Welcome to the Adoption Source Newsboard! We welcome our adoptive families to use this message board to meet and share experiences, ask questions regarding the region of adoption, orphanage needs, gift suggestions, post-adoption support for each other and share general adoption information, etc. We hope that you will find this a helpful tool!
JCICS Board of Directors Meeting with US Department of State, Office of Children’s Issues
On Tuesday, January 24 the JCICS Board of Directors met with the Department of State’s Office of Children’s Issues. JCICS requested an update on the status of adoptions in Russia. Currently the Department of State reports that things from the Duma and DOE have been very quiet, a fact which they see as a positive sign. To date, there is no pending legislation that involves accreditation or reaccreditation of agencies.
Assistant Secretary of Consular Affairs, Maura Harty is currently planning a trip to Moscow during which she will meet with the Minister of the Department of Education. JCICS will update the caucus when we receive more information from the Department of State regarding this trip.
We just arrived home one week ago today from the Region of Samara with our beautiful son, Zachary! Trust us, we know the wait is hard, but the end result is worth it! Our little boy is happy and well-adjusted, and it's almost as if he hasn't been without us for 12 months. If anyone has any questions, or would just like to talk, or pray, we are happy to talk with you about the emotional journey that is international adoption! Please don't hesitate to email us.
We would also like to take this opportunity to thank the office staff at Adoption Source, especially Pamela, for their encouragement, help and support through bringing our son to his forever home!
God Bless, Mike, Nancy and Zach
It seems that next week there will be more talks about international adoption in Moscow next week. Keep wrighting to our government officals and keep this issue in the light so they don't deside to put a moratorium on adoptions. Wright more letters to our government officals we can't stop now we won round one but the fight isn't over.
This seems to be good news but we have to keep wrighting to state officals and the president to keep this issue in the light so that we can bring our children home from Russia. So keep talking to anyone who will listen to the storys of how your family cam to be. God bless Denise
State Duma tells government to protect children adopted by foreigners 15:53 | 09/ 09/ 2005 TURNED DOWN TEMPERARY MORATORIUM TODAY
MOSCOW, September 9 (RIA Novosti) - The government must take measures to protect Russian children adopted by foreigners, Russia's lower chamber of parliament said in a statement Friday.
"Parental violence against adopted children has become more frequent," the State Dua's statement said.
In the United States, 13 adopted Russian children have died from parental violence, including an 8-year-old boy who died of starvation in August.
The deputies expressed their concern that they learn about these facts only from press reports.
"Other instances of physical or psychological violence against Russian children, citizens of Russia, could be unknown," the deputies said.
The State Duma is also concerned over the fate of about 64,000 Russian children adopted by foreigners and living outside Russia. The deputies say the adoption process is becoming increasingly commercial and criminal.
They are asking the government to ensure that orphaned children be placed in Russian families as a priority.
The State Duma turned down an amendment by Deputy Nina Ostanina from the KPRF faction to impose a temporary moratorium on the adoption of Russian children by the citizens of those countries where Russian children died at the hands of their adoptive parents.
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Subject: Russian Moratorium – We Must Act Now
“American Foundation for Orphans Abroad is launching a letter writing campaign to the members of Congress, to raise their awareness of the pending moratorium of Russian international adoptions; to bring to light the suffering and injustices the children endure on a daily basis in the Russian orphanage system; and to request their help to be a voice for us and the orphaned and abandoned children of Russia.
We need your help. Over 50,000 families have adopted these precious children in the last 10 years. We ask you to take a moment to make a difference, one more time.
A personal letter goes a long way when it comes to making your voice heard. Congress is not currently in session, so e-mailing letters and sending letters to the local district offices is the fastest way to get your voice heard.
Please visit our website at www.afoabroad.org for more details.”
Eileen Kadletz Executive Director American Foundation for Orphans Abroad New York, NY Ph. (631) 957-0897 Fax (631) 957-0947 e-mail: info@afoabroad.org
God Thank You for our new Mommy
God it’s been along time since we have talked to you, But learning English isn’t an easy thing to do. Hanna and I have had some fantastic changes this past year, We moved to a new home in America if you didn’t hear.
We used to pray to you for a new Mommy each and every night, And finally you sent her and she is the answer to our prayers all right. The first time I saw her in the orphanage I could see the love in her eyes, Her smile was a bright as the stars we used to wish upon in the sky.
