ࡱ> 241 @ bjbj)) ( KzKzLLLL X s pL  $_ R   -  p   d <L4 C 0s [<[ [ dNh T   D($:T(TheArcLink launches the National FindFamily Registry Online database will match families with their missing family member with a disability Bloomington, IN, August 1, 2007: For decades, parents of children with disabilities were advised by professionals to institutionalize their child and in effect "forget you ever had them." Of the more than 500,000 people in out-of-home residential settings, experts report that a high percentage have no regular contact with their family.States are gradually replacing their institutions with smaller, community-based residential settings that support family connections, but there has been no good way, until now, to actually help make that connection happen. As a result, most people in these settings have no families to help them make decisions, no one to call them on their birthday, no one to share holidays.Now, there is an opportunity for family members to reunite.To enter information in the FindFamily Registry, go to  HYPERLINK "javascript:ol('http://www.findfamilyregistry.org/');" www.FindFamilyRegistry.org. No one really knows the impact that a disappeared relative has on them until they finally make contact. In Oregon, Jeff Daly recently documented the discovery of his sister Molly after a 47 year separation. In his documentary Wheres Molly, ( HYPERLINK "javascript:ol('http://wheresmolly.net/');" www.wheresmolly.net) Daly did not realize that losing Molly when he was only six years old would effect him so profoundly, even as an adult. "When Molly went away, she was only 3 years old.When I found her she was about to have her 50th birthday.I cant begin to describe the joy in singing Happy Birthday to her. Finding Molly made me a whole person again and Molly has enjoyed the love of a large extended family including my children and grandchildren." In meeting the day-to-day wants and needs of the residents they support, providers usually have limited resources for casting a net to find lost family members.We sometimes find families of some of our clients at their funerals. explains Leslie Green, CEO of Stone Belt Arc in Bloomington, Indiana. The lost opportunity for these individuals and their families to have meaningful relationships makes one heartsick.We hope we will be able to use this wonderful resource of TheArcLinks FindFamily Registry to help make these family connections. As the parent of an adult with intellectual disabilities, Sue Swenson knows a lot about family issues: We know every family is different, every person is different and every state is different, too.FindFamily can only go so far to help families connect.You will probably need to have an advocate or a lawyer to make a real connection happen.Sometimes a trusted friend or counselor can help too.We hope to help find missing loved ones, but reconnecting will almost certainly not be easy. We know there will still be frustration ... and fear. We believe these will be balanced by joy ... and love.Swenson is Executive Director of The Arc of the United States. In the Registry, people can easily give basic information on themselves and the people theyre looking for. We will contact them if we find a match, said Elbert Johns from TheArcLink. We will make sure that the person with a disability either has the ability to give consent to release personal information, or is properly represented by a person who can. Well also make sure that the family member who is seeking contact has a legitimate reason for doing so. Online searching of the Registry will not be offered. TheArcLink is a joint venture with The Arc, and both organizations are initiating a broad appeal to families and providers to encourage them to enter information into the Registry.. For more information, contact Elbert Johns ( HYPERLINK "http://by127fd.bay127.hotmail.msn.com/cgi-bin/compose?mailto=1&msg=FE0AEA08-8F75-407D-B56B-9FDBAE9C1DDC&start=0&len=13815&src=&type=x&to=ejohns@thearclink.org&cc=&bcc=&subject=&body=&curmbox=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001&a=3165d53d2eee523e5436163092556667ab3f16c2c361aeb0a44a03f094ef9cad" ejohns@thearclink.org) or Laura Hart ( HYPERLINK "http://by127fd.bay127.hotmail.msn.com/cgi-bin/compose?mailto=1&msg=FE0AEA08-8F75-407D-B56B-9FDBAE9C1DDC&start=0&len=13815&src=&type=x&to=hart@thearc.org&cc=&bcc=&subject=&body=&curmbox=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001&a=3165d53d2eee523e5436163092556667ab3f16c2c361aeb0a44a03f094ef9cad" hart@thearc.org). 5 s 9 X  ( ) % & ] ^ q r 01BCqr૘૘૘૘~h`IhWOJQJ^Jh`Ih`IOJQJ^J$h`Ih`I0JCJOJQJ^JaJ)jh`Ih`ICJOJQJU^JaJh`ICJOJQJ^JaJ#h`Ih`I>*CJOJQJ^JaJ h`Ih`ICJOJQJ^JaJh`Ih`I5OJQJ^J&gd`I$a$gd`I&1h:px/ =!"#$%@@@ NormalCJ_HaJmH sH tH DA@D Default Paragraph FontRiR  Table Normal4 l4a (k(No ListF%@F Envelope Return OJQJ^JTU@T `I Hyperlink)7>*CJOJQJS*Y(^JaJo(ph 00x@00  (%]q0BqXXXX (($((($(d((($(HHU  S\\  9*urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttagsState8*urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttagsdateB*urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttagscountry-region9 *urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttagsplace8 *urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttagsCity 120078DayMonthYear     !+   $ " ,  5;Irv z } ` c \ _ 333333333333333355XX..YY00X X " " Z Z ;<[]01#$Z[23Z [ , - ] ^  }WGR/kB`IJWWZ$c mpq"y9f)6!NEx] p@(~iP@UnknownGz Times New Roman5Symbol3& z Arial5& zaTahoma"qh,,!x243QH ? m4TheArcLink launches the National FindFamily RegistrymonniemonnieOh+'0  ,8 T ` lx8TheArcLink launches the National FindFamily RegistrymonnieNormalmonnie2Microsoft Word 10.0@F#@Tj(@Tj(՜.+,D՜.+,d  hp  Gateway 5TheArcLink launches the National FindFamily Registry Titlep 8@ _PID_HLINKSA(dB !http://by127fd.bay127.hotmail.msn.com/cgi-bin/compose?mailto=1&msg=FE0AEA08-8F75-407D-B56B-9FDBAE9C1DDC&start=0&len=13815&src=&type=x&to=hart@thearc.org&cc=&bcc=&subject=&body=&curmbox=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001&a=3165d53d2eee523e5436163092556667ab3f16c2c361aeb0a44a03f094ef9cad8'http://by127fd.bay127.hotmail.msn.com/cgi-bin/compose?mailto=1&msg=FE0AEA08-8F75-407D-B56B-9FDBAE9C1DDC&start=0&len=13815&src=&type=x&to=ejohns@thearclink.org&cc=&bcc=&subject=&body=&curmbox=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001&a=3165d53d2eee523e5436163092556667ab3f16c2c361aeb0a44a03f094ef9cad*javascript:ol('http://wheresmolly.net/');5javascript:ol('http://www.findfamilyregistry.org/');  "#$%&'(*+,-./03Root Entry F<5Data 1TableWordDocument( SummaryInformation(!DocumentSummaryInformation8)CompObjj  FMicrosoft Word Document MSWordDocWord.Document.89q