International Footsteps Newsletter

A Newsletter from Families Thru International Adoption, Inc.

September 2002
Volume 12 - Number 3

What's Inside:

FTIA Logo Wear
2002 Reunion
Bulletin Boards
Letters and Photos
Family Letter
Kailee Update
Program Updates
Newest Little Footsteps

FTIA Logo Wear

We are excited to announce that you can now order Lands’ End merchandise with the FTIA logo directly from Lands’ End. Our logo number and specific instructions are contained on our website. We have made FTIA logo wear available because of repeated requests from you. Please let us know how many of you take advantage of this offer, and whether you are pleased with ordering though Lands’ End. Please note that FTIA does not receive any money from your purchasing clothing from Lands’ End. We are simply licensing our logo for our adopting/adoptive families to use for their personal use.

TOP

2002 Celebration of Children Reunion

For those of you that attended, you are aware of the fantastic and unbelievable reunion we had this year in Cincinnati. We were honored to have friends and families from New York to New Mexico in attendance. Although we never had an exact count, we were very close to a thousand adults and children in attendance. While the numbers are exciting, most important was the celebration and fellowship we all shared together. For more pictures of our reunion, please go to our website.

Please mark next year’s calendar for our 2003 Celebration of Children Reunion, tentatively scheduled for the weekend of August 2nd and 3rd, as we will return to Cincinnati and probably to Winton Woods and Parky’s Farm. We were asked by some of our Indiana families when our reunion will return to Indianapolis. Our first three or four reunions were in Indianapolis, and next years will be the third in a row in Cincinnati. After the 2003 Celebration of Children Reunion, we will consider moving our reunion to another city.

TOP

Bulletin Boards - Yes or No

About a year ago we created country specific bulletin boards so that you, our adopting parents, would have an opportunity to share your questions, joys, and frustrations during your adoption journey. Although at times there has been significant activity, for the most part we have not seen our bulletin boards heavily utilized. We are trying to determine whether we should remove the bulletin boards or make some changes, and we would greatly appreciate your comments and suggestions. If you have a comment or suggestion, please e-mail it adopt@ftia.org.

TOP

If you Didn't Attend the Reunion - Or Even if You Did

We are so thankful and encouraged by the occasional letters and the great photos from you, our adoptive parents, telling us how your child(ren) are doing and progressing. I would like to encourage all of you to take the time to send us a short (or long) letter and recent photos, since they are a great source of encouragement to us here at FTIA. We would also like to include your letters and adoption stories on our website because we repeatedly hear about how these letters have touched so many people. The number one recommendation we hear about making changes to our website is to include more stories and letters. If you send us letters and pictures, we will assume that we have your permission to include them on our website – but please note that we edit all last names, addresses, and any other identifying information out of the letters before posting them to our website. If you do not want your letter included on our website, please state that in your letter and we will of course honor your request and just share your letter with our FTIA team.

TOP

Family Letter

Letter from Edwena, Washingtonville, NY
Dear FTIA,

I know that this may not be the right way to do this, but I wanted you and all the other people involved in the adoptions of children from China to know just how wonderful your agency is.

My daughter and son-in-law, Laurie and Mark, from Washingtonville, New York went thru your agency to adopt their little girl Kaitlin.

As a parent and a grandmother I want to tell you that I was more than surprised and very pleased as I watched the entire process from beginning to end. The paper work that they had to fill out, the information that was needed and after all this was done, the long waiting period before they got the final word that they would be traveling to China to pickup their new baby.

I know that Laurie was a little impatient the last few months, but you and your staff were very understanding and your thoughtfulness made the last few months for her and Mark a lot easier.

They left for China on March 15 and returned on March 28, bringing back with them the cutest little 13-month-old girl. Since the day of her arrival, she has been nothing but a great joy to all of us.

The entire experience has been a joy to all of our family. It’s wonderful to know that there are agencies out there that are truly dedicated to bringing babies and parents together with such compassion and understanding as your organization has shown to us all and the other families who traveled with my daughter’s group.

