Summer 2006

Dear Friends:

It has been too long since I have written to update you about what is happening here at the agency. However, I promise to make it up to you now. The past few years have been a time of growth for me professionally and personally. On the professional front, Adoption ARC has expanded and grown, and with that, we have made changes and additions to staff and locations. I would first like to take the opportunity to formally introduce everyone to you once again.

I am Tara Gutterman, the Executive Director of the agency, a position that I feel lucky to have held for the past twelve and one half years. I have a Juris Doctorate from Temple University and a B,A. from Bryn Mawr College. I do much of the agency administration and all of the legal work for the adoptions in Philadelphia County. I am a member of the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys and the Pennsylvania and New Jersey Bars. I make my home in the Fairmount section of Philadelphia and am a single parent to my three and a half year old son, Jonah.

As you know, I entered a new and exciting role in October, 2002. mother to Jonah. Let me be the first to say that this has been the most challenging and rewarding role of a lifetime. As my son becomes older, I am finding new and exciting issues and would love to hear from all of you about parenting and adoptive parenting issues. So, please feel free to write in.

I would like to formally introduce our Assistant Director to you. Her name is Patience M. Lee and she hales to us from Nigeria, Africa. . Patience came to the United States to complete her education and ended up meeting her husband here and making the US her permanent home. She has been with us since August,2004 and has recently received her her Ph.D in Counseling Psychology from Argosy University. She has an M.S. in Counseling Psychology and her undergraduate degree from Philadelphia Bible University. In addition to her dedication to her clients, this agency and her co-workers, Patience lends us her outgoing and warm personality every day. She has her background in child welfare and was a foster care social worker for over four years before joining our staff. I look to her as my "right hand", and sometimes, my left one as well!

Our social work supervisor is Patricia Buck, MSW, LSW who has over 33 years of child welfare experience with the Philadelphia Department of Human Services. Pat, as she likes to be called joined out team in February of this year and brings with her a compassion and love for people that is am inspiration to us all here. She supervises all case work and home study/post placement reports as well as handles the occasional birth parent. Pat makes her home in South Philadelphia and volunteers some of her time with a local church and senior citizen's center. She has also established a Birth Parent Support Group.

Kamra Scott is one of our birth parent counselor/ social workers who joined our team in the Summer of 2004 as an intern. She graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Human Development and Family Resources and then came to work with us full-time. Kamra has a calm, kind, and intelligent demeanor and connects so well with all of her clients. Kamra has grown right into her role as an adoption professional from a student. She accompanies clients to prenatal appointments, through labor and deliveries and to "open meetings" .She is active in her church and recently gotten the office into a Diet and Exercise kick.

Sue Young joined the ARC team as a volunteer in 2003 when she was doing her "Mission Year" in Philadelphia. She would assist with all administrative office work and join the counselors on birth parent appointments. Sue also got the opportunity to see many placements and meet adoptive parents. In the summer, 2004, Sue filled our opening for an office manager and has really made this job "her own". She is extremely well organized and efficient, as most of you already know. Sue is a graduate of Central Christian College in McPherson, Kansas where she received a BS degree in Liberal Arts. On August 18, 2006, we had to to sadly say "goodbye" to Sue as she enters another Mission Year in New Orleans, LA. We wish her all the best with this very important work.

We will be welcoming Alexadra Buczek to this position temporarily as she waits for "Remy Reads" to get off the groud/ (Please see enclosed article). Alex is a graduate of Rhode Island School of Design and attended Temple University's Master's program of technical writing. She has been working with us this summer so she has gotten some good training under Sue's wings and we are very impressed with her work. Welcome!

The newest addition to our staff is Judith Reynoso Duncan She is a native Spanish speaker and has her social service degree from University of California. She will be splitting birth parent counseling duties with Kamra Scott as we grow. She will also be assisting us with our new Guatemala program. (Please see more about this program in the next section). Judith has been with us a few weeks and is already acting like a seasoned professional. She has spent the weeks accompanyting Patience, Kamra and Pat to various birth parent counseling appointments, baby discharges and hospital.

Adoption ARC also employs contract case workers who perform the home studies and post placement supervision for Pennsylvania and New Jersey families. All of the social workers are Master's Level or above. They are Rita Toliver; Janine Nathan-Pawlowsky, Althea Stinson, Jodi Houlon , Susan Maroto. Please check out their profiles on our web site when you get a chance.

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