DawsonTimes.com

When Roswell, GA parent Grant Garris was laid off from his job at Atlanta-based AutoTrader.com in December, part of the process was a referral to an outplacement Web site. A look at that comprehensive site reinvigorated an idea the adoptive parent had long held: Why not create a comprehensive parenting Web site?

That’s howwww.AVillageToRaise.com

was born. In Garris’ words, the site “enables all family types to connect, chat, network and socialize – toward sharing information, tips and resources necessary to support all parental roles in raising a well-rounded child.”

The father of two launched the site quietly on March 20; it officially debuts March 30. Some facets of the site are free of charge; others require a nominal membership fee.

“We know that the process of becoming a parent and then being a truly effective parent through many challenges and triumphs is not necessarily easy,” Garris says, “and that’s why we’ve establishedwww.AVillageToRaise.com

(AVTR). We hope to help families and truly be a resource for them.”

He says they also hope the online community fostered by AVTR will be a place for parents who have found success with particular approaches and organizations to share their positive lessons. Similarly, Garris says, expert articles and commentary – in several forms – will be added on a regular basis. “We’ve created the venue and hope parents and the people who serve them will take the lead in helping shape this online community,” he adds.

Garris, who has a degree in psychology and a corporate background in industrial and organizational psychology, is at the helm ofwww.AVillageToRaise.com

full time. And, though it was founded by two adoptive parents and an adoption advocate and specialist, the Web site has a broader purpose – healthful parenting for all family types.

“The initial response has been affirming,” Garris says. “Though we began slowly, by reaching out to parents and experts we know, we’re already getting contributions from a variety of national experts and have advertisers and sponsors queued up and ready to support our efforts.”

“It takes a village to raise a child” is an African Proverb that gained widespread notoriety with the release of Hillary Clinton’s 1996 book, “It Takes a Village.”

“We hope our Web site will reflect real life as much as possible,” Garris says, “including the fact that the world is made up of a melting pot of varied families.”www.AVillageToRaise.com

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