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Avalon Park Foundation
Newsletter
Submitted by Brenda Kolbrich
The Avalon Park Foundation awards a grant at the annual Foundation
Gala in November. The grant awarded is up to $5,000 to a local
organization. This is one way the Foundation gives back to our
local East Orlando community. To apply for the 2014 grant the
application can be found at
www.avalonparkfoundation.org.
The deadline for applications is October 1, 2014.
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by Carly
Sullens, an Avalon Park Resident
Birth Mothers Who Do Not Want To Be Found
Birth mothers, also known as first mothers, biological mothers, bio
moms and natural mothers, are women who became pregnant, gave birth
and then gave their baby up for adoption. Some birth mothers gave
their baby up for adoption during a time period when adoptions were
closed. She was lead to believe she will never see her biological
child again once the adoption was finalized.
For some birth mothers, after the adoption happened, they needed to
close the door and move on from the painful adoption experience.
There are many reasons why a birth mother may not want to be found or
have a reunion with their now adult, biological child.
A birth mother may not want to be contacted by their adult biological
child for the following reasons:
- She was promised by the adoption
agency her biological child or the adoptive family will never
make contact with her.
- She may have feelings of shame and
remorse from the pregnancy and subsequent adoption that is too
painful to feel and face.
- She does not want anyone to know about
her secret, of giving birth and giving a baby up for adoption.
- She has since remarried and had
additional children and has not told her husband or current
child about her past history of giving a child up for adoption.
- She may fear what her biological child
will say, do or want.
- Her pregnancy, birth, and adoption
experience were traumatic and she may fear the emotions a
reunion might resurface.
- She may have been told by the adoption
agency, adoptive parents, or her own family that it is in the
best interest of her child to never have contact with her, even
when this child becomes an adult.
- She may have been raped and gave the
baby up for adoption instead of an abortion. She may fear seeing
the child, now an adult, would resurface the traumatic memory of
the rape.
- She may not want to face the adoptive
parents who raised her child.
- She may fear the adoptive child will
ask who his or her biological father is. She may not even know
who the father was if the child was conceived when she had
multiple sexual partners, or conceived during a one night sexual
encounter without ever having contact with him again.
- She may fear the reunion will bring
remorse and painful memories of a broken heart when the
biological child's father left her or broke up with her because
of her pregnancy.
- The biological father may have been
threatening, abusive, an alcoholic, or treated her poorly. She
may be frightened a reunion with her biological child may also
reconnect her to a man she fears and wants to stay away from.
- She may be unsure how to relate to her
biological child who is now an adult.
Prepare for a Reunion Even if
You Do Not Anticipate One
It is best for birth mothers to be prepared for the possibilities of
their biological child finding them. A Birth mother who prepares for
a reunion, regardless if it happens or not, will give herself the
ability to work through some of her past issues.
The possibility of an adoptee finding their birth mother increases as
sealed adoption records are opened and modern technology makes it
easier to track down someone when you have their identifying
information.
The choice for an adoptee to find their birth mother is an individual
one and the reasons behind it are unique as well. The adoptee may
want to find their birth mother because he or she is seeking medical
history, or wants information on their biological lineage. Or an
adoptee may be seeking their birth mother because he or she may hope
to grow a relationship with her.
Here are
some steps to help birth mothers prepare for the possibility of their
biological child making contact:
- Be aware, if your biological child is
now over the age of 18, he or she may try to seek and make
contact with you at any time.
- Be prepared for him or her to write
you a letter, call, email you or come knocking on your door.
- You may want to write a note today
listing all the medical information and peculiar traits he or
she has inherited so you can offer at least this information
when your biological child connects with you.
- Be forthcoming and truthful when he or
she does contact you.
- Do not ignore him or her and hope he
or she goes away.
- If you are positive you do not want a
relationship with your biological child after he or she contacts
you then be upfront, truthful and sensitive about your feelings.
You will probably devastate him or her. A sharp clean cut is
painful but easier to heal than a long jagged and deep cut.
- Perhaps you can be forthcoming in
giving him information about his or her medical history, or who
the biological father is, and even help him or her connect to
full or half siblings, even if you do not want a relationship
with your biological child .
