Couple to talk on special support for adoptive families

AUBURN — Warren and Amy Shaw will address the Lewiston-Auburn Rotary Lunch Club meeting at noon Thursday, Jan. 25, at the Village Inn, 165 High St.

Warren and Amy Shaw are the founders of At a Bend in the Road, a nonprofit organization with a mission to provide a place where adoptive, foster and kinship families in Maine can find specialized support for their unique needs.

Shaw works in product development at Thos. Moser Cabinet Makers, where he has been employed for the past 25 years. Amy is a stay-at-home mother and program director for ABR.

The Shaw family experienced the need for appropriate and specific supports for families who were raising a child with a history of trauma, neglect and abuse. In 2001 they adopted their 9-month-old daughter from a Siberian orphanage.

Due to her young age, they expected to bypass many of the challenges common in raising a child with a history of neglect and abuse. They discovered this was not the case, and through the years of tremendous struggle, they met other families who had similar unmet needs for unique and specific supports. ABR was formed in November of 2012 in response to this need.

Reservations are not required at the luncheon. For more information on future Rotary speakers, contact President and Program Chairwoman Monica Millhime, 207-713-7045 or email [email protected] Events and other club information are posted at www.lewistonauburnrotary.org and www.facebook.com/lewistonmainerotary/.