Save the Date - Gladney's Chinese New Year Parties!

SAVE THE DATE!

Gladney will be hosting 3 Chinese New Year Parties this year!

Fort Worth, TX - Saturday, January 22

Houston, TX - Sunday, January 23

New York, NY - Saturday, January 29

We are excited for these celebrations and thankful for the help of Gladney parents in organizing these parties! Gongzhan Wu, Asia Programs Director, will be attending all three parties and is looking forward to seeing many families! If you have any questions regarding the TX parties, please contact Wendy Lee at wendy.lee@gladney.org. If you have questions or would like to volunteer for the NYC party please contact Amy Lee at mom2kl@gmail.com.

We hope that your family will be able to join us as we jump into the year of the Rabbit!

Candy Cane Girls!

Sarah, Kathryn and Whitney (from left to right in the photos) had a holiday season get-together in Manhattan recently. Whitney and Kathryn have known each other since China, when their parents traveled together to adopt them! This was almost five years ago this coming February! The girls' moms are good friends and it's great that the girls get to see each other. The next meet-up will be in Chinatown for Chinese New Year! Happy Holidays!

China Referral Update

CCAA has processed referrals for families with Log In Dates through 5/29/06. CCAA has reviewed dossiers for families with Log In Dates through 11/30/09.

Gladney received 4 referrals on Friday, which included our families with LIDs of 5/26/06. Congratulations to these families!

The referrals were all little girls from Jiangxi Province ranging in age from 9 months to almost exactly a year old.

We currently have 4 families in China completing their adoptions and will be home later this week, just in time to celebrate Christmas as a family!

Ella and Dean Make Their First Visit to Santa!

Ella's and Dean's mom was so happily surprised that the sister and brother finally agreed to pose with Santa! Previous attempts had not been successful. Ella is 4 and was adopted through Gladney's China program. Dean is 2.5. The family reside in Texas, where Ella is busy with her first school experience, and both she and Dean enjoy gymnastics at The Little Gym, where this photo was taken!

Ruby's First Christmas

Ruby, adopted from China this past spring through Gladney's Asia Waiting Child Program, is about to experience her first Christmas! As you can imagine, this is an exciting time for Ruby as she experiences this new tradition with her family. Her first visit to Santa, her time baking Christmas cookies, her first time singing Christmas carols, her first Christmas morning waking up to see what Santa has left her.

Ruby's dad sent the below message to our Asia Waiting Child Program Staff to share how Ruby has been doing since coming home.

"I just wanted to let you all know that Ruby is experiencing her first Christmas! She places Santa at the top of her "Dear God" blessings at bedtime. Ruby is 6 years old and has been in the US now for 6 months. We have her enrolled in a private school where is excelling. She loves to dress up in pretty clothes; she adores other children; is kind, very considerate and always very cheerful. She is an absolute joy to us and to all our extended family and friends. She would want us to wish you all a very Merry Christmas."

Imagine the joy this family will feel on this very special first Christmas! If you have any "first Christmas" or "first Hanukkah" stories that you would like to share on our blog, please email Mary Chapman at mary.chapman@gladney.org. Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays from James, Kathryn, and Sarah!

James,aged 10 and in 5th grade, Kathryn, almost 6 and in kindergarten, and Sarah, aged 5 and also in kindergarten, got to play hooky from school for an afternoon on Dec. 1st to go to the Radio City Christmas Spectacular with Mom Stephanie. They loved the show--and also the Rockette bears and wooden soldier hat they acquired! Afterwards we walked over to Rockefeller Center to look at the tree.

Kathryn and Sarah were both adopted from China through Gladney's Waiting Child program. If you would like to learn more about this wonderful option, please contact April Lerch or visit our new Waiting Child website at this link.

We wish everyone a joyous holiday season!

Welcome Home Madeleine!

One of our families from TX just returned home over the weekend from China, where they met their daughter Madeleine. See what the family had to say about meeting their precious daughter. Welcome home Madeleine!


"China has been a unique experience so far, and we're trying to enjoy every minute of it. Today was "Gotcha Day"! A long journey has finally led us to Madeleine. Overwhelmed with joy the first time we saw her this afternoon! She is so sweet and instantly became part of our family. She is happy, active and "talking". "

International & Waiting Child Programs Information Session

Gladney will be hosting an Information Session on our International and Waiting Child Programs this Saturday, Dec. 4th at 10:30am in our NY office located at 363 Seventh Ave., 3rd Floor in Manhattan. This Information Session will be presented by Gladney Staff and is free and open to anyone interested in learning more about our International or Waiting Child Programs.

To register for this Information Session or to see a schedule of upcoming Information Sessions please visit this link. We hope to see you there!

