Latest news with #Adoption


Time of India
28-05-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
World University Games: 11 athletes from Alva's College selected
Mangaluru: As many as 11 athletes from Alva's Education Foundation's Sports Adoption Scheme, representing Mangalore University, were selected to represent India in the forthcoming World University Games 2025. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The event is scheduled to be held in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany, from July 16 to 27. With this, the total number of athletes from the foundation participating in the games over the years has risen to 32. Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, M Mohan Alva, president of the foundation, said the selection was a matter of great pride for the institution and the state. The athletes were selected during the trials held at the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT), Bhubaneswar. In the men's category, the selected athletes are Gagan (5,000m run), Sachin (20km walk), Balakrishna (400m run), and Taufique N (decathlon). In the women's category, Deekshita (400m hurdles), Basanti Kumari (half marathon), Manju Yadav (steeplechase), Sindhusree (pole vault), Sakshi (javelin throw), Jyoti (half marathon), and Shalini (20km walk) secured their spots. All the selected athletes represent Mangalore University and trained under Alva's Sports Adoption Scheme. Each athlete will require a financial outlay of Rs 2.5 lakh to participate in the event. While Mangalore University has assured a contribution of Rs 75,000 per athlete, the remaining expenses are being borne by the foundation. Athletes from the Foundation participated in previous World University Games, with a total of 32 individuals selected, including this year. In the 2015 games held in Croatia, one athlete participated; in the 2017 games in Taiwan, two athletes participated; in the 2019 games in Italy, 10 athletes participated; and in the 2023 games in Chengdu, China, eight athletes took part.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Elizabethton mothers say being a mom is 'more than blood'
ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. (WJHL)—Mother's Day is a time to honor all mother figures in our lives, including those who became mothers in a nontraditional way. The idea of a mother has changed throughout the years. 'A mother is a person who loves, cares for and takes care of,' Elizabethton resident Angie Odom said. 'And it is a woman who shows a lot of strength, a lot of effort every day, day in and day out.' 'Someone who's willing to fight for, stand up for, advocate for, protect, love and nurture a child,' Elizabethton resident Ronda Paulson said. Odom is the founder of the TLC Community Center, which supports mothers and those seeking to adopt. She stated that the distinction of motherhood belongs to both families. 'Many times we'll say, 'Oh, you're a wonderful person because you adopted,'' Odom said. 'But I still feel like these mothers that have chosen adoption are wonderful individuals.' Odom has biological and adopted children. She said there is no difference in her love for both of her girls. 'I've heard people say that before, that there's no difference in between,' she said. 'But there truly isn't at all. You love them just the same. And there's extra protectiveness even sometimes there.' Paulson also has biological and adopted children and has experience as a foster mother. 'It's a bit of a roller coaster,' she said. 'And I know a lot of people are apprehensive about becoming a foster parent. But it was one of the biggest blessings that my husband and I have ever received.' Paulson founded Isaiah 117 House in Elizabethton, which provides housing for children awaiting their foster care placement. On Mother's Day, Paulson said she often thinks of the mothers of her adopted boys, and the mothers who step up. 'Mother's Day, it's tricky for a lot of women,' she said. 'Mother's Day is tricky for me as an adoptive mom. I think about my adoptive sons' mother today. Foster moms, I think of them on Mother's Day. Some of them they're being advocates for children that they believe are not in a safe environment.' Odom and Paulson said being a mother is about more than blood. 'It's really just about the role that you're playing and showing up,' Odom said. 'I think a lot of it is those that show up.' 'When you sign up to be a foster parent, what you're actually saying yes to is a child that needs a parent,' Paulson said. 'Needs a stand-in when they have no one.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.