FTIA opens New Jersey Office

by Marlene Seamans-Conn

I am pleased to announce that on September 15, 2003, Families thru International Adoption was granted a license to operate in New Jersey. The New Jersey office is located at 429 Woodbury-Glassboro Road (RT 553) just off of RT 55 in Sewell, NJ. The office is easily accessible from the NJ turnpike, RT 42 and RT 295 and just minutes from Philadelphia.

I am excited to begin 2004 with the announcement of our schedule of upcoming Information Seminars. These free seminars are designed to help prospective adoptive parents understand the process of international adoption. We often have guest speakers present topics of interest such as "The Home Study process", "Understanding Medical Issues in Adopted Children" and "Support after Adoption", just to name a few.

The first East Coast Information Seminar is scheduled for January 22, 2004. This event will be held at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical Center in New Brunswick, New Jersey from 7:00pm -8:30pm. February, March and April will be busy with seminars scheduled at the FTIA office in Sewell, the Cavalry Methodist Church in Philadelphia, the Media Borough Hall in Media, PA, Mays Landing, NJ and in King Of Prussia, PA. For times and directions for all of the Information Seminars, please check the FTIA website www.ftia.org and go to the Informational Seminar Schedule. If you would like to have an information seminar scheduled in your area, please contact Marlene Seamans-Conn at 856-582-4755.

One event that I am looking forward to is our Adoption Conference scheduled for Sunday, March 7, 2004, in New York City. Dr. Jane Aronson will be the keynote speaker and present Developmental Issues in Children living in Orphanages. Seating is limited for this free conference, registration is required. To register, please call Marlene at 856-582-4755 or email mseamans@ftia.org.

In addition to holding information seminars, I am also available to assist adoptive families with dossier preparation, CIS applications, home study process or answer questions on almost every aspect of adoption. I am also a NJ notary. I am happy to assist you with notarization of documents. Please feel free to contact me for information on support groups in our area, early intervention services or other post adoption questions.

I am excited to join the staff of FTIA. I am thrilled to help adoptive families explore adoption as a way to build their family. I am available to meet with you to discuss your interest in adoption. The New Jersey office hours are M-F 8:00am -5:00pm. I am also available evenings or weekends. Call 856-582-4755 to arrange for a personal meeting or to register for one of our adoption seminars.