She was there for only a short time and left us with a little picture book, But on that day when she left it was our hearts that she took. We asked the people at the orphanage if she was ever coming back, For it was a mothers love that we truly lacked.
We looked for her to come back each and everyday, Hanna and I asked our caretakers where she was and they didn’t know what to say. Then one day the called me and said they had a surprise for me, Just come up to the music room and see.
There she was standing there with a great big smile and a little tear, I ran over to her and she told me I had nothing ever again to fear. I held on and held her ooh so tight, I just new everything would be all right.
Hanna was there too smiling and laughing with glee, We both found what we had asked for; we were part of a real family. We then took a long journey with our new Mommy to our new house on a lake, There Hanna and I our new life we would make.
Our lives were now so full of happiness and love, Hanna and I are so thankful to you God above. We now have a Mommy who loves us so much, A strong hand to hold and a soft heart to touch.
Our Mommy is so kind and sweet, She kisses our boo-boos except on our feet. She reads us stories and teaches us letters , Our lives have never been better.
God thank you for our Mommy on her special day, She makes our lives better in each and every way. Our Mommy is the answer to our prayers you see. And with our new brothers and sisters we are now part of a great big family.
As told to me by Seth David Seese Skip Skip Seese 5/8/05
God Thank You for our new Mommy
God it’s been along time since we have talked to you, But learning English isn’t an easy thing to do. Hanna and I have had some fantastic changes this past year, We moved to a new home in America if you didn’t hear.
We used to pray to you for a new Mommy each and every night, And finally you sent her and she is the answer to our prayers all right. The first time I saw her in the orphanage I could see the love in her eyes, Her smile was a bright as the stars we used to wish upon in the sky.
She was there for only a short time and left us with a little picture book, But on that day when she left it was our hearts that she took. We asked the people at the orphanage if she was ever coming back, For it was a mothers love that we truly lacked.
We looked for her to come back each and everyday, Hanna and I asked our caretakers where she was and they didn’t know what to say. Then one day the called me and said they had a surprise for me, Just come up to the music room and see.
There she was standing there with a great big smile and a little tear, I ran over to her and she told me I had nothing ever again to fear. I held on and held her ooh so tight, I just new everything would be all right.
Hanna was there too smiling and laughing with glee, We both found what we had asked for; we were part of a real family. We then took a long journey with our new Mommy to our new house on a lake, There Hanna and I our new life we would make.
Our lives were now so full of happiness and love, Hanna and I are so thankful to you God above. We now have a Mommy who loves us so much, A strong hand to hold and a soft heart to touch.
Our Mommy is so kind and sweet, She kisses our boo-boos except on our feet. She reads us stories and teaches us letters , Our lives have never been better.
God thank you for our Mommy on her special day, She makes our lives better in each and every way. Our Mommy is the answer to our prayers you see. And with our new brothers and sisters we are now part of a great big family.
As told to me by Seth David Seese Skip Skip Seese 5/8/05
As you may be aware, on Tuesday, July 19th, Yekaterina Lakhova, of the Russian Parliament Duma, and Chairwoman of the Motherhood, Children’s & Family Issues Committee, a committee that oversees adoption legislation, made the following statement at a news conference: “When 13 children die in one country … I would make some statement and introduce a temporary period, a moratorium for that country.” On August 8th a recommendation was made by the Social Policy Committee of the Council of the Russian Federation to the General Prosecutors Office of Russia to institute a moratorium for adoptions of Russian children by American families. This is the present threat facing the orphans of Russia. The implementation of a moratorium will result in approximately 5,865 children not being placed into families in the coming year. (1)
An equally alarming and more serious threat to the future of these children is that Ms. Lakhova, the United Russia Party, and other ultra nationalistic groups have no plans to improve the lives of the more than 700,000 orphans in the Russian orphanage system; 40,000 of whom are being turned out to the streets yearly. (2) Ms. Lakhova has, for her own political purposes, conveniently failed to say anything about the injustices these children are made to suffer every day that they are in the Russian orphanage system. These children fall prey to sexual predators. They fail to receive adequate medical attention. They receive the poorest of educational opportunities. We are concerned about the serious violations of orphaned childrens’ rights in modern Russia. This is more than an adoption issue. This is a human rights and childrens’ rights issue.
Russia is struggling to take care of its orphan population. Currently 130,000 children being added to the system yearly. (3) International adoption helps to ease the burden on the Russian orphanage system to adequately care for these children. International adoption gives these children the hope of a loving, nurturing and secure future.