Waiting Child Update

CCAA's shared list was updated in the evening of Monday, November 22nd. Many new profiles of children newly available for International Adoption were added to the list and two children were locked for Gladney families, a girl and a boy both under 16 months! Families received an extra Thanksgiving blessing this year as they were able to put a face to their prayers!

The shared list is updated approximately once a month with profiles of children that are available and waiting to be adopted internationally. Register for Gladney's Waiting Children webinar for more information on how to adopt a waiting child from China.

Hello from China!

Last week Sara, a Gladney mom from Florida, met her daughter for the first time. They were matched through the Waiting Child program. It is wonderful to hear from them!

Ni hao from China!!! Mia's gotcha day was 11/8/10 and her adoption was finalized in terms of the Chinese government on 11/9/10, which for me, was the most unforgetable birthday that I have ever had or will ever have. Mia is more unbelievable than imaginable - she is beautiful and funny, and the most loving and lovable creature in the world. She is very, very small, but she gets stronger by the day and the only time that we have seen her mood sour is if she is hungry - she eats like a horse. Today, she turned over by herself for the first time, and she is working on pulling herself up, and she loves to practice walking when I am holding her hands to steady her. To me, she could not be more perfect!

Rachael Turns 3!

Rachael from Jiangxi province turned 3 last month....growing up is lots of fun!!

China Waiting Children Webinar

Please join us for our next China Waiting Child Webinar that will be held on November 10th at 1pm EST. This webinar will focus on the process of adopting a waiting child from China. We will also be sharing photos of children who are current available for adoption. To register for the webinar please visit this link.

China Program Monthly Update

Referral Update:
The CCAA has issued referrals to families with Log In Dates through 5/18/06. As we reported last week, in this last batch of referrals Gladney had 3 families receive referrals. Congratulations to these families who are all coming into the office today for their travel meeting!

The CCAA has reviewed dossiers through 11/30/09.

We currently have two families traveling in China who will be returning home to NY and FL soon. Welcome home to these families!

CCAA Delegation Visit:
A delegation of about 20 officials from CCAA and various provinces, including CCAA's Director General, visited the US in September for an educational training trip. The delegation visited NY where Gladney hosted a Mid-Autumn Festival NYC Harbor Cruise for adoptive families. About 400 people joined for this event!! The delegation reported that it was a unique experience for them to see so many families in one setting - with each family enjoying themselves in a casual and interactive setting. Many of the officials were able to meet children from their provinces.

Gladney Asia staff with CCAA Director General Zhang and several officials.

Director General Zhang and delegates meet families.

Lanterns made by the children attending the event decorated the boat.

Adoption Awareness Month:

November is Adoption Awareness Month and there will be numerous events throughout the country for adoptive families to attend. A list of events by state can be found on Adoptive Families Magazine's website.

In New York, the Adoptive Parents Committee (APC) will be holding their 30th Annual Adoption Conference on November 21st at St. Francis College in Brooklyn. Gladney will have a table at the event and several of our staff will present on a few of the panel discussions throughout the day. This year's keynote speaker will be Dr. Jane Aronson - a speaker you won't want to miss! Please visit APC's website for more information about the conference.

In New Jersey the 29th Annual Let's Talk Adoption Conference will be held on November 6th at Rutgers University. There will be breakout sessions and panels throughout the day for parents to attend. For more information on the conference please visit the official website.

In Dallas on November 13th the local chapter of Families with Children from China (FCC) will hold their Annual Culture Day to celebrate Chinese culture. Visit FCC's website for more information.

Waiting Child Update:

We are working with several families who are open to adopting Waiting Children. As of this update we have 8 families who are matched with children who have special needs. Several of these families will travel by the end of the year to bring their children home.

We are excited to announce that we will be holding a Webinar on Asia Waiting Children on November 10th from 1-2pm EST. As the date for the webinar draws closer we will send out more information about attending. For questions about Waiting Children please contact April Lerch at april.lerch@gladney.org or 212-868-3434.

Next month will be the first issue of Gladney's Waiting Child Newsletter. This newsletter will share information about children with medical needs and older children who are available for adoption through Gladney's International Waiting Child programs.

Cruise Into Fall with the Gladney Black and White Ball

Gladney looks forward to an evening cruise on the Hudson River under the stars and amidst the impressive nighttime cityscape. This is a night to celebrate family and to support adoption and Gladney. For those of you who may not have received the announcement and invitation from the Gladney Family Association - we would like to share this invitation with all of you. To receive the full invitation announcing a NYC Hudson River Dinner & Dancing cruise/fundraiser on Sunday, October 16th from 6-10pm, along with a RSVP card, please email or call Wendy Lee, GFA Director, wendy.lee@gladney.org or 817-922-5947.

Asia Program staff, Wendy Stanley and Lindsay Hatcher, will be joining for this event.

