Wow, do we keep growing!! Welcome to new members Judith (birth mom), Marc (adult adoptee), Gerald (adult adoptee) and his wife Deani, Jennifer (adult adoptee), Lovina (adoptive mom), Madeline (adult adoptee), Judy (adult adoptee), Sonya (adult adoptee), Monica (birth mom) and her daughter Sue (birth sister).  Welcome back to Sue (adult adoptee), Jim (adult adoptee) and his wife Janet, Lydia (adult adoptee), Sheryl (birth mom) and Geoff (adult adoptee).  

2003 MEMBERSHIP DUES

The 2003 Finders Keepers membership fee is now due.  Please give your cash or check made payable to Finders Keepers, Inc. for $25 to our membership chair, Helene, during one of our meetings, or mail to:

Finders Keepers, Inc.
P.O. Box 748
Bear, DE  19701-0748

Finders Keepers is a non-profit organization which is dependent upon membership dues and donations to continue its goal of helping families reunite.  Your membership includes registration in our reunion registry, regular updates on legislation affecting adoption, personalized search assistance until you find, full use of the Finders Keepers library of search, support and reunion resources, and access to an e-mail list of others searching in Delaware.  

We had a special guest at the February 28th general meeting, Delaware State Representative John Viola.  Rep. Viola discussed the changes the members of Finders Keepers would like to see to the current adoption code, most specifically those in regard to the release of medical information.  We enjoyed his company and appreciate his taking the time to listen to our concerns.

There seems to be a cause for concern lately that members of the triad are having difficulty obtaining their non-identifying information, especially medical information, from a specific adoption agency.  Mary-Lee would like to remind all triad members that:

Mary-Lee has also suggested that everyone who has run up against an agency's unwillingness to inform them of their rights to petition the court for medical information should write to Rep. John Viola or Sen. Dori Connor.  Also, please send a copy to Mary-Lee at skyloom@aol.com. 

Thank you to Helene for stepping up and volunteering to take on the job of Finders Keeper's Membership Chair!  Please send Helene (stressd76@aol.com) an email with your current name, mailing address, telephone number to include area code, and email address.

Thank you to all of the members who have volunteered their time to keep the administrative part of Finders Keepers up-to-date.  Every little bit helps, allowing Ginger more time to search, find and reunite.

Congratulations to Gene and Sue on their recent reunions - read about it in the I Have Finally Found All of My Pieces section of our website.

Happy wedding anniversary to Barry and Lori!

Jeff has been placed on the list to receive a heart transplant, please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.  Our deepest condolences go to Vicki on the recent loss of her father and to Michelle on the loss of her birth grandmother.

Following are the current stats from the Delaware Bureau of Vital Statistics regarding release of original birth certificates to adoptees born in the state of Delaware:

The "Baby Dump Bill" is back on the table, Delaware senators and representatives will consider H.B. 68, a legalized infant abandonment law, when the full legislature reconvenes in the middle of March.  Why is this type of legislation a bad idea? These proposals do not address the root causes, they sanction cruel and irresponsible behavior, and they leave wide open the potential for a variety of criminal acts.  Read Mary-Lee's post on our discussion board.  

Finders Keepers opposes this bill.  Legalized infant abandonment laws have not been proven to save babies' lives.  In addition, critical medical information about the infant and his/her parents may not be available to the adoptive parents,  the child may never know his/her true date of birth, and as an adult may be forever denied his/her medical history, ethnic heritage, and religious heritage to name a few.  They may be denied search because there is no information available to them... open records may not open any doors for these babies.  If you are willing to volunteer some time to write letters, articles, and/or otherwise educate the general public and legislators on the true facts regarding baby dump bills, please step up to the plate... the bill is schedule for review in mid-March. Time is running out, and if we do nothing, the bill will pass!  Mary-Lee will be glad to offer suggestions, proofread your letter, give you factual information you can use, or help you in any way. 

If you don't currently live in Delaware, please visit the Bastard Nation Baby Dump Action Alert page to find out if your state is currently considering baby dump legislation.  Please write your legislators TODAY and to stop this legislation that is sweeping the Nation......  BABY DUMP LAWS DON'T WORK!

Many Finders Keepers members have expressed interest in attending the Adoption Healing Symposium in Philadelphia, PA on June 2nd.  We would like to know how many members would be interested in hiring a van/mini-bus for  transportation from a location in Delaware to the symposium in Pennsylvania.  If you are interested, please email Ginger by March 31st.  Following is a copy of the email we received regarding the symposium:

Delaware Public Archives

The Delaware Public Archives, 121 Duke of York Street, Dover, DE has expanded it's hours of operation.  The office is now also open on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and is open until
8 p.m. on Wednesdays. 

Mark your calendars for Saturday, July 28, 2001,  plan a trip to Washington, D.C., and put on your walking shoes  to participate in Adoption Odyssey 2001 - A March for Unity and Civil Rights in Adoption.  Over the next several months there will be several triad and general media campaigns to spread the word concerning Adoption Odyssey 2001. The media coverage will enable all of us, though unity, to spread the word about open records in adoption.  This year marks the 12th Anniversary of the March and Rally for Open Adoption Records in Washington, DC.  Please join the individuals and groups who are making a commitment to themselves, their families and the entire adoption community as they take a stand, through unity, and march for open adoption records. Though unity we can get our message out.  Help to spread the word, work for our common cause of open adoption records and make this the best march ever.  Now is the time to stand up and be counted. Dare to believe in your dreams - OPEN HEARTS, OPEN MINDS, OPEN RECORDS!!!

The next General Meeting will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 28th in Room 1 of the Bear Public Library. Following the meeting, everyone is invited to Bob Evan's restaurant for some good food and friendly conversation.  Next month's general meeting is Wednesday, April 25th.

Please plan to attend the next Search and Support Meeting at 7:00 p.m., on Monday, April 9th, at Sandy's home. Please email Sandy at Sandy_Cox@email.msn.com for directions.

There's some new reading in our poetry section.  Dave and Mary forwarded  Who Knows You. Finders Keepers member Ashlee penned and shared The Wonders of Adoption.  Finders Keepers member Jan has shared the preface of a book about her childhood which she put together for her birth mom, please check out When Pigs Fly.

MARCH BIRTHDAYS

Please join us at Bob Evan's restaurant following the March 28th meeting to celebrate!

We're still collecting register receipts for the Genuardi's fund raising program.  Keep 'em coming!! Bring your receipts to any meeting or mail them to Finders Keepers, Inc., P.O. Box 748, Bear, DE 19701-0748 .

Remember to visit the Finders Keepers Bookstore (an affiliate of Amazon.com) when you're shopping.   A percentage of your purchase will help Finders Keepers continue its purpose of helping families reunite.  Prior to ordering, you must click through the Amazon.com logo on the Finders Keepers site in order for our organization to receive credit for your purchase.  This DOES NOT increase your purchase price.   Amazon.com offers range of items such as books, music, video, toys, games, electronics and software.   You can use the search box below to find any item:

Send mail to searchde@aol.com with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: March 24, 2001