The families that attended Edmonds resident Mary Wilson’s picnic at Edmonds’ City Park June 26 appeared to be just like all the others in the park.
Eating fried chicken, sipping soda and chatting with each other, moms and dads, sons and daughters and family friends gathered to catch up on each other’s lives, share stories and meet new additions to the group.
But if you took a closer look, you would see something more, something special.
The families at this picnic were made up of adoptive parents from all over Western Washington with children from different regions of Latin America, mostly Guatemala. They are all a part of Washington State Latin American Families Through Adoption (WSLAFTA), or the “support group,” as many of its members call it. And it is just that – an avenue of support for both the parents of adopted Latin American children and the kids themselves.
Since last year, the group has grown to include people from Edmonds and other areas including Lynnwood, Mill Creek, Shoreline, Everett and Seattle. They currently have about 40 families in the group.
“It’s become an extended family … and it’s a way to show her she’s not alone,” said Kevin Carson. Carson and his wife, Kelly, from Seattle, are the adoptive parents of 19-month-old baby girl Keyla.
Kathleen Walsh of Silver Lake is the adoptive parent of 20-month-old Samantha, and three-year-old Carlos, agreed.
What she and her husband, Jim, get from the group, she said, is “being able to meet with other families that have experienced a lot of the same issues and challenges, some of the pitfalls of the adoption process and the emotional roller coaster; things only a person whose gone through it would understand.”
The group’s start was fueled last year by Wilson and Tippie’s love for their adopted Guatamalan daughter, Julia Marisol, 4, and their passion for Latin American culture.
When the two were married in 2002 they asked for monetary donations to be made as wedding gifts, which they used to buy food, medicine and 92 pairs of new shoes for kids in Julia’s hometown of San Sebastian.
Wilson also heads efforts to raise money for the education of young Latin American girls. She recently raised $1,100, which will fund one year of school for 10 girls, Wilson said.
WSLAFTA has become a local extension of those efforts.
Through the picnic, and the exchange of e-mail addresses and phone numbers, Wilson said she hopes the group will become a permanent community for adoptive families of Latin American children.
“I want to establish a connection with families … possibly exchange information about the Latin American culture … and build up the group,” Wilson said.
Tippie added, “It’s such a rich culture, and these kids need to make a connection with that as they grow older. I think we can do that.”
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