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!