The threat of an impending moratorium is real, the implications are staggering, and it could happen as soon as September of this year. Ms. Lakhova has made the moratorium the major platform of her political agenda, and it has propelled her into the limelight. She is currently enjoying tremendous support and recognition from the Russian media and Russian nationalistic groups through the exploitation of this issue.
The death of Nina Hilt, a 2-year-old Russian adopted girl in North Carolina over the July 4th weekend, and the deaths of 8-year-old Dennis Merryman, a Russian adopted boy in Maryland, and 6-year-old Alex Pavlis from Chicago, has added fuel to the already raging fire. Reports of these deaths are heartbreaking. The death of a child at the hands of his or her parents is always tragic, and there is no excuse for such a horrific crime against a child. A moratorium, however, is not the solution to this problem.
The time to act is now. We must bring national and global attention to the present and future threats facing the orphans of Russia. If a moratorium is instituted, it will be too late. A moratorium is not the answer for the problems affecting the more than 700,000 orphans of Russia. A moratorium in fact greatly exasperates those problems.
In response to the impending threat of a moratorium, AFOA is launching an awareness campaign, beginning with our members of Congress. We are asking each adoptive family and supporter of children’s rights to send letters to their Senators and Representatives, expressing alarm at the human rights violations taking place in Russia against orphaned and abandoned children, and specifically calling for action or pressure to stop the proposed moratorium.
We need to bring this issue to the attention of our elected officials, and call on them to represent us, and to be a voice for the orphans of Russia.
Approximately 50,000 American families have adopted Russian children since the early 1990’s. For those of you who have adopted Russian children, we need to hear from you. When you made the decision to adopt you changed the life of an otherwise hopeless child forever.
For those of you who support the issue of children’s rights and who desire to make a difference in the lives of over 700,000 children, we equally need your support.
Please everyone, take a minute to help. Our request is simple -- sign your name, click a button, change a life.
This can be done by either doing a cut and paste from the text in our “Letter to Elected Officials” link, or writing your own letter, and e-mailing it to your elected officials in Washington ASAP.
You can find the addresses and e-mail address of your Senators and Representatives by using the following links:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
www.house.gov/writerrep/
Jill A. Scott DIrector of Adoptions
Here is an Email that one of our waiting families sent to share: KISSES IN THE WIND
I hold you in my heart and touch you in my dreams. You are here each day with me, at least that’s how it seems.
I know you wonder where we are… what’s taking us so long. But remember child, I love you so and God will keep you strong.
Now go outside and feel the breeze and let it touch your skin… Because tonight, just as always, I blow you kisses in the wind.
May God hold you in His hand until I can be with you. I promise you, my darling, I’m doing all that I can do.
Very soon, you’ll have a family for real, not just pretend. But for tonight, just as always, I blow you kisses in the wind.
May God wrap you in His arms and hold you very tight. And let the angels bring the kisses that I send to you each night. — Unknown
Well, another Memory Book class will be held, Friday, July 8th at my home in Deerfield. If anyone is intereted in this FREE class. Please RSVP no later then Wed.,July 6th. Thank you and hope to see you there!
Well, another Memory Book class will be help, Friday, July 8th at my home in Deerfield. If anyone is intereted in this FREE class. Please RSVP no later then Wed.,July 6th. Thank you and hope to see you there!
Hi! My name is Dori Ariniello and as many of you might of heard, I will be holding FREE Scrapbooking classes at Adoption Source every other Wed. night from 6-9pm. The first class starts Wed., May 25th. This is a great way to document all of your moments and memories while you wait for your baby to come home or start that baby album you've always wanted to start but didn't know how. All classes are work at your own pace and all supplies can be purchased at class. Please feel free to call me 561-212-3720 or email me for any further information. Remember, please register no later then Monday 5/23 to hold your space. Thank you and I look forward to seeing you there!!
In a message dated 5/6/2005 10:52:22 PM Central Standard Time, info@kidsculturecenter.com writes:
To those of you whose lives have been impacted by adoption, particularly those with children from Russia, your help is needed.
As some of you may be aware, there are factions within the Russian government that are currently calling for a complete ban on all international adoptions as a result of the very publicized case of an American adoptive mother who beat and killed her Russian born adopted son. This media frenzy within Russia on this case has been on-going and sensational. A recent article showed a photo of a beautiful baby with a masked gunman in the background pointing a gun at the baby's head. The point of the photograph and article was that Russian children are "at risk" in the hands of their adoptive American families. There are currently members of the Russian DUMA who would love to stop adoption and many are calling for additional bureaucratic road blocks that would essentially end Russian adoption for United States citizens.
