go toward programs finding adoptive families for children with special medical and development needs.

Click here to check it out!

Bid fast and bid often!

Thanks for GivingBIG!

Thank you to everyone who participated in yesterday’s GiveBIG event! Your help goes so far in helping us find families for children who need them. We couldn’t do it without you!

Thank you for giving BIG

Today’s the Day!

Today is The Seattle Foundation’s GiveBIG Fundraising Event!

Thanks to the Seattle Foundation’s generous “stretch pools,” any amount you give will go even further toward helping us find families for children!

Click here to donate. And THANKS for givingBIG!

Celebrating Family

“You are the sunshine of my life.”

The words from Stevie Wonder’s famous song echoed through the Fairmont Olympic Hotel ballroom, where families gathered Sunday for WACAP’s annual Mother’s Day Brunch. Rani Weatherby, a WACAP adoptee, sang and strummed her ukulele, her music capturing the moment powerfully and the sentiment perfectly.

As families celebrated the extraordinary women in their lives — mothers, grandmothers, aunts, friends — Rani’s voice rang out, and rang true. “You are the apple of my eye. / Forever you’ll stay in my heart.”

Children, many adopted through WACAP, honored their moms with a parade, walking across the sunlit stage.

We are grateful to everyone who attended this special mother’s day brunch, and the many WACAP staff and volunteers who helped make it possible, including Shelley Ngo of WACAP’s board and Katie Robertson, and our course, our musicians, Rani and pianist Seth Jacobson. Thank you to all who gave to WACAP, helping us reach the children who don’t yet have a family of their own.

And most of all thank you to the families and children who made this day so special and bright.

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One Mom’s Reflection This Mother’s Day

This year, Elizabeth Rose, WACAP’s China adoption supervisor, and her husband Steve Mohundro will celebrate their first Mother’s Day with their son Theo, adopted from China through WACAP last November.

Thank you, Elizabeth, for sharing this inspiring story about being Theo’s mom … and the joy he brings this Mother’s Day, and each day.

Coming Home to Theo

A winter visit to the park with Mom

“No, mama! JEANS!” Theo stomps his little foot down on our floor. The effect is quite dramatic as he happens to be standing directly above a heating duct, making his little stomp sound like rolling thunder.

This is the scene in my house nearly every morning as I get ready to go to work. Theo is not the fashion police – he has just picked up on the fact that on the days I stay home with him, I wear jeans and the days I go to work, I wear dress pants.

Cherry blossoms overhead with Dad

My husband and I adopted Theo in November. He’s our first child, so it has been quite a change in lifestyle for us. In the first months after we were home, there were times when I couldn’t wait for my husband to get off of work and relieve me for a little while. It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy my time with Theo – he is an affectionate, delightful, sweet little boy – but I was exhausted. It was mostly the little things such as wanting to go to the bathroom alone or wanting to have a conversation with another adult that lasted more than one minute without interruption. I was also exhausted because Theo would often wake up well before 6 a.m. and want to go outside to play. In December. I am not a morning person. And sometimes dressing Theo is like trying to put pantyhose on a cat. It could be really frustrating trying to get out of the house on any sort of a schedule.

But I remember clearly the moment all of that frustration faded away for me. I was touring the perfectly nice child care center that Theo was going to be attending after my husband and I returned to work. The director was showing me their outdoor facilities and suddenly, I felt like she was telling me that this was where they would be torturing my son (when, of course, she was talking about where he’d be learning and interacting with the teachers and other kids). The thought of leaving him with anyone else overwhelmed me. It took all my strength to keep from crying and to keep myself from running out to the car, calling up my supervisor at WACAP and quitting immediately. From that moment on, I didn’t look forward to those little breaks from Theo. No one was going to come between me and him if I could help it.

Taking him to child care each day has been nearly as heartbreaking as I expected it would be. Every morning, not only does Theo try to get me to wear jeans, he also has a little speech he makes: “Theo sad. Theo cry. Misses mommy.” And I tell him every day that I’m sad and I miss him too, but that I hope he has fun and we’ll be there in the afternoon to pick him up. When I walk in the door in the evening, Theo runs to greet me yelling “MOMMY!” It’s one of the sweetest sounds I have ever heard.

And if I spend too much time settling in once I come in the door, Theo will run into my room, into our closet, and he’ll fish out a pair of jeans from my hamper and bring them to me. It’s the best homecoming a mama could ask for.

Countdown to GiveBIG!

It’s almost here! Next week, we will once again participate in The Seattle Foundation’s GiveBIG online fundraising event.

Any online donations given through WACAP’s Seattle Foundation giving page on May 15, from midnight to midnight, will be partially matched through The Seattle Foundation’s “stretch” fund.  The more money we raise to find families for children, the more additional funds we’ll receive. The event is open to everyone, everywhere,  so invite your friends and family to give with you! Even the smallest gifts will make a BIG impact!

This year, the funds we raise will help us find families for children from China, as well as other children around the world who need families.

Mark your calendar, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter, and get ready to GiveBIG for children!

Thank YOU for GivingBIG!
(Photo by Marissa Morse)

Welcome Home, Amelia!

Amelia, from China, is settling in with her family in Virginia! Next month, Amelia will be celebrating her sixth birthday. We’re so happy that she’ll be sharing the day with her family, including her two sisters, who joined the family from Ethiopia! WACAP congratulates Amelia and her parents, John and Julie!

Amelia with her sisters, Kulate and Jemila

Welcome Home, Timothy

We’re excited to welcome 7-year-old Timothy home this month. Timothy was adopted from China through WACAP, and he joins his parents David and Brenda in Pennsylvania. Here, he’s surrounded by the smiles of his new siblings … and certainly wearing one of his own.

Timothy (front) joins in some family cheer