America World Adoption News

"Family Addition with Leigh Anne Tuohy" Premiers Friday, June 7

On June 7, “Family Addition” with real-life “The Blind Side” inspiration, Leigh Anne Tuohy, is coming to UPTV! This series features families who have been fostering children and are on the verge of adopting one or more of their foster children. With the help of her daughter, Collins, and “Miss Sue” Mitchell, Leigh Anne will make over part of the foster family’s home to accommodate the new addition. Don’t be surprised who else may show up to help get the project completed!

Visit the show's website to learn more and view videos!

STUCK Tour Needs Volunteers

Have you heard of the documentary STUCK? This film takes a hard look at international adoption and the factors that hinder the process, keeping children in orphanages. The hope of STUCK is that it will impact lawmakers and orphan advocates to make changes that will allow more orphaned children to be united with their forever family.

The STUCK tour is looking for committed people who are excited to do outreach for this important cause in some of these ways: canvas a city with posters, encourage community/faith leaders to get involved, blast information through any and all networks, ask their church to discuss the film during worship services, and encourage congregants to attend.

See the city list below. Each city is need of volunteers. If you are interested in getting involved, see the Volunteer Information Page. Thank you for praying and considering this opportunity!

Kansas City, MO - Sat, Apr 20 

Omaha, NE - Sun, Apr 21 

Des Moines, IA - Mon, Apr 22 

Madison, WI - Wed, Apr 24 

Milwaukee, WI - Thurs, Apr 25 

Chicago, IL - Fri, Apr 26 

Cincinnati, OH - Sun, Apr 28 

Columbus, OH - Mon, Apr 29 

Grand Rapids, MI - Tues, Apr 30 

Detroit (Livonia), MI - Wed, May 1 

Cleveland, OH - Thurs, May 2

Pittsburgh, PA - Fri, May 3 

Rochester, NY - Sun, May 5

Albany, NY - Mon, May 6 

Boston, MA - Tues, May 7 

Stamford, CT - Wed, May 8 

New York City, NY - Thurs, May 9

Princeton, NJ - Sat, May 11

Philadelphia, PA (Cherry Hill, NJ) - Sun, May 12

Wilmington, DE - Mon, May 13 

Baltimore, MD - Tues, May 14 

Washington, DC - Thurs, May 16 

STUCK Documentary Tour Starts Today

Today begins a 60-city tour for the documentary STUCK. The goal of this tour is to shed light on the many issues facing international adoption, and to create a movement that will bring about a more supportive attitude towards adoption for US officials, and in turn, foreign government officials. 

Craig Juntunen shares his vision for STUCK.

Yesterday, Both Ends Burning held a reception in Washington, DC that several America World staff members attended. Executive Producer and founder of the Both Ends Burning campaign Craig Juntunen spoke and introduced several speakers, including Sen. Mary Landrieu, Rep. Trent Franks, and Rep. Suzanne Bonamici. Several adoptive families shared their stories of getting "stuck" in bureaucracy as they tried bringing their children home. 

Senator Mary Landrieu, adoptive mother, speaks about her recent travels to Cambodian orphanages.

Visit the STUCK website to find out when the tour is coming to your city and join us in praying that this documentary will have a postive effect on international adoption. 

Giveaway: The Odd Life of Timothy Green

We have an exciting giveaway to announce! Disney is giving away 5 Blu-ray Combo Packs of the movie "The Odd Life of Timothy Green." Our local staff and some families had an opportunity to view it together last summer, and many more of you may have seen it when it was released. You can read our review here. This is a wonderful family film with a strong pro-adoption message that we know you will enjoy!

The Combo Pack includes many bonus features including a documentary called “Family Roots: Bringing ‘The Odd Life of Timothy Green’ to the Screen,” a behind the scenes look into the moving end-credits song, the music video, deleted scenes, and a director commentary.  

Here's how it will work: We will choose five random winners from the comments of this post. Leave a comment briefly answering the question, "How does your family remember the true meaning of Christmas?" Answer once per family until 5 pm Eastern Time on Thursday, December 6. We will contact you via the email address left in the comment form if you are one of the 5 randomly generated winners and your prize will be sent directly from Disney. Thank you for participating! 

The Odd Life of Timothy Green in Theaters August 15

This past June, America World was invited to a pre-screening of the movie "The Odd Life of Timothy Green." The movie, which carries a wonderful adoption message, comes to theaters this Wednesday, August 15 and we would recommend it for a family movie night. Before you go, read this review and check out the trailer here. Let us know what you think! 

Movie Review: "The Odd Life of Timothy Green"

The staff and clients of America World were extended an invitation to pre-screen the film "The Odd Life of Timothy Green," coming to theaters later this summer. We had a fun evening on Tuesday watching the movie together. 

The movie follows the story of Jim and Cindy Green, a couple who has given up their hope of having a biological child. One night they channel their dreams into written notes about what their son would've been like, and bury them in the garden. To their surprise, a child named Timothy appears that night and they soon learn that he has all the characteristics they hoped for. Jim and Cindy navigate the challenges of parenting as the entire community is affected by their magical boy. 

Both literally and metaphorically, the movie touched on adoption themes quite poignantly. Cindy deals with her sister making comments such as, "I thought you were going to have one of your own," to which she replies that he felt like their own since the moment she first saw him. Timothy's unique arrival and physical differences leave him as a target to bullies, so they face the difficult task of helping him to fit in and be accepted. Jim and Cindy have to reconcile their disappointment when parenting isn't all they had hoped it to be. 

While the movie didn't accurately portray the actual process of adoption, it carried a rich message about family and the worthwhile challenges of integrating a new child into a family and community. I received feedback from adoptive parents that said it did a great job of portraying the range of emotions that are felt throughout the adoption process. I would recommend "The Odd Life of Timothy Green" for an entertaining and profitable family movie night when it is released in August. 

-Jillian Bashore, Marketing & PR Administrator

The Odd Life of Timothy Green

America World is excited to host a free pre-screening of the upcoming Disney movie "The Odd Life of Timothy Green" in the metro DC area, local to our corporate office. The film is family-friendly and features a poignant adoption message. You can view the trailer and synopsis on the official site. Local families should have recieved an email with registration information. If you did not, and can make it to Tyson's Corner next Tuesday (June 19), please email pr@awaa.org. We hope many of you can make it!

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. 

October Baby Premier

This weekend, when the biggest box-office hit is expected be a film based on a popular book about young people being forced to fight to the death, OCTOBER BABY hits theaters with a resounding message about the sanctity of life. Talk about a culture in need of a wake-up call!

On top of that, every ticket purchased for OCTOBER BABY is a vote for life. The producers have assigned 10 percent of the profits of the movie to the Every Life is Beautiful Fund, which will distribute funds to frontline organizations helping women facing crisis pregnancies, life-affirming adoption agencies, and those caring for orphans. 

www.OctoberBabyMovie.net

October Baby: Bringing Life to Theaters March 23

If you believe that every life is beautiful and that a beautifully told story can touch hearts—and even save lives—then you will be excited about the impact that OCTOBER BABY can have when it opens in theaters on March 23.

OCTOBER BABY tells the story of Hannah, a young woman who learns that her life is much different than what she's known up until now. After learning she was actually adopted—after a failed abortion attempt—Hannah embarks on an incredible journey to discover her hidden past and find hope for her unknown future.