Seeking Board Member Nominations! Join the Rainbow Families Board of Directors – Apply by March 20

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JOIN THE RAINBOW FAMILIES BOARD OF DIRECTORS! Rainbow Families is pleased to announce that it is seeking several new members for its Board of Directors for the July 2018 to June 2020 term. This is a terrific opportunity to bring your skills, passion, ideas, and volunteer time to the service of LGBTQ headed households and prospective parents in the DMV.

You do not need to have children or plan to have children to serve on the Rainbow Families Board! Allies of LGBTQ families are welcomed and strongly encouraged to consider serving on the Board.

Questions? Email – info@rainbowfamilies.org

Learn More & Apply by CLICKING HERE.

Considering Parenthood? Not Sure Where to Begin? Register for Rainbow Families’ Fall Maybe Baby Session

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Rainbow Families offers a Maybe Baby series twice a year designed for prospective parents, singled or partnered, who are considering parenthood and interested in learning more about the options for building a family.

The Maybe Baby series consist of eight 2 hour sessions over the course of 8 weeks. The sessions will take place on Sunday afternoons from 3-5 PM at Whitman-Walker’s Elizabeth Taylor Medical Center.

The series covers a wide range of topics, including readiness, overview of adoption, assisted reproduction, and surrogacy; financial and legal issues; building a support network; decision making as a couple; considerations for single parenting; and the joys and challenges of being an LGBT-headed family. The class is designed to provide a balance of active discussion and sharing, as well as to gain practical, accurate information that helps set the foundation for moving forward.

Fall 2016 Schedule: 9/25, 10/2, 10/9, 10/23, 10/30, 11/6, 11/13, & 11/20

Location: Whitman-Walker’s Elizabeth Taylor Medical Center, 1701 14th St., NW, Washington, DC 20009 (Corner of R Street and 14th Street)

Cost: The cost is $250 per couple, $150 for singles.  

To register, please CLICK HERE.

For more information, please email info@rainbowfamilies.org. 

DCPL Rainbow Craft & Scavenger Hunt – Tomorrow, June 30 at 2 PM

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Tomorrow, Thursday, June 30th at 2pm, DC’s Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library (located at 901 G St. NW, Washington, DC 20001​) will host a Rainbow Craft and Scavenger Hunt for children ages 0-12 and their families. You can use your detective skills in the children’s room on a scavenger hunt to find a heart in every color of the rainbow. After you have collected your hearts, get crafty and create colorful crowns of hearts. A librarian will read stories that celebrate LGBT families.

Click here to learn more about the event.

Attend a Vigil to Remember the Victims & Survivors in the Orlando Massacre

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Attend a Vigil to Remember the Victims & Survivors

Numerous vigils to remember the victims and survivors have been scheduled throughout DC, Maryland, and Virginia. Please visit www.weareorlando.org to find a vigil near you. Additionally, you should check with your own faith community or other faith communities in your area as many have organized vigils that are not listed on the aforementioned website. If you find none in your area, take the initiative and organize your own.

Honest Talk About Race and Adoption – June 8 – 6-8 PM – FREE

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Supporting children while they make sense of race can feel overwhelming, particularly for white parents. As young people experience both overt and subtle racism, how can adults learn to effectively support adoptees of color? Following the screening of conversations with adopted tweens and teens of color, visiting author and nationally-recognized adoption educator, Beth Hall, will address questions pertaining to identity development at the intersection of race and adoption, and what all adoptive parents need to know about birth/first families.

Adult-only event. ASL/English Interpretation Provided.

Special thanks to the evening’s co-sponsors: Human Rights Campaign, Rainbow Families, Commonwealth Academy & Pact: An Adoption Alliance.

Click Here to Register!

Attention Parents of Teens & Future Teens! Teen Focused Parenting Workshops + Teen Volunteer Opportunities (Earn SSL Hours)

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Family Conference Overview

The biennial conference, presented by Pink & Blue Surrogacy and Fertility, will take place on Saturday, April 30 from 8:30 A.M. to 5 P.M. at Georgetown Day School (4200 Davenport St NW high school campus) in Washington, D.C.

Held every two years, the RFDC Family Conference provides an opportunity for LGBTQ parents, family members and their children, as well as prospective parents, to gather for a day of learning, networking and fellowship.

