Dear FCC-SoCal Families,

It is with mixed emotions that we bid farewell to my co-chair, Sarah Koff.  Sarah recently accepted a job offer to be a Youth Programming Manager for a non-profit organization called Free the Children, located in Northern California. This meant that she had to leave LA before the first of November. On one hand, we are so excited for her to begin her new journey and new job in San Francisco!  New possibilities and adventures await her.  On the other hand, selfishly, we will miss her exuberant personality and fresh outlook.  She has a unique perspective that she brought to our organization as an adult adoptee and she has such a commitment and passion for our kids!  We wish her all the luck in her new venture and hope to hear about it in the future.

That being said the FCC-SoCal leadership looks forward with excitement and anticipation to a new year filled with the events and activities that bring us together, nurture our community, and provide the support that helps us thrive. Among the events we look forward to are the annual Chinese New Year Banquet, the Heritage Festival, our Summer Picnic, and the ever-popular China Care Bruin Buddies Program. Parent, child and youth groups along with adoptive parenting education classes are also in the planning stages. FCC-SoCal’s unwavering commitment is to promote a nurturing community for adoptive families, to celebrate our children’s heritage and to support prospective parents.

Are you an annual member? Now is the time to renew your membership for the coming year. FCC-SoCal annual memberships run from October first through the last day of September. We are well into our new year already. Our new online process makes renewal quick and easy. Simply go to our annual membership page and follow the instructions. For those who have already renewed, we thank you! Your support is greatly appreciated.

Lastly, as a reminder, it is through the considerable efforts of the many FCC volunteers that our organization thrives. I ask you to think for a moment if can you spare a small amount of time to lend a hand. The simplest way to participate is to join a committee. Have ideas for play groups, support groups or simply want to help with a main event? Join the event planning committee. Are you good with networking and communications? Join Membership or Outreach. Have web or blogging skills? Communications could use your help. We’re on the constant lookout for new ideas, fresh faces and enthusiastic spirit. It’s rewarding and exciting to participate! Send us a note using our website’s Contact Us form. We’ll respond with information and work to get you paired with the right leader or group.

Join us in wishing Sarah the best of luck in her new position. And thank you for your continued involvement and support.

Maureen Hemler
Chair/FCC-SoCal

Hi FCC-SoCal Families!

We are the new Co-Chairs of Families with Children from China in Los Angeles.  We’ve been in office since February 1, 2010 and have only had the opportunity to meet a small section of the membership.  If you see us around please come up and say hello, we would love to meet you and your family!

Please click through to the full post to read a little about us.

We are both incredibly excited about the new opportunities on the horizon for FCC-SoCal.  There are great member events in the works for young kids, teens and parents.  We welcome your suggestions and invite ALL members to take an active role in the success of FCC.

Looking forward to meeting all of you at upcoming events!

-Sarah and Maureen

At its 18th Annual Image Awards on October 2, OCA-Greater Los Angeles bestowed its Community Service Award to out-going FCC president Jeri Okamoto Floyd.  The award honors Jeri’s leadership in guiding FCC–Los Angeles from a fledgling chapter to a thriving nonprofit charitable organization. Jeri helped integrate the FCC adoption community with the broader Asian Pacific American community by establishing cultural interactive programs such as the award-winning FCC-SoCal/China Care Bruins Buddy Program, which pairs FCC kids (6 to teens) with UCLA student mentors for monthly activities.

Families with Children from China-Southern California, Inc. was incorporated in 1999, as a California public benefit corporation and is recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charitable organization.  Since that time, FCC-SoCal has been governed by an all-volunteer board of directors and volunteer staff.

2012-2013 Board of Directors