Readoption Seminar

The New York Area Gladney Family Association (GFA) is excited to announce that they will be hosting a second Discussion of International Adoptee Visa and US Citizenship Status Seminar as the first session (scheduled for this month) filled up so quickly. Rebecca L. Mendel, Esq. of Rosin Steinhagen Mendel will give guidance on readoption requirements and will prepare parents for what to expect post-adoption in order to obtain helpful and necessary US documents including Social Security Cards, passports, etc.

The Seminar will be held on November 2nd from 6pm-8pm in Gladney's New York office located at 363 Seventh Ave., 3rd Floor. This Seminar is open to Gladney, as well as non-Gladney families. There is a $10 per attendee fee, however the fee is waived for GFA members. To RSVP, please email Mary Chapman at mary.chapman@gladney.org. Remaining space is very limited so please RSVP as soon as possible.

China Referrals!

We are excited to announce that today we received three referrals for Gladney families, all with a LID of May 16, 2006! The children were from Hunan province, between 9 and 18 months of age! Congratulations to the families!

Mid-Autumn NYC Harbor Cruise with CCAA Delegation

We were so happy that so many families were able to join us for the Mid-Autumn NYC Harbor Cruise with the visiting CCAA delegation this past Sunday, thank you to all of those families who attended! The boat was packed and full of activity! Everyone had a wonderful time and the CCAA delegation was pleased to see so many happy families. Below are a few photos from the day. We would love to have families submit some of their photos from the event and a short paragraph about what the event meant to them to be posted here on the blog. Please email Mary Chapman at mary.chapman@gladney.org.

Jack's Home!

Jack continues to amaze us everyday with the things he learns and way he has adjusted. We will forever be grateful to the people who took such good care of him for the three years he was in the orphanage. They created the bright, loving child whose tiny feet patter along the floor of our house. But there is also a light we see in his eyes when we play in his room or we all sit down to dinner that reminds us that children are designed to have a family. We are glad Jack is part of ours.
~ Kay and Jeb

Pool Party With Janet, Julia and Jenna!

James, Kathryn and I went out to New Jersey this past weekend to visit Janet, Julia and their new daughter and sister, Jenna! We all went to a pool party and the big kids were in the water all afternoon. As you can see from the photos, little Jenna went in the pool for a little while also! It was great to get together with our friends and to meet sweet Jenna! (Sarah opted to stay home for her last tee ball game!).

NYC Mid-Autumn Festival Harbor Cruise with the CCAA - Join Us!!

On behalf of the National Council for Adoption, we would like to invite all families in the NYC area who have adopted from China or are currently in the process of adopting from China to join us for a Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival Cruise of the NYC Harbor on Sunday, September 19, 2010.

Our guest of honor on this cruise will be the CCAA Deputy Director and a delegation of 20 adoption officials from the CCAA and local provincial governments.

This cruise will be a wonderful opportunity for families living the NY tri-state area to join with others in reunion, fellowship and support of continuing China adoptions.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Please click here for more details about the event and to register.

Gladney Center for Adoption, as a member organization of the NCFA, is organizing this event. Please contact Mary Chapman (mary.chapman@gladney.org, 347-574-3320) with any questions about the event or how to register.

China Program Monthly Update - August 2010

Referrals:
The CCAA updated its website to announce that referrals have been made for families with LIDs through May 15, 2006. Our next Gladney families to receive referrals have LIDs of May 16, 2006 -- we are looking forward to the next batch of referrals!

Dossier review is reported for LIDs through July 31, 2009.

There are two Gladney families currently in China and they will be returning home shortly to Flint, TX and West Chester, PA. One more family who is adopting a baby boy from the waiting child program will be traveling to China later this month. Congratulations to these families!

CCAA Delegation to Visit United States in September:
The National Council for Adoption (NCFA) will be hosting the current CCAA Deputy Director, Mr. Zhang, and several adoption officials from various provinces, for a training program in September. Gladney, as a founding member of the NCFA, is helping to organize some of the events in New York City and Fort Worth, Texas.

SAVE THE DATE! If you live in the NY area, a mid-day NYC Harbor Cruise is being planned for the third weekend of Sept. The cruise is open to all families who have adopted from China or are currently working with a CCAA approved agency to adopt from China. The full announcement will be posted later this week to this blog. The invitation will also be emailed.

SAVE THE DATE! If you live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, an evening get-together, hosted by the Gladney GFA, in the Stockyards is being planned for Gladney families (families waiting to adopt and families who have completed their adoptions) on Thursday evening Sept. 23rd. The full announcement will be posted on this blog later this week. The invitation will also be emailed.

GFA Announcements:
We are getting close to the beginning of the GFA (Gladney Family Association) calendar year, which means it's GFA Kickoff time! Check in with your local GFA chapter to get the details of their annual kickoff event. The NY Staff will be attending the NY GFA Kickoff Event on Sept. 19th at South Street Seaport, we look forward to seeing many of you there!

