Events

 

 

Olivia - Ava - Kristen - Judy     

• May 17, 2008   

LAWN PARTY & BOOK SIGNING

Saturday, May 17th, 2008

Open House hosted by Ava Friddle, Judy Andrews & Kristen Hamilton, Authors

Our new book, Back to the Beginning; Remarkable True Stories of Adoption Searches and Reunions is finally printed and in our hands!  In May, we hosted a lawn party and invited all our friends, relatives, and clients to help us celebrate. It was a beautiful spring day and we set up everything on the lawn under gazebos and umbrellas- the buffet, ice chests, tables, chairs, etc. Kristen's daughter Kelsey provided the background music with a selection of songs and guitar playing. We had a great turnout with over 150 guests, and the party lasted from 2 o'clock until midnight!

• January 16, 2008 

What a fun meeting! The Sisters hosted a real "sister act" with private investigators Kristen Hamilton and Judy Friddle Andrews of RESEARCH ETC., Inc. This Scottsdale woman-owned PI Agency has been in business since 1995. They call themselves "people finders" since their main work is in reuniting adopted children (now adults) with their birth parents...and they work closely with the AZ Confidential Intermediary Program. Kristen admitted that since the growth of the internet, the job has become easier, since it is mostly research work. However, they also do surveillance and other types of investigation.

 

Kristen & Judy talked about some of their case studies, several of which will appear in their upcoming, self-published book. They also have CD's and DVD's available, through "SpyralSearch," a reference directory of specific cities and years. For more information about which cities and years, go to www.SpyralSearchSales.com .

 

Our members had lots of questions for Kristen and Judy, especially about adoptions, the Confidential Intermediary Program, and whose rights (Birth mother, adopted child, state) take precedence. We found that different states have different laws; often the information they seek from adoption agencies is sealed; and genealogy sites such as ellisisland.com and ancestry.com can be helpful in their research.

 

All in all, a very interesting program.

              Report by Sue Flaig 

 

Kristen Hamilton, President of Research Etc., Inc., was honored by the opportunity to personally meet Maricopa County Sheriff, Joe Arpaio.  Known as "America's Toughest Sheriff," Sheriff Joe is famous for his no-nonsense, back-to-basics approach to law enforcement.  The "guests" at his Tent City Jail wear stripes, pink underwear, work on chain gangs and eat baloney sandwiches for dinner. No frills at this camp - the inmates are even not allowed coffee, salt, or sugar. There have been many complaints about the amenities of the facility - it gets hot sleeping in tents in our 105-115+ degree summers in Arizona. Our best advice is to stay on the right side of the law in Maricopa County!

One thing is for sure:  No one is ambivalent about their feelings for Sheriff Joe - you either love him or you hate him.  For the record, WE love him!

Kina Kim Cooper & Kristen's 12-year old daughter were the biggest help to us - they pitched in and manned our booth while we visited the other booths.  There was an amazing turnout at this event and it was well organized with a complete gourmet luncheon buffet  provided free of charge to both attendees and participating members. Kristen's husband Russ gave us a surprise visit with their son Rex, who just ha be in this picture.

 (Kristen  -  Kristen's son  -  Kina  -  Kristen's daughter  -  Judy)