I would like to say to all the future grandparents whose families are going through your agency to adopt, that they will be so very pleased for their family when they finally return home with their little one.

Sincerely, Edwena

TOP

Kailee Update

Thank-you for your continuing concern for Kailee. As you probably are aware, Kailee and I remain in Milwaukee for her continued care at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin.

Recently, August 20th, Kailee’s doctor came to the conclusion that her initial chemotherapeutic treatment with horse serum was failing. Her blood counts were slowly, but steadily, falling. Just a few weeks earlier, we received a letter from the Chinese Red Cross in Bejing informing us that China’s bone marrow donor bank does not have a marrow match for Kailee. This fact, in conjunction with the fact that the World Bank does not have a marrow match for Kailee and Kailee’s decline, Kailee was admitted back to the hospital for another round of intense chemotherapy.

Her treatment, this time with a rabbit serum, is referred to (to our horror) as a "salvage treatment" or a "rescue treatment" of a "non-responder." It was administered I.V. 18 hours per day for 5 days. Initially, she suffered high fevers and muscle and joint pain requiring IV morphine. Thankfully, however, the worse was over after the first two days. Since her discharge, Kailee was readmitted for three days for treatment of serum sickness. Again, sudden fever and pain.

The good news is that she is out of the hospital now and feeling pretty good. It will probably be 2 to 6 months from now before we really have much of an idea whether this treatment will work.

For now, other than focusing on Kailee’s daily care, I hope to work on expanding the marrow donor pool, particularly with asians, both in the US and abroad. As we formulate some ideas, we may contact you for contacts abroad.

Again, thank-you and please continue to pray. For more information, go to kaileegetwells.com.

TOP

Program Updates

China by Tina J.

We are not accepting China applications from married couples or singles at this time. We currently have families in the process of getting a dossier ready to submit to China between December 1, 2002 to November 30, 2003. We decided to hold off from accepting more applications after we had received 90 applications and we are now waiting to hear something official from the CCAA regarding their quota policy for 2003.

For more information and updates on the quota policy and new applications, please visit the China Updates on our web site under Hot News. We will post as soon as we have more information about accepting additional applications.

Our second list of waiting children for 2002 just arrived! We were able to find loving families for 19 out of the 24 children FTIA received from the CCAA as our last group of waiting children. We are very proud of this accomplishment and very pleased with the amazing response by our families. We will continue to work dedicatedly in finding families for the children on this new list. At this point, our China team is working in translating and organizing the information for this new list. We can’t wait to talk to families about these children! Very soon, we will be contacting those families who have expressed interest in the waiting children program. For more information on waiting children and the program, click on the Waiting Children Program button and also Hot News on our web site.

In our Hunan Foster Care Program, 50 little girls are thriving under the delicate care from their foster parents. We are in urgent need for more sponsors to participate for this program to continue and hopefully to expand! We currently only have 10 sponsors who have made a commitment to support a child on a yearly basis. We also have received one-time donations from people occasionally. If you haven’t considered of participating in this program, please do so now! This program provides the love and care all the children deserve and gives them a good start of life! This would be such a wonderful opportunity for our adoptive parents to "give back." With the holidays coming up, I want to challenge families to consider contributing to the program the amount that you would spend on one gift for each family member.

The time frames for referrals and travel have been pretty consistent. It is still around 13-14 months for most families to receive a referral and around 6-8 weeks to travel. Cases are being expedited for families adopting children with special needs from the Waiting Children Program. The time frame varies from case to case with the waiting children.

While I am taking on some new responsibilities as the Assistant Director of International Adoption Programs, we have a new China Program Manager now - Megan. A lot of you probably have worked with Megan and had a very positive experience. I am confident that Megan will do a great job in leading our China team to continue serving our families with integrity and care. Kate is back on the team from her family leave. As always, our China team stands ready to assist you in every way in bringing your child home!

