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Newsletter
A Newsletter from Families Thru International Adoption, Inc.
May 2002
Volume 12 - Number 2
What's Inside:
YOU'RE INVITED TO OUR OPEN
HOUSE!!!!!!
Please come visit us Friday June 14 from 2-6 p.m.
We are excited to announce that we have moved into our new facility, which was designed and built with the hope of allowing us to better serve children and adopting parents. Perhaps the most special part of our new facility is the Activities Room that we will open to non-profit organizations whose focus and goal is serving children. Although we are in our new building, not everything is finished. When everything is complete, we will send out a notice for an Open House, currently scheduled for Friday, June 14 from 2-6 p.m. We know that many of our adopting/adoptive parents live far away and will not be able to attend our Open House but we certainly want everyone to know that they are welcome.
2002 Celebration of Children Reunion
You should shortly be receiving your invitation to our Celebration of Children Reunion, which will be held on Aug. 17th and 18th in Cincinnati, Ohio. Please plan on attending this celebration and make your plans and submit your registration to us early. If you have any specific questions about the Reunion, please direct them to Brenda Raymond-Ball at braymond@ftia.org
As most of you have probably read, it appears the Immigration and
Naturalization Service (INS) as it is currently structured, will soon no longer
exist. Congress and the President appear to agree that the current INS must go.Our
hope is that whatever changes are made will result in better, faster, more courteous
service to our adopting parents. Please know that there are many outstanding INS
officers, both in the US and overseas, but without question the INS has major
problems. It is expected that the enforcement side of the INS, which typically deals
with illegal immigration and the "service" side, which deals with visas,
will simply be separated and absorbed by other existing Federal Agencies. While we
anticipate no immediate effect on our adopting parents, we realize that sometime in
the next year there may be some difficulties because of these upcoming changes. We
will keep you posted on the most current news on our website under "Hot
News".
FTIA is pleased to announce that the Ohio office has moved to a new
location. Along with the Adoption Awareness Alliance, Tri-State Adoption Coalition
and Cherub International, FTIA has helped to found the new Adoption Resource Center
in Blue Ash, (Cincinnati) Ohio. FTIA looks forward to better serving the Ohio
adoption community through this new collaborative. Please call or email or visit us
in our new home.
Families Thru International Adoption
Adoption Resource Center
9918 Carver Rd, Suite 102
Cincinnati, OH 45242
(513) 794-1515 or braymond@ftia.org
In April some of our team attended the Joint Council for Intercountry Adoptive Services (JCICS) annual conference in Washington, DC. This conference starts off with a one-day medical conference with the latest information presented by several of the International Adoption specialists (Dana Johnson, Deborah Borchers, Jane Aronson, Mary Staat and others). Topics include an update on current medical trends from many countries as well as research underway and some statistical results of recently finished studies.
The conference also includes interaction with the US State Department and the INS. Much of this years State Department update was on the status of the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption and when it will be fully implemented in the United States. It is not expected to be fully implemented in the US until at least 2004 and possibly even 2005. We are currently expecting the final proposed regulations to be published in the Federal Register sometime this summer. After the final proposed regulations are published there will be an opportunity for public response, after which time the "final" version of the regulations will then be published again in the Federal Register. But even after the final regulations are issued, the actual implementation will still be a couple of years away. We will keep you updated in further newsletters and on our website.
We are active in several of the JCICS country caucuses. In addition, Chris Huber will be chairing a conference committee planning a fall Guatemalan conference of all adoption professionals including US agency representatives, Guatemalan attorneys, US officials, and hopefully several Guatemalan adoption officials.
Kailee Wells, the daughter of Owen & Linda Wells, is a five-year-old from China. She first came to the United States with her parents at approximately 14 months of age. Recently, she was diagnosed with Aplastic Anemia. This is a very rare and often fatal disease, which means that Kailee’s bone marrow is not making any new blood cells. Kailee is still searching for a bone marrow donor. Currently, Kailee started a chemotherapy regimen that is expected to last about a year. If this chemotherapy regimen is not successful, Kailee will need a bone marrow donor. Please visit Kailee’s website at kaileegetwells.com to learn what you can do to help Kailee as well as many, many other children who have bone marrow transplant needs as well as other special medical needs. Please remember Kailee in your prayers.
