College of Business Administration

GROUP MEMBERS:

Amanda Adamavich
Megan Delk
David Lujan
Patrick Matthews

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

At any time in San Diego County there are as many as 8,000 children in need of homes, temporary as well as permanent. We live in a city comprised of over a million people and it’s baffling to know that currently there are families going to extreme lengths to conceive a child when there are so many less fortunate children waiting to be chosen. We based our group project on educating local citizens about adoption and/or foster care as an option for starting or adding to an existing family.

The adoption and foster care industry is largely based and supported by non-profit agencies. Much of the labor entailed is rewarded not by a large salary, but rather the satisfaction of knowing that a child will have opportunities that may not have been possible without the sacrifice made by the workers. We, as a group, also wanted to volunteer in the lives of local children. Due to the time constraint of the project we chose to focus on a one-day event. We planned to work hand-in-hand with children in planting flowers at the Oceanside Red Cross. We chose this event and the location with great care. The flowers we were to plant would represent and promote the biotic community while symbolically representing a labor of love. The flowers planted would be done so voluntarily and left as a permanent source of beauty and growth, similar to providing a child with a home and a future filled with hope, joy, and immeasurable opportunities.

We relied solely on donated means. The flowers were graciously donated along with a landscaper that volunteered her time to ensure that the planting would be a success. The equipment used was loaned to us by a local organization that was glad to assist us. We even had t-shirts made that were fully donated, so far so good. The only roadblock we came to was in having children help us with the planting. Many of the agencies were reluctant to allow the children to participate for protection purposes, which we felt was a legitimate concern. We then chose to ask the Boys & Girls club if they would be willing to participate, they gladly accepted.

As far as the task of educating citizens about adoption we sought to work through an existing organization, Trinity Family Services, and help them to get the word out about adoption. The director of Trinity said the most effective tool for advertising adoption is by word of mouth. We then worked out a plan to link the organization with a church of a large congregation and build a long-standing relationship between the two. To our relief many local churches are currently working with some sort of child placement service. However, we did contact a church that had not yet established such a relationship. Horizon Christian Fellowship is now working with Trinity Family Services to place children in loving homes. This union itself was more rewarding than we ever imagined.

The actual planting was also a success. Unfortunately, the children from the Boys & Girls club were unable to join us due to the mismanagement of the driver’s schedule. Although we were disappointed in the actions and irresponsibility of the Boys & Girls club, we would not let it interfere with our original intent. The highlight of the morning was when two young boys walking down the street, as if right from heaven, offered to help us. These boys, unprompted, made this project an unforgettable experience for everyone involved.

We have all come away with a kind of satisfaction that is obtained from knowing we unselfishly gave of ourselves so that others will benefit, isn’t this the definition of volunteering? We understand that what we have done, the seeds we have sewn, will take time to blossom. If even one home for one child is found than we have done the greatest service to our community as a whole.