32nd Annual New England Adoption Conference

with Workshops for All Triad Members

by Joan L. Clark, M.Ed., Executive Director

The 32nd Annual New England Adoption Conference is being planned for Saturday, April 2, 2005 at Milford High School, Milford, MA. Please make a special note of the date. It is very early this year. The theme is Celebrating the Changing Landscape of Adoption.

Those who attended the conference prior to 2002 will remember Milford as the site of the conference for over a decade. We returned to Milford in 2004 after a two-year visit to Bellingham. Past participants even refer to the "Milford Conference" because of the long relationship we have had with Milford High School.

The Keynote Speaker and Featured Workshop Presenter will be Mary Martin Mason, a nationally respected speaker, trainer and writer on adoption. She is an adopted person and the adoptive parent of a 19 year old who has grown up in an open adoption. She is the author of Out of the Shadows: Birthfathers' Stories, Designing Rituals of Adoption (Secular and Sacred) and The Miracle Seekers: An Anthology of Infertility. Mason is the Adoption Clearinghouse Coordinator for Minnesota Adoption Resource Network and Minnesota Adoption Support and Preservation.

Ms. Mason will be offering the following workshops:

  • A Job Description for Adoptees, Birth Parents and Adoptive Parents
  • If It's Working, Why Fix It? Examining the Growing Trend in Open and Semi-Open Adoption
  • Bringing Birthfathers From Out of the Shadows
  • Open Discussion for Adoptees

Conference Fees

Every effort has been made to keep this conference affordable. After four years of keeping the early bird rate the same, we have had to increase it from $45 to $50, due to a significant increase in rental cost. The fees for later registrants and nonmembers are higher than the Early Bird member's rate. So register early! For those of you who have visited other conferences and educational programs, you know this is still a bargain. Many programs charge $50+ for a single topic for a half-day or evening program.

The conference registration fee covers all the educational components of the day. At the time you register, you may choose to purchase the buffet lunch (a huge success in 2004) for an additional $15. The buffet will include baked stuff shells in marinara sauce, chicken Marsala, rice pilaf, dinner roll, Caesar salad, dessert and assorted cold beverages. There will be a cash breakfast bar with coffee, tea, decaf and assorted pastries and bagels. You are also welcome to bring your own food and to join others in the cafeteria. Please be aware that Milford High School is in a residential area. In the past participants have not found the lunch period long enough to leave the campus and go to area restaurants. Whatever your decision is about your morning and lunch food, there should never be any food or beverage in the Auditorium.

Bring Extended Family Members

This conference has workshops for all who have been touched by adoption, including your extended family members. For adoptive families, please consider bringing adoptive grandparents and grandparents-to-be, aunts, uncles and any other family members close to your family. If you are living in an open or an opened adoption, please invite any members of your triad who are old enough to appreciate the workshops. ACONE members may bring to the conference, under their membership, at the members' rate, extended family members whom you feel should attend.

The Brochure

The Conference brochure will be mailed first class to all ACONE members one week prior to the mailing to the general public. Register early and take advantage of the early registration rate. Pre-registration is required for all workshops.

The Bookstore

The ACONE Bookstore will provide the unique opportunity to choose from a large variety of books selected specifically for all members of the triad. Subjects will include all kinds of adoption education, different cultures, search and reunion, learning and behavioral challenges and extended family resources. Plan to take advantage of this special resource as well as visiting the many exhibitors.

Meet the Author

Meet the Author/Book Signing will take place in the ACONE Bookstore during the Mid-day Block. Authors of adoption related books are available during this time for discussion of their works as well as signings of their books. A detailed list of the authors will be in the conference day packet.

A Great Opportunity for Teens

Do you know of a terrific teen who might be interested in working at the ACONE Bookstore on conference day? It's a fun day. A way to earn some spending money by helping at the conference and a great chance to meet other adopted teens and their families. Contact the office for details and scheduling needs.