The mission of Families for Private Adoption (FPA) is to provide support and education to those seeking to build their families through adoption. While FPA is supportive of all types of adoption, our particular focus is in drawing upon our members' collective experience to provide practical help and encouragement to people pursuing domestic, private adoption. Support and education takes the form of Adoption Workshops, a Buddy Program, a Facebook presence and a Yahoo! eGroup, through which adoptive parents and adoption professionals act as guides, sharing their experience and advice with waiting parents and with each other. Since 1984 FPA has played an important role in helping to build literally hundreds of forever families. A non-profit group, FPA is run entirely by volunteers, almost all of whom are parents through adoption. We are concerned with preserving the dignity of all parties involved in the private adoption process and advocate for the rights of adoptive parents, birthparents and our children. We actively monitor pertinent legislation and work to maintain private adoption as a legal option. While our origins are in serving Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia, we welcome participation from across the United States.