An adoptive mother I know, whose son, Alex, was adopted from Russia, became very upset when he learned this news. Alex was in a baby home in Russia until age 5 and still has vivid memories of his life there. Alex has created a message board "Russian Adoptees Speak Out" so that children who have lived in Russia and who were adopted by Americans can express what having a family has meant to them. Even children who don't have specific memories of Russia can participate on the board simply by talking about their life here in the US. Alex is hoping that he and other children can send a message to the Russian government that is loud and clear. Children deserve to have families ! Here is the link http://www.bulletinboards.com/view.cfm?comcode=15139 Please take some time with your child to add their thoughts to the board. Time is critical as things are moving very quickly in Russia.
Please pass on this information to any other families who have adopted from Russia and post the link on any chat rooms, list serves, etc. that you know of or are a part of. Maybe the voices of these children can make a difference.
Thank you for your time.
B. Blackwell www.kidsculturecenter.com info@kidsculturecenter.com (203) 877-4007 P.O. Box 2433 Milford, CT 06460
Adoption Source is putting together a journal of "The Journey of Adoption". This will be published and distributed to prosepective adoptive families, Adoption Source families, and sent to the orphanages in Russia and China and to various political leaders in the U.S. and abroad. We know that memorializing your experience will be further testament to the incredible opportunity that International adoption provides to families and the children we serve and help will keep this incredible opportunity an option for us all.
If you would like to participate in this project, please subit your adoption story, memories of your journey, stories about your child/children and any photos you would like to include to our office.
We appreciate all your support! We will update you on the progress of the project.
Jill Scott
My Husband and I started the adoption process on December 1, 2004 and it has been a very exciting journey so far. Pamela is so wonderful and helpful. We are adopting a little girl from the Samara Region. If anyone has been there or has any information, it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you again & Best of Luck to everyone!!
If anyone is going to adopt from the Krasnoyarsk region, please let us know so we could send some picture with you to give to the cordinater she will pass them on to our orphange. They wanted picture of the kids as they grow. Thanks Denise
Hi we adopt 2 children from Russia, Krasnoyarsk region,the Achinsk orphange. Our daughter 9 months old and our son 3 1/2 years old. Our daughter is 19 months old now and talks in 3-4 word sentences can count to 3 on her fingers and knows more then 100 words she is doing great. Oh ya and she can climb as well as any monkey. She is beautiful not only do we think that but any time we are out we are stopped by strangers telling us how beautiful she is. Seth our 4 years has learned english very fast he knows all his ABC sounds and name and can count to 15. He can be understude by most people some Russian or orphange talk is still present but he can make himself understude most of the time. He started preschool just 3 weeks ago and has impressed his teacher with is language skills and all he has learned only being here 10 months. He is not behind any of the other children his age. Size he is growing and he has gone from 24 inches when adopted to 32 inches today. Weight was 23 lbs and know is 32 lbs. He is loving affectionate smart and everything anyone want in a child. So anyone even slightly thinking of a older child please do your homework but there are great kids who need home. We loved the agency and would use again. Pamula was the best always there to answer any question and always got right back to me. Anyone who wants more information about the region or Russia or even kids, please I love to talk about our adoption. Denise
My husband, Mike, and I are in the process of adopting a beautiful baby boy through Adoption Source in the region of Samara. I would like to offer our email address to any other families who have adopted from this region and would like to share anything with us regarding your experiences there. Our overall experience with Adoption Source has been fantastic, and Pamela has been a God send! Thanks Adoption Source for all of your help, and we look forward to being able to leave the cold Ohio winter for a week next March and bring our son to the BBQ/Picnic.
Hello.
My husband Rob and I just signed on with Adoption Source and we are having a great experience so far!
We have a potential referral from Kemerovo and would be interested in hearing from any of you who have adopted from this region.
We would also welcome any comments in regard to your entire adoption experience.
We have a soon to be 6 year old son who we adopted from Murmansk, Russia in March 2000 (it's been five years already!!) We had a great experience with that adoption and expect the same this time around with Adoption Source.
Thank you in advance for your response.
