Adopted by Design

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

Honduras Program Updates

We are so blessed to have the opportunity to provide the Honduras program as an option to families desiring to adopt. We are thankful for God’s favor in the work that we do here at America World and are continuing to trust Him as we help families move forward in their adoption processes. Recently our CEO, Brian Luwis, visited our staff in Honduras as well as adoption officials and returned with a very encouraging report regarding positive and productive meetings.

We do consider the Honduras program to still be in a pilot stage as we cautiously move through the process with current families and as we look forward to adoptions being finalized in the future. We covet your prayers for not only our program, but for Honduras adoptions in general, government officials, adoption professionals serving in the country, for families in the process and most of all for the precious children who are waiting for their forever families.

If you or someone you know is interested in adopting from Honduras please feel free to contact our corporate staff at 1 (800) 429-3369 and they will be very glad to answer questions and tell you more about the program. 

Brothers and Sisters in Adoption Webinar

Adoption Learning Partners is hosting a webinar to discuss ways to help children navigate relationships when new kids join the family. Experts will share transition tips and strategies for welcoming a toddler or school-aged child home, focusing on preparing brothers and sisters prior to adoption and the first year after adoption. the experts will discuss:

• Transitioning new family members (sleeping, eating, culture)
• Preparing and integrating brothers and sisters
• Attachment and expectations
• How to make these strategies a part of a family’s everyday life

The webinar will take place on Tuesday, June 19, 2012 at 12:00 p.m. CT and families can register by visiting the website.

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!

Georgia Adoption Picnic

America World's Georgia office held an adoption reunion last weekend and a great time was had by all! Over 80 people attended which included families, board members, volunteers, and even several potential adoptive families. It was a beautiful day and everyone had a wonderful time. There was face painting, balloon animals, popcorn, hula hoops, balls, a bounce house and even a piñata! 

Families said:

“Thank you so much for such an amazing day with other AWAA families.  It was awesome!  I hope that next year we have even more families!  I think once the word gets out, they won't be able to miss it!”

"We had a great time and loved meeting all the families.  It is always great to have a chance to fellowship with other families that look like ours, and "get" us - if you know what I mean."

 

Several more state picnics are already scheduled for this summer, and there may be more to come. See the Events page and scroll down to "All Adoption Events" to find out what's happening in your area. 

End of April Ethiopia Referrals

The Ethiopia program is excited to announce 8 children were referred in April!  Below is a list of these children and the DTE dates of the families.  Please keep in mind some of these referrals may be sibling sets, children with special needs, or older children.

Age and Gender of Child	DTE Date
1 Female infant	10/8/2010
1 Male infant	11/5/2010
1 Male toddler	4/13/2012
2 Females 4-7 years	4/13/2012, 5/11/2012
1 Male 4-7 years	5/11/2012
1 Female 8-12 years	5/4/2012
1 Female 13-15 years	5/11/2012

Infant age range: Approximately 0-18 months

Toddler age range: Approximately 19-47 months

Due to the recent trends of received referrals the wait time for female and male children is 18-24 months from DTE.  This trend is based on recent history, but is subject to change.  While all families are currently receiving referrals within these timeframes, the overall trend is that the wait time is increasing. 

Join us in praising God for these referrals! 

Live Simulcast of Summit VIII

For the first time, some sessions of Summit VIII are live streaming on the web. See this link for a schedule of the broadcasted events and take part in the learning and worship of this year's Summit. 

http://www.summitviii.org/SUMMIT-LIVE/ 

CEO Notes

Congratulations to the families that recently received referrals in our China and Ethiopia Programs!  We’re continuing to pray for the families we have traveling right now, especially the families in Russia, Brazil and India that their trips are smooth and they see God working in their family’s life.

I hope many of you saw the recent blog post about sending a “thank you” to your state’s authentication office.  What a great idea!  We could do the same with the foreign consulates, doctor’s offices, notaries, financial donors and others who’ve helped make the adoption a reality.  Whatever we can do to help put a face/family image in front of those who help make this process possible will enable adoptions to go smoother in the future.  For those of you who have completed your process, you likely see what my wife and I saw:  how your adoption impacts so many others around you.  Many of you have become “ambassadors” in your churches and communities, advocating for those children who still don’t have families. 

This week I’ll be attending the Christian Alliance For Orphans Summit in California and I’m looking forward to seeing many of you there! This is always a great event, with encouraging and informative speakers.  The best part for me is meeting with adoptive families and seeing some of our agency’s staff who I don’t always get to see here in the Virginia office.

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.”  -Hebrews 10:24

-Brian Luwis, CEO