The 2016 Family Conference will bring together hundreds of parents and families, expert panelists, service providers, businesses, schools and others interested in connecting with the Rainbow Families DC community. The event will include a full day of diverse workshops, as well as discussion groups, social events, and a resource fair featuring information and tools for LGBTQ families and prospective parents.

Please click here to see all of this years conference’s amazing sponsors. Many will be on hand at the Resource Fair!

Teen Parenting Workshop Sessions

The conference will have a number of workshops specific to parenting teens, which promise to be insightful and educational. Additionally, for those of you parenting teens or with children fast approaching the teen years, just to be able to share your stories and the challenges with other parents, will in and of itself be a rewarding experience at the conference

Relevant workshops include:

  • Parenting Teens – They need you now more than ever
  • Creating Community Connection: Parents with Teens 
  • Raising Healthy Eaters: How to Win the Mealtime Wars
  • Growing up with LGBTQ Parents: Perspectives from Three Teens 
  • Discussing Issues of Sexual Health with Your Teen or Pre-Teen
  • Screentime Decisions

PLEASE SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH OTHER FAMILIES YOU KNOW IN YOUR NETWORKS WITH TWEENS & TEENS!

Go to www.rainbowfamiliesdc.org/conference to learn more about the day’s schedule, workshops, and to register!

REMEMBER: The conference ONLY happens EVERY TWO YEARS! So don’t miss out an amazing opportunity to connect with other area families – especially those parents who are at the same point in their parenting journey! Register today!

Older Children & Teens – Volunteer at the Conference as Peer Leaders PLUS Earn Volunteer Hours Toward Graduation (where required)

We encourage you to share this information with your older children. Older children are invited to volunteer to assist, engage and interact with the younger children at the conference. Older children (12 and older) will serve as Peer Leaders in the Kids’ Camp classrooms assiting the teachers and the children. It promises to be a rewarding and empowering experience!

For those teens in the Montgomery County, Maryland Public School System or the DC Public School System, this volunteer opportunity can also be used towards your Student Service Learning hours that are required for graduation. The deadline for older children to register is Wednesday, April 27. Please refer to the registration form for more information. 

Registration Ends Wednesday, April 27. Please Be Sure to Register Today!

Online registration is available through April 27 by CLICKING HERE. Registration fees are $45 per adult for Rainbow Families DC members and $55 per adult for non-members. Teens who would like to reigster to volunteer are requested to provide a registration fee of $10 to help cover the cost of lunch.

Kids’ Camp registration closed on April 15 and no further registrations will be allowed.

Onsite Registration

Onsite registration will be available beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 30 for adults only; no onsite registration will be available for Kids’ Camp.  Onsite registration fees will increase to $50 per adult for Rainbow Families DC members and $60 per adult for non-members.

Rainbow Families DC wants to ensure both the 2016 Family Conference and Kids’ Camp are financially accessible to everyone. If the cost poses a barrier to your family’s participation, please email Rainbow Families DC to discuss alternative pricing at info@rainbowfamiliesdc.org.

Learn more about the 2016 Family Conference and Rainbow Families DC at www.rainbowfamiliesdc.org/conference

Foster Care Advocate & Comfort Cases Founder Rob Scheer to Speak at 2016 Rainbow Families Conference

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Nationally renowned foster care advocate Rob Scheer will address the 2016 Family Conference & Gathering.The biennial conference, presented by Pink & Blue Surrogacy and Fertility, will take place on Saturday, April 30 from 8:30 A.M. to 5 P.M. at Georgetown Day School (4200 Davenport St NW high school campus) in Washington, D.C.

Scheer is the founder of Comfort Cases, a charity that provides backpacks filled with basic necessities to support children in the foster care system on their journey to find home. Scheer received national attention after his family received backlash from conservative groups when his 11 year old daughter Amaya was feature in American Girl magazine. Scheer and Amaya used the opportunity to bring attention to the challenges faced by children in foster care and the great work Comfort Cases is doing to support them.

“I remember the first day Amaya came to stay with us. She was four years old, moving into her third foster home and carrying her entire life in a white trash bag,” said Scheer. “Having experienced foster care myself, I was disgusted to see a child forced to carry around their things like they were garbage. We took her out to buy new clothes and she picked out a Cinderella nightgown.”

“From that moment, I knew we needed to make a change,” Scheer said.

Scheer founded Comfort Cases, a non-profit organization provides backpacks with essential items like toiletries, pajamas, activities and other items for children in foster care. The charity went from providing about 300 kits in 2013 to donating 7,000 to kids in the D.C., Maryland and Virginia foster care systems last year.