If you are interested in becoming involved in your local GFA or if you would just like more information on the GFA please contact Wendy Lee at wendy.lee@gladney.org.

Fun in Jamaica!

We recently returned from a wonderful trip to Half Moon. Whitney certainly enjoyed the sailing, pony rides, crab hunting and singing with the reggae band!

Children from CCAA's Shared List

This month, two children were locked for Gladney families during the most recent update on the CCAA shared list. The photos below are both of the children that were locked for families during this last update.

***The China Waiting Children program has many children that are available with varying degrees of correctable and non-correctable medical issues. There are many precious children ready for adoption who are waiting for their forever families. Please contact April Lerch, Waiting Child Coordinator at 212.868.4564 for more information about the China Waiting Children program.***

Gladney will be hosting a Waiting Child webinar next week, Tuesday, July 27 at 7pm EST. This webinar will cover basic information on Gladney's China Waiting Children program. To register for the webinar please go to: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/508182906

Beach Time!

Grace models her festive swimsuit while celebrating her first 4th of July home at the beach!

China Monthly Update - July 2010

Referrals:

Yesterday we received 3 referrals - all healthy little girls from Guangxi province under 12 months of age! These little ones will be coming home in the Fall to their parents in New York, New Jersey and Texas! Congratulations!

Gladney has now received referrals for families with a LID through April 29, 2006. Our next Gladney families to receive referrals have LIDs of May 16, 2006.

The CCAA has not yet updated its website to reflect the new referrals. At this time they are still indicating referrals through April 26, 2006. Dossier review is reported for LIDs through July 31, 2009. When the CCAA updates their website, we will update the blog with the latest referral and dossier review information.

There are currently 5 families in Guangzhou completing their adoptions and ready to return to the US. Congratulations and welcome home!

I-600A Process:

USCIS has changed the way they will be processing all I-600A Applications and Extensions. As of July 1st, any China family still under the I-600A system will be filing their extensions with the National Benefits Center unit of the CIS. This is the same place where all of the Hague I-800A Applications are processed. Families will no longer be filing with, or working with, their individual state offices. Your caseworker will work with you closely when it's time to re-file for your I-600A Extension.

This new procedure will provide uniform processing for all I-600A families. We are excited about this change as we have seen how efficiently the NBC handles the processing for our I-800A families. The processing time is expected to be much faster and more efficient. Additionally, the NBC has a great history of communicating well with families and agencies, so any issues or questions that come up are dealt with quickly. If you have any questions about this new process please be in touch with your caseworker.

GFA's Upcoming Year:

Each local GFA (Gladney Family Association) chapter is beginning to plan their events for the upcoming year. GFA events are a wonderful way to meet and connect with other adoptive families in your area. There are many opportunities for our approved and waiting families to get involved with their local GFA. Most GFA chapters have a big kickoff event in late August or September. If you would like more information about your GFA chapter or would like to become involved in the planning please be in touch with Wendy Lee at wendy.lee@gladney.org or by calling 817-922-5947.

Children from CCAA's Shared List

We are thrilled to report that seven children were locked for Gladney families during the most recent update on the CCAA shared list. The photos below are some of the children that were locked for families during this last update.

***The China Waiting Children program has many children that are available with varying degrees of correctable and non-correctable medical issues. There are many precious children ready for adoption who are waiting for their forever families. Please contact April Lerch, Waiting Children Coordinator at 212.868.4564 for more information about the China Waiting Children program.***



Little girl, DOB 11/11/08
Little girl, DOB - 9/2/08 Little boy, DOB - 8/17/08

Little boy, DOB - 7/10/08

Little girl, DOB - 7/1/09

Little boy, DOB - 4/11/04

Annual Larchmont Picnic!

It was good to see many families this past weekend at the Gladney Family Association Picnic in Larchmont NY! Over two hundred were in attendance enjoying the afternoon with friends and family on the grounds of the Larchmont Yacht Club.

It was wonderful to see some of our families who have come home this year with their children from China and Taiwan!

At the picnic Maria Ciringione had a chance to introduce her daughter Grace to Gladney China program staff Wendy Stanley and Mary Chapman. Grace came home to the NY area in April. Grace was adopted through the Waiting Child program.

International Children's Day at the Chinese Consulate!

On May 29, 2010 the Chinese Consulate in Manhattan, right on the Hudson at 42nd St., hosted a wonderful International Children's Day event! Kathryn, Sarah and James went with their dad and grandparents. (Mom--that's me--was working, unfortunately). Chris, their dad, took some wonderful photos , a sampling of which are below. Dozens of families enjoyed terrific live entertainment, balloons, and a sumptuous repast! It was a wonderful start to the long Memorial Day weekend.:-)

The consul's wife kicked off the festivities from the podium, and Haibo, the World Expo mascot, was a real crowd pleaser!