- If you are unsure how to proceed after
he or she contacts you, be truthful about that.
- Be prepared for him or her to contact
you and once hearing his or her voice or seeing his or her
picture you might have a drastic change of heart and a need to
see your child.
- Perhaps ask yourself why you are
keeping this secret from your husband all these years, and if it
is time to have a full disclosure. The truth does set you free.
That way, if your son or daughter does contact you, you have
already dealt with this part of the experience.
- If you tell your children, the ones
that you raised, you once gave a child up for adoption, know
they might be so excited to know their half or full brother or
sister they might want to seek and find him or her.
- Go to therapy. If the past is too
much, perhaps it is time to unload the hurt and gain a different
perspective of yourself and the situation you were in. Therapy
can provide an opportunity to let go of the grief and pain.
- Some states, such as in Ohio, sealed
adoption records are now in the process of being opened. Ohio
allows for a birth mother to leave a note with the child's
original birth certificate. If the adult adoptee seeks their
original birth record, they can be notified if their birth
mother would like contact or not and how they would like to be
contacted. Know the laws in the state where you gave your baby
up for adoption. Times are changing and sealed records are now
being mandated by the courts to be available to adult adoptees.
Reunions are Emotional
Times are changing and the rights have shifted away from protecting
and sealing the hidden away. The 'hidden away' is a person. Let go of
the promise you were told as a young adult that he or she will never
find you. This promise offered, formulated from the adoption agency,
your parents and whomever was done in a way to be 'supposedly
helpful.' When this legal binding promise was made the interest of
your son's or daughter's need to know their kin was overlooked. So
was the fact he or she would not have his or her necessary medical
and heritage information.
Remember your son or daughter is a living breathing part of who you
are. Can you make room if he or she does find you? Can you integrate
that part back into your life? And if the answer is still, no, then
let him or her know you are not at a place in your life to embrace
your son or daughter again, and it is not about him or her but your
inability to open a door that was once shut.
Mother and
Son Adoption Reunion
Adoption Reunion
Reunions are complicated and a life changing event. They are not
simple and highly complex. So is adoption. Some birth mothers may
fear their adoptive child is seeking them out for revenge because of
the initial abandonment. This fear is quite the opposite of what most
adoptees feel when they are seeking to find their mom. They usually
want an opportunity to meet the woman who is in fact their biological
mother, and often this desire to meet their mother comes from a place
of love and curiosity.
Bill writes about this in a letter to his birth mother. Adoption: A
Letter To My Birth Mother Who I Never Knew.
He states in this heartfelt letter:
"It is not for me to judge you; you did what you thought was
right at the time and I can never know why you made that decision
because I wasn’t there and I am not you. There is no blame in this
letter."
This sentiment is often shared by many adoptees.
He continues with his letter:
I guess I wanted you to know that I love you and I wanted to thank
you.
Each birth mother has a decision when her biological child seeks and
finds her. She can either provide the opportunity for a reunion or
disown the reunion. Before she makes a decision to deny her
biological child of a reunion, it is recommended she firsts reconcile
her own past and makes peace with who she is now and who she was
then. Reconciling the past and making amends can be life altering and
freeing. It might just help her understand why she fears a reunion
and what the walls around her represent. It also might help her break
down the walls and initiate the process of reuniting and hold her
baby in her arms, sometimes for the very first time.
http://hubpages.com/hub/What-To-Do-If-You-Are-A-Birth-Mother-And-Do-Not-Want-To-Be-Found
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List your home with us and get *Free Carpet Cleaning
and Lawn Care! Like our page!
Recent under contract/ Purchased/ Sold
12306 Gingham Ct, Orlando, FL, 32828
(3 days)
10045 Mooreshire Cir, Orlando, FL, 32829
(6 days)
4204 Austen Falls Lane, Orlando, Fl 32828
(Sold in 20 days)
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Avalon Park 3rd Annual Summer Flag Football Camp
2014
mbstrainingclub@gmail.com
June 9th-13th
9:00 am -12:00 pm
Location:
Avalon Middle School Football Field
Register online at:
www.mbstrainingclub.org
Cost: $75
Thank you
to our most recent Sponsor (Below) who have made a committment:
If you would like to become a Sponsor of MBS, please email sponsorships@tsb4sb.com
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Interested
in Submitting an Article
Articles are due by the third Thursday of the Month, email them to
Publishing@apgazette.com
You understand by Submitting an article:
1. It may be edited to fit in the issue without my input
2. All final edits are completed by Avalon Park Gazette Reviewers and
Editors in conjunction with the contributor, when deemed
necessary
3. I will abide by AP Gazette creed, To build community one issue at
a time through practical, informative, and lifestyle oriented
articles in commitment with Integrity, Trust, Good will and
Honesty.
