November 20 event will help 1000 BC children find permanent families

The Adoptive Families Association of BC (AFABC) presents Wine In The Sky at 7 PM on November 20 at Vancouver Lookout, 555 West Hastings Street, Vancouver.

Global TV’s Catherine Pope, an adoptive parent herself, and co-host Randene Neill will emcee Wine In The Sky, a fun and sophisticated evening featuring food and wine pairings, jazz performed by Vancouver’s own Gabriel Mark Hasselbach, and live and silent auctions, including an exclusive wine section and the Vancouver firefighters’ “Fire in the Kitchen.”

“Our goal for this evening is to raise $60,000 to support AFABC work across BC,” says Karen Madeiros, Executive Director of the AFABC. “At the moment, almost 1000 children in BC, from babies to teens, are waiting for an adoptive family. AFABC is helping to build adoptive families one child at a time.”

Formed in 1977, the AFABC has trail-blazed several programs to provide public education about adoption and support for adoptive families. These include:

• A Waiting Child Toll Free Line to provide information about adopting children currently under the guardianship of the Ministry of Children and Family Development.
• Wendy’s Wonderful Kids, which is ground-breaking a child-specific method of recruiting adoptive families rather than the traditional approach of fitting the child to an available family.
• Speak-Out Youth Group, a monthly group for adopted youth and youth-in-care to gather for camaraderie and to promote awareness about adoption of teens and tweens.
• Regional workshops and events and a bi-monthly magazine called Focus on Adoption to provide education and support to meet the unique needs of adopted children and families.

 “Gourmet food and wine, music and dancing, a fabulous view—these are perfect ingredients for a spectacular evening,” says Madeiros. “It will be a memorable event and a chance for everyone who joins us to be a part of creating families for children.”

Tickets for Wine In The Sky are on sale now at www.wineinthesky.eventbrite.com. Early Bird tickets (until November 5) are $95; after November 5, the price rises to $125. A VIP Group of 10 tickets goes for $1250 and includes valet parking, a complimentary drink, and a cocktail table reserved up front.

Wine In The Sky takes place November 20, 7 PM, at the Vancouver Lookout, 555 West Hastings.

For more information, call 694-689-1463 or email wineinthesky@thefinerdetails.ca. For more information about the Adoptive Families Association of BC, call 1-877-ADOPT-07 (1-877-236-7807) or 604-320-7330, email info@bcadoption.com, or visit www.bcadopt.com.

November is Adoption Awareness Month. AFABC is hosting events around BC throughout November. Visit www.bcadopt.com for information.  Ethical Bean Coffee is running a novel fundraising venture on our behalf this month. Visit www.ethicalbean.com for information.