TOP

Guatemala by Chris

We are very pleased to welcome a new member to our Guatemala Team. Salome LaMarche officially joined our Guatemala team on August 19th but many of you had the opportunity to meet her at our FTIA Reunion. Salome comes to us having served previously with the Southwestern Indiana Regional Council on Aging, and prior to that at the Christian Life Center of Evansville. She also spent a couple of years with the Peace Corp in the Dominican Republic. She is a valuable addition to our team and will help us insure that quality personal attention continues to be a hallmark of FTIA’s Guatemala program.

There have also been a few changes occurring in Guatemala (as well as many more rumors spreading). Guatemala’s congress did recently vote in favor of the Hague Treaty on Intercountry Adoptions. We expect that in the future this will be a positive step towards helping to insure the continued integrity of adoptions in Guatemala, but we do not expect to see any significant changes for at least a year.

INS in Guatemala has also implemented a couple of new policies to help insure the continued integrity of the adoption process. INS is currently requiring an interview with each birth mother as part of the U.S. Embassy’s review of the adoption case. They have implemented these interviews on a trial basis, and after several months INS will evaluate the interviews to see if they are indeed serving their intended purpose. At this time the birthmother interviews are being scheduled and carried out in a timely fashion and we do not expect them to add any significant time to the overall adoption process.

We will continue to keep all of our families updated of any future changes or news from Guatemala.

TOP

Russia by Tina H.

With the growth of our Russia program, we are now giving family’s region options at the time of dossier submission. We are excited to announce that we are adopting from additional regions and feel this will decrease the wait time for our adoptive families. To date, we have had families travel to Ekaterinburg and Kemerova. As we have families travel, we will keep our adopting families updated.

Recently there have been changes with the post placement reports. All post placement reports must be apostilled prior to submitting the report to FTIA. In addition, we ask our families to please submit 6 to 8 photographs with the apostilled report to FTIA. Lastly, we are requiring all families to have their post placement reports and pictures one month early. In the reaccreditation process, we must have all post placement reports to the regions in a timely manner and 100% compliance.

TOP

Azerbaijan by Tina H

We are please that our Azerbaijan program continues to grow.

Currently, we have a few families in the stage of completing a dossier, a few who have submitted dossiers, and one family who has received and accepted a referral.

As we have families move through the process, we will keep families updated.

TOP

Vietnam by Megan

It’s annual letter time! To those who have submitted your 2002 annual letters, thank you! It has been so enjoyable seeing the photos and reading about how all of your children are doing. Those of you who have not sent in your letters yet, please get them to us as soon as possible! Please send in photos and write the following information on the back of each photo: your child’s Vietnamese name, your child’s US name, province, date of birth. That will be very helpful. We will follow up with each and every family until we have your letter and photos, so please please send them in right away.

At this point, we are still waiting for more information from the Vietnamese government about what to expect in January when the new marriage and family laws go into effect. The official translation of these laws have not been issued by the Vietnamese government. Until that happens, we are not certain of what changes we will see with Vietnamese adoptions nor how these changes will affect our families in process. It does appear that agencies and facilitators will need to be licensed in a new way by the Vietnamese government. IAAP and Asian Children Services will complete all necessary steps to be licensed by the government, as soon as it is known what is needed from them. Based on their good reputations, many years of experience and numerous humanitarian aid projects, we are very confident in the abilities of our facilitators to be licensed by the Vietnamese government.

Until we know more about the details of the new laws, we won’t know how this will affect those waiting for referrals or just now submitting an application to the program. We will continue to update everyone on Hot News on the web site and I am always glad to answer any questions based on the information available at this time.

TOP

India by Keith

India is ready to go. We are recruiting our first families for India and believe we have a great team in place. For our first several adoptions in India, we have obtained an agreement to lower our international fee by several thousand dollars, which lowers the cost estimate to $16,225. Even though the India program is new for us, we are working with experienced adoption professionals in India. If you know anyone interested in India, please send them our way. Current information is on our website, and you are welcome to contact us with any questions.

