Win a raffle, become a parent

Win a raffle, become a parent

By Josephine Marcotty, Star Tribune

Last update: March 11, 2010 - 6:59 PM

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There are door prizes. And then there are door prizes.

Like a $12,000 cycle of in vitro fertilization treatments. Or two years of storage for frozen embryos, valued at $500. Or a $300 discount on adoption services.

These and other prizes will be given away Saturday at the annual family-building conference of the Minnesota chapter of RESOLVE, a national infertility advocacy group. The conference in Golden Valley will focus on medical and emotional issues associated with infertility and adoption, with topics ranging from new medical treatments to legal issues to parenting options.

True, most people don't need those prizes -- they can have babies the natural way. But for many infertile couples desperate to have children, they are "life-changing gifts," said Julie Berman, a volunteer for the Minnesota chapter.

The organizers hand out donated prizes at the conference every year, and many couples who have won them have succeeded in becoming parents as a result, Berman said. But this time, she added, "we are having a banner year."

The door prize list includes:

•An IVF cycle from the Reproductive Medicine Center at the University of Minnesota.

•An egg donor discount from International Assisted Reproduction Center in Maple Grove, valued at $4,000.

•Legal documents for a gestational carrier agreement from Assisted Reproduction and Adoption Law in Golden Valley, valued at $3,000.

•Three adoption home study discounts from Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota, each valued at $1,000.

•Half off professional advice on creating a profile for adoptive parents from My Adoption Advisor in Minnetonka, valued at $225.

Online registration for the conference has closed, but walk-ins may register for $85 per person or $110 per couple. The conference runs from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Calvary Lutheran Church in Golden Valley. For more information go to www. midwest.resolve.org.

Josephine Marcotty • 612-673-7394

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