Editor’s Note: It’s a new calendar year, this means some shuffling and changing of columns is in order. Rita Soronen is one of the busiest executives in foster care, Foster Focus is lucky to have her as a Columnist. This month Rita is on the move and getting the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption set for another impactful year. I’m going to pinch hit for her this month and get you up to date on all the changes in store for Foster Focus this year.
I hate change. I may have mentioned that in previous issues of the magazine, on my list of things I despise, change ranks up there right behind Doctor appointments. Even more heart-wrenching is the end of something.
It has to happen, it’s a part of life, hell, it’s a part of foster care, that doesn’t mean I have to like it.
There are going to be some changes to the magazine this year, and unfortunately some things have to come to an end. Let’s start with the changes. The biggest initial change will impact this particular column. It’s a gift for the magazine to not only have access to the Executive Director of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, Rita Soronen, but to have her as a Columnist has been a huge coup. There will be times throughout the year when she will be needed in various parts of the country. There will be times when she'll need to do policy work that will consume her every waking moment and call for her to be in the Nation's capitol. There will be conferences, adoption ceremony, award banquets and boots on the ground style work that will require her attention.
Ideally, Rita would love to be able to tell you all about the ins and outs of adoption from her perspective each month but the time just isn’t there. A nice alternative would be a bimonthly approach, which would be fine but Foster Focus is America’s only monthly magazine so on alternate months there would be blank pages (I wouldn’t fill the pages, I’m very lazy). Instead what we’re going to do is take turns. One month Rita will bring you the inside scoop, the next I’ll bring you the coolest adoption stories out there. They won’t all be shiny, happy stories (balance and all that) but I will do my best to keep it sunny.
There is also an exciting change coming to the website. A total renovation is underway. It’s taking a while, for good reason. If you aren’t aware, I made the website myself from scratch with ZERO background in website development or maintenance. I still have very little understanding about what I’m doing when I’m working on FosterFocusMag.com but I know enough to get the job done. Intent aside, the website is not great, not by a longshot. I did my best and while it is functional and effective, it’s certainly not flashy or cutting edge. The look of the website and magazine should reflect the quality of the content; I haven’t been able to do that yet with either platform.
I, like the magazine, am a work in progress.
The magazine will get sprucing up as well. I am a young dude but the magazine’s look is a little bland and not indicative of my youth…maybe not in age but I’m only 22 in maturity. (kidding, kind of) For the last year or so the look of the magazine has been one of convenience. It’s tough to do all of the work running a national magazine entails by my lonesome. Not complaining, just explaining. We’re nearly to the four year mark and I’m sad to say, I still don’t have a workable schedule. The magazine gets 90% of my life and that still isn’t enough. But I’m carving out time to tweak some of the look of this fine publication. I’ve played it very safe in respects to the appearance of my product but I’m ready to take some risks. Stick with me, I’ll get better.
Now for the endings. Not fun to see something end or say goodbye to someone, again, this is a fact of life that I am learning to deal with. I’m not ready to say goodbye yet. I understand why. Still not ready.
About a year ago, the woman who made sure I wasn’t homeless told me she was sick. This was significant for two reasons; I care about what happens to her and she was the writer of the Family Adventures column. I wasn’t sure how to repay her for her kindness when I started this and who knows when I’ll make any real money with it, a column was my solution. She got sick, needed to take care of herself and with that the Family Adventures column was without an author.
Enter Karla Marie Williams. I came across Mrs. Williams’ writing during one of my weekly headline searches for the website. Her writing was smooth, relatable. Bonus? She had SIX kids! Jackpot.
After lending her time and talents to Foster Focus for the last year, she too must move on. Six kids aren’t going to raise themselves! While I am sad that she is leaving, I get it, I’d do the same thing. So with a heavy heart I say goodbye for now to Mrs. Williams, though she can write for Foster Focus anytime, her time with Family Adventures has come to its conclusion.
And with her so goes the Family Adventures section. I will personally pen family relatable articles to fill the void. Family is of high priority with me, that information won’t go away; it will just be packaged in a different way.
Another section that has seen the final day is the Guest Speaker section. The reasoning for this is also two fold, one quality reason, and one not so much. The Guest Speaker section was initially supposed to house guest writers. As it turns out, everyone is a guest writer for Foster Focus. They can write a million times for the magazine but the work is theirs, no one gets paid, that’s why I call them Contributors. Problem.
When I figured that out, I changed it to a place for excerpts of upcoming books or movie/TV reviews. Now the name Guest Speaker makes no sense. I’ve never been able to come up with a good name for the section and the Writer’s Marketplace is doing so well that there is no real reason to keep the section around anymore.
That’s right. The underlying reason the Guest Speaker section is disappearing from the pages of Foster Focus is that I couldn’t think of a good name for it.
How’s that for transparency? I’m not if not honest.
So there it is. Changes. I don’t like it but, “The Dude abides”.
That’s about it for “The Road to Home with Rita Soronen” for January. If all goes well, Rita will be back next month to share her thoughts, if not, I’ll be here to share an adoption story that will make you think and smile. Thanks for letting me pinch hit this month.
Enjoy the rest of the issue.
Owner/Editor - Chris Chmielewski