MISSION Adoption Ad-vantage

Illinois mom speaks up for adoptive families – and her own

BY MEREDITH FLYNN

Athens | Ginger Newingham didn’t watch the Super Bowl. But she did see a commercial that ran during the pre-game show, after friends in her online adoption group posted about it.

In the ad for Priceline.com, a couple uses the company’s services to book travel to Eastern Europe, where they plan to pick up their adoptive son. In the next scene, they’re back home, without a child and glad they were able to go check things out before committing to the child. (It turns out, he was a grown man.)

The attempt at humor rang false to Newingham, an active blogger and member of the adoption community who, with her husband, Chance, has adopted two sons from Eastern Europe. She was bothered by the lighthearted tone Priceline used to depict a family that had decided not to adopt. The Newinghams know people who have traveled internationally to adopt, only to come home without a child because the child’s medical needs were so high, or the parents didn’t think they could provide the services and resources needed.

The Newinghams became parents to three sons in three years: They adopted Nasko, now 9, from Bulgaria in 2012. A second son, Louis, was born in 2013, and their family grew to five in 2014, when they adopted Edward from Latvia.

“Obviously our heart is for adoption,” said Ginger, whose family is active at Delta Church in Springfield. She was afraid the ad could scare off potential adoptive families.

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