Rob is an outspoken advocate for children in foster care and speaks all over the country. He was recently honored at the Family Equality Council Impact Awards in Los Angeles, Calif.

Family Conference Overview

Held every two years, the RFDC Family Conference provides an opportunity for LGBTQ parents, family members and their children, as well as prospective parents, to gather for a day of learning, networking and fellowship.

The 2016 Family Conference will bring together hundreds of parents and families, expert panelists, service providers, businesses, schools and others interested in connecting with the Rainbow Families DC community. The event will include a full day of diverse workshops, as well as discussion groups, social events, and a resource fair featuring information and tools for LGBTQ families and prospective parents.

The conference also includes a Kids’ Camp for children 2.5 years old through elementary school age. Kids Camp is a full-day of fun, engaging and nurturing activities led by energetic volunteers and a group of outstanding activity providers from some of the best programs in the DC Metro area.  Older children are invited to volunteer to assist, engage and interact with the younger children at the conference.

Early Registeration Ends April 15. Registration Continues Through April 27 for Adults Only.

Early online registration is available through April 15 by CLICKING HERE. Registration fees are $40 per adult for Rainbow Families DC members and $50 per adult for non-members. Kids’ Camp registration fees are $25 per child for members and $30 per child for non-members and must be made online. A family registration cap for those with four or more children is available-registration fees will apply to the first three children and the remaining children will be free.

After April 15, no registrations for Kids’ Camp will be allowed.

Late online registration will available through April 27 for adults only and fees will increase to $45 per adult for Rainbow Families DC members and $55 per adult for non-members.

Onsite registration will be available beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 30 for adults only; no onsite registration will be available for Kids’ Camp.  Onsite registration fees will increase to $50 per adult for Rainbow Families DC members and $60 per adult for non-members.

Rainbow Families DC wants to ensure both the 2016 Family Conference and Kids’ Camp are financially accessible to everyone. If the cost poses a barrier to your family’s participation, please email Rainbow Families DC to discuss alternative pricing at info@rainbowfamiliesdc.org.

Learn more about the 2016 Family Conference and Rainbow Families DC at www.rainbowfamiliesdc.org/conference.

LGBTQ Artist & Activist Staceyann Chin to Keynote 2016 Rainbow Families Conference

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Rainbow Families DC  is pleased to announce renowned LGBTQ artist and activist Staceyann Chin will deliver the keynote address at the 2016 Family Conference & Gathering. The biennial conference, presented by Pink & Blue Surrogacy and Fertility, will take place on Saturday, April 30 from 8:30 A.M. to 5 P.M. at Georgetown Day School (4200 Davenport St NW high school campus) in Washington, D.C.

Staceyann Chin is a fulltime artist who was born in Jamaica and now lives in Brooklyn. She has appeared on television and radio, including The Oprah Winfrey Show , CNN, and PBS, discussing issues of race and sexuality. Staceyann Chin has been an “out poet and political activist” since 1998. From the Nuyorican Poets’ Cafe to one-woman shows Off-Broadway to acting in Julie Taymor’s Across the Universe and performing in both the stage and film versions of Howard Zinn’s Voices of a People’s History of the United States, to starring in the Tony nominated, Russell Simmons Def Poetry Jam on Broadway, Chin credits the long list of “things she has done” to her grandmother’s hard-working history and the pain of her mother’s absence.  In her book, “The Other Side of Paradise: A Memoir”, published in 2009, she shares her unforgettable story of triumph against all odds.

In 2011, she announced that she was pregnant by means of in-vitro fertilization with her first child, giving birth to a daughter in January 2012.

Staceyann Chin recently wrapped up her one-woman off Broadway show “MotherStruck”, which was directed by Cynthia Nixon. “MotherStruck” sets forth Staceyann’s personal journey to motherhood as a single woman, lesbian and activist who does not have health insurance or a “serious, stable financial set up,” but wants to have a child. Told through Chin’s uniquely personal and poetic lens, this solo show explores how the process changed her life and how she makes peace with what she learns from this profound experience.

Family Conference Overview

Held every two years, the RFDC Family Conference provides an opportunity for LGBTQ parents, family members and their children, as well as prospective parents, to gather for a day of learning, networking and fellowship.