I (Keith) attended the annual American Academy of Adoption Attorneys conference, which is also held in April. The AAAA is a group of professional attorneys committed to serving children through adoption according to the highest ethical standards. I am a member of the International Agency Committee of the AAAA and our committee met during the conference. Our committee is busy developing a Statement of Understanding, which when finished will be recommended to all agencies and attorneys to have their adopting parents sign at the beginning of their international adoption process. This document is intended to clearly and distinctly spell out all the procedures of international adoption as well as the potential risks. It is hoped that with a uniform document like this all parents will enter into their international adoption with a similar understanding and will be provided very realistic expectations. Although many adopting parents enter the adoptive process with reasonable expectations, there are some adopting parents who, either through inaccurate information or no information, form unrealistic expectations.The AAAA also allows FTIA to network with attorneys across the country who can provide valuable services to our adopting parents upon their return from overseas. Membership in the AAAA is by invitation and only open to attorneys with extensive adoption experience. I would strongly recommend any of our adopting parents who feel they may need an attorney to review or prepare any documents prior to or after their adoption to locate a member on the Academy’s website at www.adoptionattorneys.org.
China by Tina J.
Chinese like to say " Spring is the hope of the year." We, the China team, have been enjoying a very lively and busy spring! When we first learned about the quota system implemented by the CCAA, we were concerned about how this new policy would affect the overall process of adopting from China. Six months after the CCAA put the quota policy in place, things are now generally moving forward in an orderly way. We tried very hard to provide families some predictability and stability during this hectic time. Families with an active application with us when this policy came into effect were secured a spot to submit a dossier to China within our quota for 2002 (December 1, 2001 – November 30, 2002). Then we opened up for 30 more applications in January, which were filled within a week, with the understanding that at least the first 20 dossiers we receive would be submitted within our 2002 quota and the rest would be submitted after December 1, 2002. On May 1st, we started to accept 90 more new applications from married couples. In accordance with the current quota policy, these new applicants cannot submit a dossier to China until after December 1, 2002. Because it is unclear at this point if the same quota policy would be carried on into the following year, we decided to be cautious with the number of applications we take now with the possibility to open up more in the future. We also decided not to accept any application from single parents at this point because of the high uncertainty on the CCAA’s future policy on single adoptions. Hopefully we will be able to open up to single parents some time in the future once we hear more from the CCAA. For more information and updates on the quota policy and new applications, please visit the China Updates on our web site under "Hot News." Our first list of waiting children in 2002 arrived finally at the beginning of May! They are all so precious! We are so grateful that we were given this opportunity to work on their behalf. Our China team is working very dedicatedly in translating and organizing the information at this time. We can’t wait to talk to families about these children very soon. For more information on waiting children and the program, visit the Waiting Children Program session and "Hot News" on our web site. Our Foster Care Program in Hunan is expanding! 72 children have lived or are living in our program! Out of these 72 children, 27 children have been adopted by American families and one child has been adopted by a Chinese family! Thank you so much for all the participating sponsors! You all should be very proud of yourselves - you are making a difference for these children! We apologize to our kind sponsors for not doing a better job keeping you updated. With the absence of Kate, who has been your main contact, we are making some adjustments. You will hear from us soon. Thank you all for your patience. Since Kate is on an extended leave, we have a new helper on team – Holly. I am sure a lot of you will get acquainted with Holly in the following two months. Our main contacts for families at present time are Megan and Lisa.
Guatemala by Chris
The past few months in Guatemala have been a roller coaster as first one change and then another were implemented and then after a few days or weeks rescinded. In January, Guatemala Immigration and the issuance of Guatemala passports for the children ground to a stop as the director was removed from office to face charges of corruption. His replacement only lasted 2 weeks and then resigned. All the while a regulation which had been on the books a long time but never enforced was placed into effect requiring all families to submit notarized, certified and authenticated copies of their passport even in cases where the family would not be traveling to Guatemala but rather using an escort. Due to the outcry from the adoption community and the work of the adoption attorneys in Guatemala this rule was again shelved but still not removed from the books. For that reason we are still requiring families to include copies of their passport as part of the dossier in case they begin to require them once again. Another example of this type of temporary change came in mid-March when INS began requiring attorneys to file an I-600 form signed and notarized by the family either to initiate or finish a case. After just two days they dropped this requirement. Another highlight from the spring was the conference hosted by the Immigration and Naturalization Service in Guatemala. Both Erin and I were able to attend this conference. Although we were skeptical initially, the INS officers were genuinely seeking input from adoption agencies and attorneys. They responded to our recommendations with a number of concrete steps, many of which have already been implemented. One significant change was expanding their hours of attention at the windows. Previously, as many of you know, the attorneys could only present paperwork from about 3:00pm until 4:30pm, Monday through Thursday, and the attorney always had to present it personally. Currently they are open about 6 hours a day and the attorney can designate an assistant to deliver or pick up papers from the Embassy. This frees the attorneys up to spend more time on other aspects of the case. The INS is also expanding its staff in Guatemala. A series of temporary people from the Mexico City district office will be rotating through until the people chosen for permanent assignment can receive their clearances and transfer in. Finally, INS will begin investigating the adoption cases as soon as the paperwork is submitted to them and then once the DNA results are received, they plan to respond within 30 days. Previously the investigation of cases did not even begin until the DNA results were received by INS. Although there are still some problems and glitches in the system, over all things are greatly improved. We expect that while there may be minor bumps along the way as with the passport issue, the process should continue to move forward and we will continue to have a steady stream of families traveling to Guatemala to be united with their children.