4. I will submit to final edits made by the AP Gazette Team with my
input when deemed necessary or without at the discretion of the AP
Gazette Reviewers and Editors
5. I will submit an article before the 3rd Thursday of the month
prior to 12 pm to be considered.
6. My article may or may not be considered or may be used in a future
article under the sole discretion of the AP Gazette Reviewers and
Editors.
If you do not agree, please do not submit an article.
AP Gazette Opportunities
1. Reviewers- to review final submittal of newsletters prior to
publishing
2. Education Contributor- An article written by an
Educator in one of East Orlando schools. Topics may be anything
to do with Education and teacher, student, and parent awareness.
This will be a good place to highlight top achievers in our
school (teachers and students).
3. Sports Contributor- To discuss East Orlando Sports,
anything from little league and up
4. Political Contributors- Discuss local politics that
impact East Orlando Residents along with other Political contributors
To be able to participate, you must be an East Orlando resident, if
writing, submit an article prior to 3rd Thursday of the Month 12:00
pm, and send your interest and brief description of your background
to Publishing@apgazette.com Keep in mind, any neighbor can
submit an article.
5. Safety Contributor- Preferably someone in law enforcement
who lives or patrol our community to provide monthly contribution on
safety trends, practices, and awareness.
6. Tell us your story- Have a personal story about a triumph or a
life transition that took place and you think it will benefit others,
tell us your story by
emailing publishing@apgazette.com
7. Have A Birthday or Anniversary coming up, Email us and we
will showcase it in the associated issue. Email
publishing@apgazette.com
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Back to School Rally in Town Park
Getting
inspired to kickoff a Great School Year
Bounce Houses. Music.
Giveways. Tutoring. After School Programs
We are still in needs of sponsors, partners, and
volunteer for this event. Please email avalongazette@gmail.com
if you would like to participate.
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ORANGE
COUNTY NEWS
Save the
date! Save the date! Save the date!
2014 Florida Neighborhoods Conference
July 10 to July 12, 2014
Loews Royal Pacific Hotel
6900 Hollywood Way Blvd
In lieu of holding the Community Conference, NPRD and the City of
Orlando will be hosting the 2014 Florida Neighborhoods Conference.
Click here for more information.
Monthly
Adopt-A-Tree
Saturday, July 12th ~ 8am to 12pm
Orange County Extension Education Center, 6021 S. Conway Road,
Orlando, 32812
This is a FREE program for all Orange County citizens designed to
encourage residents to add trees to our environment. Adding
trees to the landscape has many long-term benefits. Along with
the obvious advantages of shade and beauty, trees provide oxygen,
filter pollution, and create habitats for wildlife. In
addition, trees replenish our lost tree canopy that has diminished
due to storm damage, age, and development. Each county resident
must provide proof of residency and will receive up to two trees
while supplies last.
Basics of
Vegetable Gardening in Central Florida
New to Florida and like to grow your own vegetables, this class is
for you. Learn the basics of Florida vegetable gardening including
soil preparation, adjusting soil pH, fertilizing, irrigation, pests
and diseases. Gardens may be grown year-round in Florida, vegetable
gardening season starts in September in Central Florida.
Saturday, July 12th ~ 9:00am to 10:30am
Wednesday, July 16th ~ 10:00am to 11:30am
Orange County Extension Education Center, 6021 S. Conway Road,
Orlando, 32812
Thursday,July 17th ~ 6:00pm to 7:30pm
Jessie Brock Community Center, 310 N. Dillard Street, Winter Garden,
34787
FREE. Register online athttp://OCMGS.eventbrite.com.