The 2016 Family Conference will bring together hundreds of parents and families, expert panelists, service providers, businesses, schools and others interested in connecting with the Rainbow Families DC community. The event will include a full day of diverse workshops, as well as discussion groups, social events, and a resource fair featuring information and tools for LGBTQ families and prospective parents.

The conference also includes a Kids’ Camp for children 2.5 years old through elementary school age. Kids Camp is a full-day of fun, engaging and nurturing activities led by energetic volunteers and a group of outstanding activity providers from some of the best programs in the DC Metro area.  Older children are invited to volunteer to assist, engage and interact with the younger children at the conference.

Early Registeration Ends April 15. 

Early online registration is available through April 15 by CLICKING HERE. Registration fees are $40 per adult for Rainbow Families DC members and $50 per adult for non-members. Kids’ Camp registration fees are $25 per child for members and $30 per child for non-members and must be made online. A family registration cap for those with four or more children is available-registration fees will apply to the first three children and the remaining children will be free.

After April 15, no registrations for Kids’ Camp will be allowed.

Late online registration will available through April 27 for adults only and fees will increase to $45 per adult for Rainbow Families DC members and $55 per adult for non-members.

Onsite registration will be available beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 30 for adults only; no onsite registration will be available for Kids’ Camp.  Onsite registration fees will increase to $50 per adult for Rainbow Families DC members and $60 per adult for non-members.

Rainbow Families DC wants to ensure both the 2016 Family Conference and Kids’ Camp are financially accessible to everyone. If the cost poses a barrier to your family’s participation, please email Rainbow Families DC to discuss alternative pricing at info@rainbowfamiliesdc.org.

Learn more about the 2016 Family Conference and Rainbow Families DC at www.rainbowfamiliesdc.org/conference.

EveryQ’s LGBTQ Family & Friends Weekend at Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg – Oct. 20-23, 2016 – Discounted Rates Available Thru April 1

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Rainbow Families DC is Proud to be a Community Partner for EveryQ’s Family & Friends Weekend

When: Thursday, October 20-Sunday, October 23, 2016

Where: Great Wolf Lodge, Williamsburg, VA

Come bring your family and friends as we celebrate LGBTQ families in a safe, family oriented environment. When you join us, you’ll enjoy:

  • Water Park Gifts & Goodies for parents and their children
  • Free Entry to the Parenting Expo on Saturday October 22, 2016
  • Kid-friendly Cooking Demos where your child gets to be the Chef
  • Family Entertainment for kids ages 2 and up
  • And much more…

Each family that makes their reservation before April 1, 2016 will receive a free Water Park Gift Bag which includes toys and accessories valued at over $150. As an additional bonus – All rooms for the FAFW are up to 35% off regular Great Wolf Lodge prices.

Let’s show our kids a great time! You don’t want to miss this amazing event. Reserve your room today before they’re all gone!

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE & RESERVATION INFORMATION for EveryQ’s Family & Friends Weekend

Rainbow Families DC LGBTQ Family Night OUT at the Nationals – Tuesday, April 12 – 7:05 PM – RFDC Members-Only – FREE EVENT! Must Register! Limited Space!

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When: Tuesday, April 12 –  7:05 PM

Where: Nationals Stadium – Washington, DC

Registration Deadline: Wednesday April 6, 2016

In order to register for this event, you must be a member of Rainbow Families DC and log-in to your account.

If you’re not a member, please join now to be able to register for this event and for future events. Membership is only $35/annually.

Join Rainbow Families DC for an LGBTQ Family Night OUT at the Nationals on Tuesday, April 12 at 7:05 PM. Tickets are FREE, but limited, and available on a first come, first serve basis to RFDC members. Please request tickets for your family only otherwise your registration will be canceled. Registrations exceeding the number of tickets available will be placed on a waitlist.

The Washington Nationals v. Atlanta Braves game is TUESDAY, APRIL 12, 2016 at 7:05 PM, at the Nationals Stadium in Washington, DC.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER for Family Night OUT at the Nats

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Rainbow Families DC
5614 Connecticut Ave NW #309
Washington DC 20015-2604

P:  (202) 417-8897
E:  info@rainbowfamilies.org

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These outline liability, photography, privacy & cookie (among other) policies. Participation in any Rainbow Families DC related event or program signifies agreement with these policies.  Some events or programs may have their own added rules and terms as well.   Rainbow Families DC reserves the right to remove participants that represent or express elements of discrimination, hate speech, racism, homophobia, transphobia, etc. at our sole discretion.
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