Russia by Tina H.
We are excited to announce the addition of Susan Travis to our Russia program. Susan joined the Russia team in April and is quickly learning the changes that have taken place with the program since she and her husband, Don, adopted their daughter Katia in May 1999 from Rostov. With the continued growth of the Russia program, Susan and I will be able to provide more time to each of our family’s cases. In February, I had the opportunity to visit Azerbaijan and Russia. The trip was a great experience for me and gave me a clearer picture of the process for our adoptive families. While in Russia, I visited several orphanages and also stayed at the host home in Rostov. I was fortunate to have the company of a few FTIA families who were finishing their second trip while I was in Rostov. It was great to meet and talk with them about their adoption in detail, etc. Also, it was great to stay at the host home. I was very comfortable during my stay and appreciated the kindness from the staff in Rostov. In recent months, the wait time to receive an invitation after submitting a completed dossier is four to seven months. During the first trip, families can expect the trip to be approximately one week. While in Russia for the first trip, families will submit their translated and notarized dossier to the Ministry of Education. Keep in mind that the Ministry of Education already has an abstract from each dossier. In addition, the family will request the referral of a child from the Ministry of Education. The Ministry will only provide the family with little information about the child (i.e. name, date of birth, orphanage location). After receiving this information, the family will visit the orphanage and obtain medical information and ask any and all questions about the child’s development, etc. Once the visit is complete, the family will return to the host home and contact their medical specialist. After consulting with the physician, the family will have an opportunity to file their petition to adopt with the local courthouse. Once the petition is filed, the family will return to Moscow. After returning home, families can expect the time between first and second trips to be six to eight weeks (assuming there aren’t any vacations or holidays in Russia).
Vietnam by Megan
Amidst the rumors of an impending suspension of international adoptions in Vietnam, the program continues to move forward at its typical pace. Referral time is still approximately 4-8 months. We have had several families travel for their first of two trips to Vietnam in the last several weeks. Typically the first trip will be about one week long, including travel time. The main purpose of the first trip is to submit the completed dossier in person to the provincial authorities. Sometimes families are asked basic questions by the provincial authorities at the time of dossier submission. These questions might pertain to income, employment or family life for example. Families have had anywhere from 20 minutes to 3 or 4 hours to spend with their children while visiting on the first trip. The amount of time permitted depends on the province, the orphanage director and the family’s itinerary. Most recently, the unofficial word is that a temporary suspension of adoptions in Vietnam will begin on July 1, 2002. However, it is uncertain if this date truly will be a start date for a moratorium. We will keep everyone posted on Hot News on our web site as we learn information. A reminder about annual letters for Vietnam - we are going to start collecting the reports for 2002 this summer, so those families who have completed an adoption, please keep this in mind! These reports are so important to ensure the continuance of international adoptions in Vietnam. Last year, we received 100% of the annual letters from our families! Let’s keep up that record! About mid-summer, FTIA will send you a letter reminding you to send in your annual report. Thanks!