TOP

Brazil by Keith

There are approximately 160 orphanages in the state of Rio de Janeiro alone. These orphanages house thousands of children in need of permanent loving homes. Brazil was once a very popular sending country for U.S. international adoptions, but for several years we did not see very many adoptions from Brazil into the U.S. It now appears that things are opening up once again. I have met personally with the adoption officials in Rio and retained legal counsel for our work in Rio. This program will serve our mission of serving children and adopting parents. The cost for a Brazil adoption is one of the lowest of any country. And while some may view the length of stay required in Brazil as a negative, it is a beautiful country and I believe anyone who travels there will genuinely enjoy their trip. Most of the children are 2 years of age and older, but there will be some children under 2 that may be siblings of a child over 2, or may have a special need that will be available for adoption. Current information is on our website, and you are welcome to contact us with any questions.

TOP

China
Anhui Province

Douglass, Andre & Lucy
Westfield, IN
Claire

Ferry, Thomas & Elizabeth
Lancaster, PA
Mia

Flandreau, Stephen & Leslie

Suffern, NY

Rachel

Gibbs, Phillip & Gretchen

Winona Lake, IN

Catherine

Kniola, Timothy & Lauren

Indianapolis, IN

Alyson

Lindstrom, John & Susan

Greenwood, IN

Bridget

Michalski, Patricia

Cleveland Heights, OH

Sophia

Smith, Douglas & Ronan

Arcadia, IN

Nathaniel

Tenuta, Emily

Orland Park, IL

Maria

Fujian Province

Beadles, Bruce & Brenda

Springfield, MO

Aleya

O’Keefe, Robert & Bobbie

Gahanna, OH

Leah

Guangdong Province

Bays, Christopher & Zhou-Bays, Tongliang

Dayton, OH

Julia

Henningsen, John & Britt

St. Louis, MO

Hope

Hunan Province

Burns, Joanie

Carlisle, OH

Elisabeth

Cadle, Patrick & Ceri

Newcomerstown, OH

Mia

D’Iorio, Joseph & Janet

Coram, NY

Jessica

Ebling, Mark & Diana

Indinapolis, IN
Amelia

Grief, Fritz & Jennifer

Indianapolis, IN

Alexandra

Hodby, Archie & Charlotte

Owensboro, KY

Lydia

Owens, Dale & Lisa

Kokomo, IN

Mia

Putt, Brian & Caesha

Louisville, KY

Jenna

Shields, Juli

Indianapolis, IN

Leah

Smith, Kevin & Julie

Kokomo, IN

Sarah

Smith, Patrick & Merris-Smith, Cynthia

Columbus, IN

Chiara

Tennant, John & Monica

Liberty Township, OH

Grace

Zahm, Michael & Nancy

Fishers, IN

Abigail

Craig, Michael & Stacy

Newburgh, IN

Kalyn

Griffin, William & Mary

Indianapolis, IN

Mia

Halcomb, Christopher & Julie

Versailles, IN

Maya

Haney, John & Janell

Hebron, KY

Lian

Kinney, Robert & Jill

Cedarville, OH

Madeline

Moore, Lisa

Springfield, OH

Madison

Prosch, Steven & Suella

Morgantown, IN

Nicole

Runyan, Mark & Debera

Pittsboro, IN

Bailey

Stanich, Christopher & Karen

Delaware, OH

Mia

Fitzgerald, Gregory & Beth

Centerville, OH

Ya Qing

Fountain, Dwayne & Rhonda

Norman, IN

Zoe

Jackson, Jeff & Kerr-Jackson, Karen

Woodburn, IN

Sierra

Lackey, Blake & Betsy

Fishers, IN

Meredith

Lawlin, David & Jennifer

Leonardtown, MD

Elizabeth