Block
Party Application
Have you or your neighbors considered having a block party in your
neighborhood? Block parties are a way to welcome new neighbors
to the neighborhood or a way to celebrated with neighbors on a annual
basis. If so, there is a block party permit that has to be
completed prior to having the block party. Click here to download the block party permit.
For more information, contact Sharon Cutler at 407.836.8378 or
atSharon.Cutler@ocfl.net.
2014
Florida Neighborhoods Conference
July 10 through July 12
This year the Neighborhood Preservation & Revitalization Division
is hosting the 2014 Florida Neighborhoods Conference (FNC) in lieu of
hosting the yearly Orange County Community Conference. Please
share with your neighbors that we will be hosting the 2014 FNC and we
encourage you to register and attend the 2-day event.
The Florida Neighborhoods Conference (FNC) is just weeks away!
This year marks the 18th year of FNC and Orange County is proud
to host this statewide event. The Conference will be held July 10th
through July 12th, at Loews Royal Pacific Hotel at Universal Orlando.
Participants will benefit from over 25 workshops that
illustrate local government programs, answer homeowners associations
concerns, and provide assistance with projects and initiatives
designed to enhance and revitalize neighborhoods. The FNC is a
2-day conference where citizens, community leaders, grassroots
leaders, and non-profit organizations can learn about improvements
that can be made in their communities. Platinum Conference
Sponsors this year include Bright House Networks, TECO Peoples Gas,
and Truly Nolen.
Visit Ocfl.net for more info.
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EAST
ORLANDO SAFETY
32828
Statistics: Zone 22B
Retrieved from OCSO
Website
Safety@apgazette.com
MONTH TO MONTH TREND: 
While 59 incidents were reported last Newsletter, 36 incidents were
reported this month in our zone, which includes Avalon Park Area and
surrounding communities. Based on the data available,
there were 0 Arm to Person Robbery, 5 Auto Burglaries, 36 Commercial
Burglaries, 15 Residential Burglaries, 6 Stolen Vehicles, and 1
Strong Arm to Person Robbery.
This month and every month after, we will report a summary of crimes
reported in our specific area and adjacent neighborhoods. The
first step in crime prevention is awareness.
Avalon Park Residents, Have a safety concern? Feel free to
email our off duty deputy Sal.Saldano@ocfl.net He is very
responsive! What does off duty mean? It really does not
mean they are completely off duty. They are hired by funds set
aside by our HOA dues, on their off duty hours, to help secure the
safety of our Avalon Park community. We have three
deputies, and Sal is the primary coordinator.
To receive future statistics, Subscribe to our newsletter here
Since first step in crime prevention is awareness, everyone can
contribute by forwarding these updates to their neighbor.
East Orlando Resident, have an incident, a report, or safety event,
please email Safety@apgazette.com to be distributed to our 2,000 plus
subscribers.
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Abrakoodle Artistic Flare
Some Photos taken from the Kid Art Installation
Photo Credit: Amy Meador
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Exclusive: Work on $53.3M east Orlando interchange may
start next year
by Anjali Fluker, Senior Staff Writer, Orlando Business Journal
The Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority is set to approve an
agreement that is the first step in getting things going on the
long-awaited Innovation Way/State Road 528 interchange in east
Orlando.
The $53.3 million project — which has been called a critical link in
the Innovation Way corridor, set to attract high-wage jobs to the area
— will involve the construction of a full interchange with a loop
ramp in the northeast quadrant and a flyover above SR 528, documents
showed. It also would include the removal of an existing interchange
at ICP Boulevard and the extension of Amsterdam Avenue to ICP
Boulevard, documents said.
The cost of the project is being split by the authority, Orange
County and Salt Lake City-based Suburban Land Reserve, the developer
of the nearby International Corporate Park that wants to develop a
6,000-plus home community near the interchange.
The project would require additional approvals before construction
could begin. However, documents said construction is set to begin 10
months after an agreement is finalized and then would be completed 18
months after breaking ground.
The agreement also said that design of the project is contingent on
Coral Gables-based All Aboard Florida’s intercity passenger rail
corridor connecting Orlando International Airport to downtown Miami.