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China Carp, Diane
Crawford, Patricia Lauren
DeWeese, Ryan & Anita Brownsburg, IN Julianne
Dukes, Judy Leipsic, OH Tylee
Fanok, Tony & Melissa Henderson, KY Eli
Grillo, Tim & Mary Upper Arlington, OH Clara & Anna
Hess, James & Laurie Downington, PA Jolie
Holcomb, David & Sheri Worthington, OH Bo
LaRowe, Rex & Robin Greentown, IN Jillian
McNaughton, Douglas & Carol Morristown, IN Hope
Mitchell, Ed & Deborah Evansville, IN Mia
Robinson, Deborah Princeton, IN Peyton
Scott, David & Amy Owensboro, KY Lily
Tyl, Phil & Diane Columbus, OH Willow
Waller, Fred & Julie Lancaster, OH Kailey
Fujian Province
Bittner, George & Lonna Evansville, IN Sophie
Guangdong Province
Lehar, Lisa New York, NY Rahel
Guangxi Province
DeLong, Kevin & Kay New Haven, IN Jia
Ebel, Greg & Laura Louisville, KY Jenna
Holmes, Joe & Patricia Valley Cottage, NY Sarah
Phipps, Shane & Jeanna Indianapolis, IN Molly
Rauh, Steve & Molly Harrods Creek, KY Maria
Roudebush, Brad & Shannon Westfield, IN Lia
Simpson, David & Ramona Fishers, IN Jia
Smith, Devin Owensville, IN Kathleen
Wood, Mark & Laurie Washingtonville, NY Kaitlin
Hubei Province
Coate, Mike & Terri West Milton, OH Brenna
Hartline, William & Kate Bossier City, LA Sarah
Lovekamp, Chris & Jane Owensboro, KY Anna
Melton, Darrell & Kim Eaton, OH Elizabeth
Mikan, Marlene Canfield, OH Remi
Schwartz, Pam Apopka, FL Sara
Urmston, Tim & Joanne Cincinnati, OH Elizabeth
Vawter, Michael & Pam Franklin, IN Lia
White, Sheryl Louisville, KY Michaela
Wilson, Thomas & Karen Beavercreek, OH Anna
Hunan Province
Anderson, Scott & Christine Louisville, KY Kyra
Bickett, Mike & Rosie Louisville, KY Olivia
Brittain, Glenn & Vickie Gilbert, AZ Erika
Carlin, Neil & Jayne Brookville, OH Abigail
Comeau, Jules & Betty Long Lake, NY Alyssa
Hecht, Ray & Cathy Washingtonville, NY Caroline
Jones, Steve & Sandy Indianapolis, IN Reagan
Lubow, Barry & Susan Pickerington OH Jenna
Mitchell, Scotty & Carol Madisonville, KY Abigail
Parsons, Scott & Cindi Guysville, OH Lindsey
Ryman, Ray & Machelle Barnesville, OH Celeste
Baker, Jill Greenwood, IN Libby
Bittinger, Lowell & Karen Fishers, IN Emma
Blake, Jeffrey & Holly Indianapolis, IN Taylor
Clutts, Thomas & Ronda Bardstown, KY Brelayne
Crosby, Andrew & Cathy Indianapolis, IN Maya |
Curran, Thomas & Debra St. Louis, MO Megan
Dunn, Christopher & Holly Fort Wayne, IN Madelyn
Manning, Gregory & Kathleen Indianapolis, IN Nicole
McDermott, Mary Indianapolis, IN Ali
Meehan, John & Celeste North Babylon, NY Lily
Rota-Autry, James & Kelly Indianapolis, IN Emma
Spiegler, Susan New York, NY Elizabeth
Vero, Fedele & Mary Beth Blauvelt, NY Faith
Jiangxi Province
Lafferty, Jane Spring Lake Heights, NJ Kathryn Guatemala
Abel, Steve & Jill Beech Grove, IN Haley
Alvarez, Juan Carlos & Marie Colombus, IN Carlos
Cannon, John & Bridget Prospect, KY Rachel
Cory, Donnie & Janine Bargersville, IN Makayla
Craig, Tim & Bobbie Osgood, IN Logan
Crosby, Chris & Jenifer Porter, IN Jose
Dienna, Matthew & Denise Huntington, NY Maria
Evans, Tony & Tracy New Harmony, IN Chloe
Everage, Jennifer Danville, IN Sophie
Folio, Mike & Lori Charleston, VW Maria
Harrison, Lane & Christin Springfield, MO Bethany
Heynen, Nik & Jennifer Bloomington, IN Fletcher
Inman, Bruce & Margaret Indianapolis, IN Cristopher
Jackson, David & Leigh Ann Madisonville, KY Chloe
Juhl, Jennifer Ava, IL Bailey
Kabins, Darryl & Gayle Bloomington, IN Mirna
Kemp, Donna Indianapolis, IN Cristina
Lawless, Steve & Melissa Hamilton, OH Joshua
Lorton, Don & Marianne Huntington, IN Melanie
Mullen, Robert & Kathryn Louisville, KY Will
Noback, John & Freda Evansville, IN Jackson
Nowicki, Greg & Bridget Plantation, FL Joshua
Olson, Paul & Peggy River Forest, IL Carl
Pesce, Larry & Sandy Fishers, IN Joshua
Robbins, Travis & Tina Noblesville, IN Nathaniel
Rutt, J.D. & Katherine Tipp City, OH David
Rynard, Robert & Ann Greensburg, IN Zoie
Schmitz, Duane & Lenore Indianapolis, IN Christian
Stutler, Todd & Dara Versailles, IN Isabella
Todd, Jeffrey & Tammy Logansport, IN Kevin
Trimmer, Ray & Lewis, Beth Dayton, OH Gabriella
Russia Rostov
Blanchard, Rodney & Michele Violet, LA Montana
Deardorff, Bradley & Christee Brownsburg, IN Anna
Dennis, Stephen & Angela Leitchfield, KY Victoria & Michael
DeWeese, Steve & Sharon Houston, OH Adam
Harker, James & Mary Chicago. IL Andrew
Howes, Harry & Melissa Lake Placid, FL Harrison
Jordan, Gail Indianapolis, IN Benjamin
Marquart, Angela Greenwood, IN Olga & Marina
McGillivary, Garry & Vicki Middletown, OH Owen
Orman, Gary & Michelle Franklin, IN Matthew
Sorber, Todd & Lisa Gouldsboro, PA Alexei & Alexander
Vietnam Da Nang Province
Arthur, Dana & Susan Bedford, IN Brady |
One of our adoptive parents, Drew Abas, is the President of the Families With Children from China Chapter of Greater Cincinnati. We congratulate Drew on his commitment, not only for his daughter, but also for all the other children who will benefit from his leadership of FCC-Greater Cincinnati.