Otterback, Larry & Jennifer

Lagrange, KY

Chloe

Slater, Thomas & Deana

Fishers, IN

Sarah

Swearingen, James & Tracy

Zionsville, IN

Yue

Walter, Steven & Kristi

Lewisburg, WV

Clayton

Zhang, Frank & Chen, Anney

Chester Springs, PA

Valerie

Hubei Province

Allbritton, Mark & Bullard, Paige

Jasper, IN

Margaret

Christoff, Dennis & Kathleen

Scottsburg, IN

Emma

Dreyer, Steven & Elizabeth

Carmel, IN

Quin

Gallagher, Maureen

Weston, FL

Jamie

Grubb, Dennis & Pamela

Princeton, IN

Auberi

Harkins, Maureen

Maineville, OH

Jordan

Martini, Steven & Gail

Sheperdsville, KY

Grace

Schneider, Michael & Audry

Lafayette, IN

Hannah

Talley, John & Julie
Evansville, IN
Elyse

Whikehart, John & Linda
Bloomington, IN
Sophie

Wyandt, Debra
Noblesville, IN
Mikayla

Jiangxi Province

Rodgers, Timothy & Jana

Spencer, IN

Mandy

Shanxi Province

Cyphers, Phillip & Lauderdale-Cyphers, Karla

Evansville, IN

John

Xinjiang Province

Waite, William & Theresa

Logandale, NV

Connor

Russia

Rostov

Aagesen, Stephen & Jennifer

Lousiville, KY

Christopher & Nicholas

Harrison, John & Julianne

Rossville, GA

Alyssa

Kamowski, Jeff & Amy

Mt. Holly Springs, PA

Aidan

Knapp, Jeffrey & Kelli

Franklin, IN

Katya

Moore, Russell & Maria

Louisville, KY

Benjamin & Timothy

Schwab, Susan

Indianapolis, IN

Meghan

Wilson, Stuart & Meg

Louisville, KY

Bennett & Conner

Zahneis, David & Karen

Cincinnati, OH

Gabrielle

Volgograd

Hession, Andrew & Traci

Brownsburg, IN

Rachael

Guatemala

Alvarez, Juan & Dawn

Columbus, IN

Heidy

Bader, Dick & Linda

Cincinnati, OH

Samuel

Burkey, Tym & Anne

Beaver Creek, OH

Margaret

Burzynski, Kenneth & Shirley

Carmi, IL

Chloe

Ken and Lisa Chestnut

Loogootee, IN

Victoria

Costello, Robert & Annette

Zionsville, IN

Joseph

Davis, Mark & Aimee

West Chester, OH

Marco

DeLucie, Dennis & Loretta

Selden, NY

Ana

Demar, John & Jennifer

Sullivan, WI

Scott

Everage, Doy & Jean

Quincy, IN

Hannah

Gilbert, Ronald & Laura

Loogootee, IN

Katherine

Green, Jason & Lori

Marysville, OH

Jake

Grygotis, Bob & Sherry

Owensboro, KY

Jack

Haney, Jodi

Maumee, OH

Kiana

Holobowicz, Ben & Paula

Enfield Center, NH

Marina & Rosa

Jaeger, Jovita

Rio Rancho, NM

Mireya

Lopez, Maria

Smithtown, NY

Lesbin

Martin, David & Jodi

Indianapolis, IN

Joshua

Mayer, Jens-Uwe & Tracy

Warren, OH

Alexander

Michelini, Gilbert & Frances

Fishers, IN

Gemma

Mohr, Lauralyn

New Palestine, IN

Nicolas

O’Rourke, Lori

New York, NY

Emmie

Perez, Joseph & Applegate-Perez, Lee

Naperville, IL

Olga

Resto, Richard & Dawn

Bethpage, NY

Lidia

Rice, Susan

Walkerton, IN

Olivia

Schnarr, Rick & Ruth

Jasper, IN

Kimberly

Teter, Kristin

Martinsville, IN

Maria

Teune, Craig & Donna

St. John, IN

Wendy

Wakeman, Meredith

Westfield, NJ

Theodore

Weinbrecht, Gerard & Margaret

Bronx, NY

John

Vietnam

Dong Nai Province

Mauger, Bradley & Debra

Huron, SD

Michael

Bac Ninh Province

Carroll, Steve & Kristi

Evansville, IN

Isaac

Lang Son Province

Lowe, Tony & Kim

Evansville, IN

Maggie

Quang Nam Province

Roger & Bev Holmes

Tipton, IN

Quyen

TOP