All Aboard Florida, which plans to build a $1.5 billion privately
funded system, is building a new passenger rail corridor from an
existing freight rail line in Cocoa into Orlando along SR 528.
Meanwhile, the meeting could be one of the last hosted by the
authority, as Gov. Rick Scott is slated to sign a bill that would
consolidate it into a regional expressway authority.
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The
Case for "UPTOWN AVALON"
Avalon Park Blvd and East Colonial, the new
development and area should be referred to as Uptown Avalon
Written by Publishing@apgazette.com
Don't we
already have an Uptown Avalon Park?
Tou·ché! We do have wonderfully built luxury townhomes in
Avalon Park situated adjacent to Town Park located, in what most of
us call, Down Town Avalon Park, however it is in down town AP, but Up
town Down Town. If that makes any sense. ( side bar:
There are only a few homes left, so if you are interested visit the
Remax in Avalon Park).
Making the
Case
Here are the facts. Although many, Avalon Park Residents,
distinctly separate their community from other surrounding
neighborhoods down Avalon Park Blvd, most of our neighbors have no
clue that they do not live in Avalon Park.
"Oh, no
Darling, you don't live in Avalon Park, you live in Avalon Lakes..."
Any Realtor can tell you that the majority of residents living down
Avalon Park Blvd say they live in Avalon Park. And most
Realtors can also tell you that the majority of buyers who are
familiar with the area considers any neighborhood on Avalon Park Blvd
as Avalon Park. Why is that, um maybe, because the main road is
called Avalon Park Blvd, the proximity to Avalon Park, and the
association and familiarization used as talking points about the
community are all factors that play into this perception and
belief.
There was a drive a couple years ago to make Avalon Park, it's own
city and the surrounding neighborhoods were proposed to be a part of
that city, so although many would like to believe Avalon Park ends at
the roundabout and the intersection of Alafaya & APB, the reality
is that our community extends beyond those parameters. We have
neighbors who live in AP and own local businesses down Avalon Park
Blvd, and residents who live in surrounding neighborhoods who
directly contribute to our local economy daily, so when we say Avalon
Park Community, it has a broader meaning then that of Avalon Park
Neighborhood which many of us dutifully pay our quarterly HOA payment
to.
I say we should embrace the reality in front of us and capitalize on
it while building a broader sense of community. Staying in our
bubble and telling ourselves that "the neighborhood down the
street from us is not in our community" will only leave us with
very little influence to help encourage more development that can
help beautify the area. A rise in property values down the
street equates to a higher rise in Avalon Park.
So What is
being proposed here?
As many of you have seen, the new WAWA, Aldi, Wendy's, Dunkin
Dounuts, and several others shops are coming to the area. It's
situated "UP" Avalon Park Blvd about 3.5 miles from
"Down Town." Get where I am going with this?
The shopping plaza is currently being named, Avalon Commons, but I
propose that it is renamed Uptown Avalon, not Uptown Avalon Park, but
simply Uptown Avalon. In fact, this entire area, including
Grandeville Luxury Aparments, should be considered/ perceived as
Uptown Avalon. When Grandeville first was being developed
several years ago, they called themselves Grandeville in Avalon Park,
but was challenged and had to change their name to Grandeville on
Avalon Park, but now, as our community has matured and the upswing
potential of building a stronger brand for our community which can
yield more commerce, a rise in property values, and a beautification
of the area which will attract more developers. For the
thousands of drivers that pass this intersection daily, the
consideration will now be, If there is an Uptown Avalon, where is
Down town? Uptown Avalon seem to be an eventual fit for the
area, but who knows!
Of course, there is cons.... there are always cons!
1. More commerce, may lead to more traffic
2. As in the past, news reports associated any crime occurring
up Avalon Park blvd as Avalon Park although it was wrong, it will
become fact. Our community understanding will certainly grow
which is already the case in some of our groups on Facebook.
3. It will certainly promote community with other surrounding
neighborhoods which may be a challenge
In
Conclusion...
Should Uptown Avalon become a reality, a vision of more shopping,
fine dining, and AP style housing in the area will help promote safer
neighborhoods and help bring up an area that has been struggling for
years.
What are your thoughts? Please send them to Publishing@apgazette.com
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