This Indiana Guatemalan adoption support group is scheduled to meet at the Indianapolis Zoo at 10:30 AM on June 15th for a day at the zoo. This will include a picnic lunch together at 12:00 PM. For more information, please contact Janette at jfluharty@iquest.net. This is open to anyone in the process of adopting from Guatemala.
It is with profound sadness that we share the news of Lisa’s death in February. She was the outstanding mother to Adele & Elena, whom she adopted from Kazakhstan. We are pleased to tell you that the girls have been adopted by Lisa’s best friend, Bev Neidert and remain in the same environment.
China
FTIA recommends that you bring some gifts for the provincial officials, orphanage director, caretakers as a way of showing your appreciation for their help and assistance. Souvenir type gifts would be good, such as specialities from your area. We have also listed more ideas in the China Travel Guide. You will be handing these gifts to the official all at one time or at different times following your coordinator’s direction. Our coordinator in China will assist you throughout your whole trip in China, and you may want to also bring her/him a gift as a small token of appreciation. It is strictly prohibited to give money as a gift to officials or FTIA staff. Typically, Chinese will just say thank you but will not open the gift in front of you when receiving a gift.
Guatemala
For Guatemala, families are not required to take gifts for any officials or your attorney when you travel to bring home your child. However, if you would like to take a few small gifts, there are usually three individuals for which it would be appropriate to purchase or prepare gifts: your child’s foster mother, your attorney, and the person who will accompany you to the U.S. Embassy (either the attorney or an assistant). Some gift ideas for the foster mom could include bath towels, dish towels, body lotions, a family photo album, or a framed picture or locket with your child’s picture inside. For the attorney and/or assistant, you could bring a t-shirt or hat from a local university or sports team, a nice card, a planner, tie, or pen set. Do not spend a lot of money on gifts. It is much more meaningful to those who facilitated your adoption to receive a creative and sentimental gift or keepsake from your family that they can always remember.
Russia
Currently, we encourage families to prepay a one-time fee for our in-country FTIA staff to purchase gifts for several individuals on behalf of the adoptive family. The FTIA staff will purchase a total of seven gifts. The gifts do not include the orphanage caregivers nor the FTIA staff that assists you throughout the adoption process in Russia. If families wish to purchase gifts for caregivers, that is great. We recommend something small and personal like nice lotions, make-up, etc. Since Russia does require two trips, it is not recommended to take gifts on the first trip.
Vietnam
When traveling to Vietnam on the first trip, FTIA recommends that you bring orphanage donations but no additional gifts. On the second trip, it is encouraged that families bring some gifts for the officials in the province. You might give a gift of candy, a T-shirt from a college in your home state, or other specialties from your area. More ideas are listed in your Vietnam Travel Guide. The gifts are small tokens of appreciation for the work they have done for your adoption case. They are not bribes! The gifts are typically handed over in a large bundle and the officials do not open them right in front of you. Many people worry about buying the perfect gift, but please don’t! Any gift that is appropriate will be appreciated and serve the purpose for which it is intended – simply conveying "thanks!"
Our commitment to you: SERVICE AND INTEGRITY
Families
Thru International Adoption, Inc.
400 Bentee Wes Court
Evansville, IN 47715
Telephone: 812-479-9900 Toll Free: 888-797-9900
FAX: 812-479-9901
email: adopt@ftia.org
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