I work with LDS Family Service on their volunteer program called Families Supporting Adoption. We are all LDS members who assist LDS Family Services with many tasks as well as community service. Below are a few ideas of how your Young Women can help LDS Family Services.

The Families Supporting Adoption group I am involved with is located in San Diego. But there are groups in every state all across America. In our area many of the Laurels have chosen to do service projects to assist LDS Family Services. I thought I would give you some ideas of what Young Women here have done to give service to the agency and community.

1. Many Laurels working on their service projects have collected new or slightly used baby rattles for our Baby Blanket Program. There are two reasons why we started this program. First hospitals here in Southern California discharge the babies from the hospital with nothing more than a disposable diaper and paper blanket. Some young mothers never make it to the doctors to get assistance. Not knowing what to do in their situation they abandon or hide their babies to be found later. Several babies have been found abandoned in garbage cans. Five of the babies were found alive. The sixth baby unfortunately had suffocated from items placed on top. Although girls may abandon their unplanned baby at a local hospital many girls are afraid to do this. We decided we needed to get the word out help girls with unplanned pregnancies realize there is the option of adoption. LDS Family Service will assist any young woman with her plans for adoption. We help girls of any religious or ethnic back ground. All services are free.

I contacted Wal-Mart and told them of my idea. They donated over 120 baby receiving blankets! We then acquired English and Spanish brochures about adoption from our local LDS Family Services. They were happy to order the brochures. I ordered iron on fabric labels from a mail order company. The label read; "Unplanned Pregnancy? A Call For Help (800) 537-2229. We then ironed and sewed around on the label to attach it to the blanket so it would not come off when washed later by the mother. Laurels then made up a flyer asking for new and slightly used rattles to be donated. They also collected cleaned up Beenie Babies, new baby bottles anything safe for a baby to attach to the blanket and attract attention.

A date was chosen for assembling the blankets. (I have a handout to assist if you would like to email me) The blankets are then rolled up with two LDS adoption brochures in side. (One in English and one in Spanish) After the blanket is rolled up a ribbon is tied around it with a LDS Family Service business card and a rattle or attachment. We asked that the blankets be rolled up no wider that 10 inches so they can be stored easily up right in storage boxes and not get crushed.

The program has been successful here in Southern CA. Currently I go to doctors offices and hospitals and tell them about LDS Family Services adoption program. I give out about 100 blankets every week or so, depending on how many offices I visit. During the first year we did this project, LDS Family Services received 3 non member babies to place for adoption in loving LDS Families homes. LDS Family Services currently has over one thousand temple worthy couples waiting to start their eternal family. LDS Family Services will assist registered couples with adopting their first or second baby. Because we have so many couples waiting, we ask that they assist in finding their third or forth baby if they plan on having a larger family) They like to focus on the first two children. Just think, after 6 months the baby is sealed for time and all eternity. When the child reaches 8 years of age, the child is baptized. **I count these little miracles babies as my missionary work.

2. Another idea of needed service is placing adoption posters and or LDS Family Service adoption brochures in laundry mats. The first week I did this in my ward we had 3 non members pregnant girls call LDS Family Services to ask about our adoption services. (I do not know if they placed their baby for adoption. The office will not give me private information like that, but as they say... about one in ten women who come in and hear about adoption rather than abortion or single parenting choose to place their baby in a loving home with LDS Family Services.)

3. When I go to visit a hospital or doctors office I like to give them a Rolodex card so they can find our office number quickly when the time arises.  We have had service projects where a ward of young women have taken the printed information (LDS Family name, address and phone numbers) glued it to a fluorescent Rolodex card and then place cute little baby stickers along the side. We then laminate the card. Yesterday I visited two social workers over pregnant teens at a hospital here in San Diego they were delighted to pick out their own Rolodex card. (Some have baby feet stickers, some just cute baby animal stickers. Just think, since adoption is in the front of their file, they see the cute stickers and the name of LDS Family Services at a glance!

4. All of the LDS adoption brochures need to be stamped on the back with the local address of LDS Family Services. So the girls do not feel they need to go to Salt lake City to place their baby or get help. Some offices have the address and phone number already typed up on sticker labels that can be easily peeled off of the paper and applied to the brochure. Young Women Service projects to place these labels on the brochures helps the office staff so much.

5. We have a Key Ring program. These key rings have cute fluorescent Smiley face attached. Young women take these key rings and attach special laminated LDS Family Services business cards to them. Then when I go to a ward community service fair where they have displays about food storage or missionary work the key rings are available for members or non members to pick up and give out to a friend at work or school who are in need of help with their unplanned pregnancy. (I found the Smiley faces at a local outlet mall here for ten cents a piece.)

6. Next month one of the Laurels will be co-hosting a baby shower for LDS Family services with their ward Relief Society. Members of the wards are asked to donate new or slightly used - clean newborn baby clothes, toys rattles. The Relief Society sisters have a fun night at the baby shower playing games and hearing about the adoption program at LDS Family Services. The items collected are later placed in gift bags with adoption brochures, adoption video, "Baby Blanket" made from one of the service projects. Toy, outfit. These gift bags are used by the Bishop, Ward Relief Society President, or Young Woman's President to give to young woman in their ward who has an unplanned pregnancy. (It is not recommended that we give baby showers for these young women. It is so important to help them realize that having a baby takes commitment over a long time. Baby showers sometime give the impression that as their child grows a shower will happen over and over or welfare can help them forever to help them support the child. This is one of the fantasy that many girls have.) But a small gift from an assigned church member helps them open up and talk about options. Any pregnant teen may contact LDS Family Services for free with out a bishops referral.

7. School back packs service project. One of the Laurels collected new back packs. (This project is easier to do just before school starts when many stores like Payless Shoe stores discount their back packs from $ 20 to $4.) She then collect school items to be placed in the back packs. Similar to the Humanitarian school bag program. These back packs were then donated to children orphanages in Mexico through a LDS Church member. LDS Family Services is opening up Church adoptions in Mexico.

We are so grateful for the service our Young Women have given. I am sure there are many service project ideas for Young Women to do that would help LDS Family Services. Not only does this work help the birth mother, it helps worthy adoptive LDS couples find the child to be sealed to them for time and all eternity.

You can find out the location and phone number of your local LDS Family Service office to ask them about how you can help by going to their web site LDS Family Services can also assist church members wanting to single parent.  Thanks for all the hard work you do to teach our Young Women.

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