Hello- My husband and I adopted our son Alex from Achinsk in the Krasnoyarsk region of Central Siberia in April of 2001. I would love to share our experience of the process of adopting from there with anyone who is interested or has questions. Overall it was a wonderful experience and we are blessed and eternally grateful to Adoption Source for making it go so smoothly. We had heard horror stories from friends who cautioned us that we may be in for a heartbreak. NOT SO! Alex is five now and thriving in a PreK class. Our biological daughter Alyssa can't imagine life now without her brother. We welcome any inquiries you may have about the entire wonderful process!
I would like to offer my email address for those who might be attempting to adopt from Ivanovo Region. My husband and I adopted in November of 2003 and had a very fast and very good experience with the agency people here and in Russia. We recommend that region, because is a very poor area, but not very contaminate, as Moscow per example. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have general questions and concerns regarding travel th that area or general adoption questions. In the other hand we are very happy with our beatiful, affectionate, intelligent and perfect son, Joshua. He is our life. Good Luck in your adoption venture.
Hello! My husband and I adopted two children from Orenburg Russia last March. Although we had a few bumps along the way, everything turned out exactly how it was suppose to. We feel so blessed that we had Jill Scott handling the details of our adoption! Our children are now 23 months and 18 months. They are happy, healthy, beautiful, and full of energy!! If anyone would like to email me about Orenburg or our experience with Adoption Source, I would love to share my thoughts.
Hello! My husband and I adopted two children from Orenburg Russia last March. Although we had a few bumps along the way, everything turned out exactly how it was suppose to. We feel so blessed that we had Jill Scott handling the details of our adoption! Our children are now 23 months and 18 months. They are happy, healthy, beautiful, and full of energy!! If anyone would like to email me about Orenburg or our experience with Adoption Source, I would love to share my thoughts.
Hi! We adopted our son, Jacob, from Moscow, Russia in December of 1998. We were able to bring him home January 8, 1999 - after all the legal mumbo-jumbo in Russia. Our lives have never been the same!
We had been with another adoption agency for roughly 2 1/2 years with no luck but a lot of empty promises. It made us almost sorry that we started the process. We had been promised an instant family of two brothers & 1 sister (all under the age of 4) After 5/6 months of being jerked around - not one single person at the agency (aside from the director - who was never available) knew what we were talking about every time we called. We became very discourged. Less than 2 months later the agency disbanded. We were devistated.
Around Thanksgiving 1998, my parents called to inform me of a new agency in their area giving a seminar. Since we live in Georgia & they live in South Florida I told them to go & check it out. They did. They spoke to Jill Scott afterwards & explained our situation. About two days Later I get a call from Adoption Source. Again I told them our story & they asked if we were still interested in adopting. I said sure. They said they'd send a tape to us & we'll see how it goes. My husband, Rich, and I sat through the tape but we knew the moment we saw the second child on that tape that he was ours! The attraction was instantanious! We called Adoption Source right away and told them we had made a choice.
IN LESS THAN TWO WEEKS WE WERE ON OUR WAY TO MOSCOW TO MEET OUR SON AND BRING HIM HOME!!!
We renamed our son JACOB IAN after my granfathers and grandmothers (both sets of grandparents had the same first names - Jacob & Ida) He is a healthy 7 year old in second grade. He loves school and learning of any kind. He likes to play outdoors and he loves board games - especially chess and Sorry. He's growing like a weed - he's almost to my shoulders.
The most funny thing is that hJacob became an uncle for the first time when he was 2 years old! He now has 3 nieces whom he loves dearly but hardly gets to see (they all live in New York)
We are eternally grateful to Jill and the staff at Adoption Source in making our dreams into reality.
I am ready, willing and able to help in any way I can to make your journey as pleasurable as ours was (and still is)
Good Luck & G-d Bless.
I would like to offer my email address for those who might be attempting to adopt from Krasnoyarsk, Siberia. We adopted in May of 2004 and had a wonderful experience. Please feel free to contact me if you have general questions and concerns regarding travel th that area or general adoption questions. Good Luck in your adoption journey.
I would like to officially open our Adoption Source message board with a warm welcome to those of you who would like to meet and communicate on this forum. This board will be accessed only by Adoption Source families, those who have adopted through our agency in the past and those who are presently in the process. We feel that by limiting access to this site, our adoptive families will feel free to have constructive and open discussions about the process, the children and the regions we serve. We encourage all of you to take advantage of the communication this board can support and feel comfortable sharing your experiences both pre and post adoption. Welcome!