PRESORTED STANDARD ECRWSS U.S. POSTAGE PAID NEWNAN, GA PERMIT # 1
MarkeTplace
COMPLIMENTARY EDITIONEDITION COMPLIMENTARY
ESTABLISHED 2019
EAT, SHOP, SAVE.
Online auction planned to help with family’s adoption costs
BY REBECCA LEFTWICH becky@newnan.com
O
ne of the biggest barriers to adoption is the cost, and a local moms group is helping a Newnan family grow by raising money in support of its attempt to adopt. Newnan native Lara Carswell and her husband, Robert, are growing their family through infant adoption. The Southside Moms of Multiples Club will host an online silent auction from Jan. 21-24 to help the couple raise the necessary funds. Carswell, a local attorney, said she and Robert – who works in engineering research at Georgia Tech – have always dreamed of a large family. “Infertility has made achieving that dream more challenging,” Carswell said. Before looking into traditional infant adoption, the Carswells grew their family through embryo adoption. About 600,000 embryos created for in-vitro fertilization are currently in storage in the U.S., according to Carswell.
“When going through IVF, parents often create more embryos than the number of children they want,” she said. “Once they finish having kids, the other embryos remain frozen in storage. Many couples donate them to other families, or place the embryos for ‘adoption.’” After two successful embryo adoptions resulting in their son, Leland, and twin daughters Charlotte and Elizabeth, the couple said they still felt the pull towards traditional adoption. Carswell said the biggest hesitation was the cost of adoption, with the national average for infant adoption topping $40,000. In 2019, after attending the RACE for Orphans, the Carswells said their then-7-year-old son asked them when he could have a baby brother or sister. He told his parents the family could adopt one of the many orphans in the world. Carswell said Leland’s open
Building + Home Improvement Products at Wholesale Prices 3 Haynie Street Newnan, GA 30263 www.shopwholesaleexpo.com
ADOPTION . 3
PHOTO COURTESY CARSWELL FAMILY
The Carswells are raising funds to adopt an infant. Pictured are front, Leland Carswell; back, Charlotte, Elizabeth, Lara and Robert Carswell.
SPECIALIZING IN...
404-965-2993 Open to the Public
Monday – Saturday 9 AM – 5 PM
Call 770-253-1576 or email advertise@newnan.com
THE NEWNAN TIMES-HERALD | NTHMEDIA
POSTAL CUSTOMER
ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS HERE!
JANUARY 20, 2021