Adopted by Design

Closed Memorial Day

The America World offices will be closed on Monday, May 28th in observance of Memorial Day. Please have a fun and safe holiday, especially thinking of those who have served and are currently serving in the military. 

Delayed Mail Delivery Today

America World's mail server was experiencing some slow-down issues this morning.  Our IT staff has now resolved this problem; however, several emails (outgoing and incoming) will continue to be pushed through the queue this afternoon.  All sent emails (to and from AW personnel) will be received by this evening.

Thanks for your understanding and patience.

God Places the Lonely in Families

We are excited to share a new America World video with you. Rejoice with us in the work the Lord is doing to bring the fatherless into forever families!

View the video here.

A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God places the lonely in families. Psalm 68:5-6

To learn more about how you can care for orphans, please visit our website. 

Reflecting on 18 Years as an Agency

Today is America World’s 18^th birthday!  I’m so thankful for all the families God has led to our agency and the dedicated, hardworking staff who have worked tirelessly and passionately on their behalf. Over the past five years, adoptions have become much more complicated and expensive, but the need for adoptive families has grown at the same time. It is always a privilege to walk alongside the families, board members, associates, volunteers and staff who have shown faithfulness to God’s calling along the way.

Looking back, it is truly remarkable to see the way our Lord has led this agency and provided us with the staff, resources, families and partnerships according to His plan for our work. I’m looking forward to the next 18 years and seeing how the Lord leads us and provides for us. 

-Brian Luwis, CEO

NCFA National Adoption Conference: June 13-16

National Council for Adoption (NCFCA) is hosting their annual adoption conference on June 13-16th in the Washington D.C. area. America World is a member of NCFA and several of our staff will be attending the event and assisting with seminars. On Saturday June 16th prospective adoptive parents are invited to attend and learn more about adoption and foster care. The day will include speaking sessions with adoption experts, including AW staff, who are available to answer parent’s questions. Families interested in learning more about the topics that will be discussed and the schedule of events can visit to the NCFA website for more information.

Updated Adoption Tax Credit Advocacy Kit

If you have been keeping up with the blog recently, then you know that America World is actively working for the renewal and expansion of the Adoption Tax Credit. Thank you to those of you who have already contacted us about joining our efforts to renew this important tool in addressing the orphan crisis. For those of you who would like to get involved, but haven’t yet, why not email us the story of how the Adoption Tax Credit helped you bring your children home? Stories will be shared with Members of Congress when we go to the Capitol on June 12, 2012. You can email your stories HERE.  

Today, our friends at the National Council for Adoption released an updated version of their Adoption Tax Credit Advocacy Kit. This kit contains talking points on the tax credit as well as valuable information on how to contact your Members of Congress. It even includes sample letters, phone scripts, and editorials.

I highly recommend that you take a look at the advocacy kit. If you would like more information on how you can stand with America World for the renewal of the Adoption Tax Credit, please contact me by calling (703) 356-8447.

In Him,

Andrew C. Brown

Director of Corporate Governance

Overcoming Financial Hurdles in Adoption

It's no secret that international adoption isn't cheap: there are agency fees, social service fees, orphanage fees, background checks, mountains of paperwork to get notorized, travel costs, etc., etc.  The bottom-line of adoption costs can certainly look daunting at first glance, but I truly believe that finances are hurdles to be overcome in the adoption process, and not immovable boundaries.

America World is passionate about not letting money hinder families from pursuing something that they feel a calling toward.  Included in the Link section on our website, is a list of grants and resources, titled Financing Adoption, that can assist any adopting family to cover thousands of dollars worth of costs during their journey to bring their precious child home.  While this list is certainly not all-inclusive, we hope that it provides a good starting point with trustworthy organizations that believe in the mission of caring for orphans in the form of adoption.

America World also reestablished our Eternal Familiy Program (EFP) in the beginning of 2011.  Through this fund, we invite family and friends and communities to care for specific adopting families, by supporting their adoptions through monetary gifts.  It is our hope that America World families take advantage of this oppportunity, not only to relieve some of the financial burden, but also provide a way to invite others to actively and practically participate in caring for orphans through their giving.

For more information on America World's EFP, feel free to contact me with any specific questions that you may have.

I pray that each and every family wrestling with the overall cost of adoption will consider these grants and programs as viable means by which they can overcome these hurdles.  

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. - 2 Corinthians 9:8

In Him,

Jason West, Director of Development

Adoption Tax Credit Bill - How Did It Help You?

Congress recently introduced the “Making Adoption Affordable Act of 2012” bill that would permanently expand the federal adoption tax credit to $13,360, and make it refundable. We shared this news and the action you can take through a blog post several weeks ago. Thank you for the action many of you took, by contacting your Representative and by sharing this post through social media.

Until this bill is passed, we will be doing everything we can to help make more affordable adoption a reality for families like yours.

Would you consider submitting a written story about how the adoption tax credit helped you? We will submit these stories to Representatives to continue to show the value and importance of this legislation. We are looking for compelling stories that show how the tax credit helped you, particularly if you would not have been able to adopt without it. 

• Format: Word document (preferred) or PDF
• Length: approximately 1 page, no more than 2
• Email to pr@awaa.org with subject line "Tax Credit Stories" 
• Submit by: June 8

We are excited and thankful to see your passionate advocacy on behalf of orphans and other adoptive families. Thank you for submitting your story!

Adoption Tax Credit Bill Introduced in the U.S. House

On April 17, 2012, Rep. Bruce Braley (D-IA) introduced the Making Adoption Affordable Act. The act will permanently expand the federal adoption tax credit to $13,360, an increase of $1,000 over the current credit, and make it refundable.

The current adoption tax credit is set to expire at the end of 2012. Over the last several months, many of you expressed concerns about the impact the expiration of the credit will have on your family. Congressman Braley’s bill is the first step toward ensuring that the adoption tax credit continues to be an option to help families offset the high cost of adoption. More importantly, this legislation will promote the adoption of God’s children by loving families.

As people who are passionate about the ministry of adoption, it is up to us to make sure our Representatives support this life-saving legislation. Will you take action on behalf of orphaned and vulnerable children by contacting your member of Congress to urge them to vote “YES” on the Making Adoption Affordable Act?

You can find the contact information for your Representative by clicking HERE.

The full text of the Making Adoption Affordable Act can be found HERE.

We will provide updates on the progress of the bill as it makes its way through Congress.

 

Blessings,

Andrew C. Brown

Director of Corporate Governance 

Easter Closings

The America World offices will close at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 5th and remain closed for all of Friday the 6th in observance of Good Friday. We will return to normal hours the following Monday.

We pray each of you has a blessed Easter!

"He is risen! He is not here." - Mark 16:6