CCCWA Officials Visit Gladney

Fall 2011 has been a busy and exciting time for Gladney's China Program as we were privileged to host another delegation of officials from the CCCWA! This October, a group of 15 officials travelled to the US in order to meet with several adoption agencies and visit with adoptive families and children. Gladney's NY office was honored to host a breakfast for the officials on the 26th, and share with them how Gladney works with families who are adopting from China. During the event, we felt encouraged by the officials desire to work together with Gladney to find homes for children with medical issues.

Gladney staff with CCCWA officials and Chuck Johnson from NCFA

Gladney staff with Ms. Zhu Hai Yan, Director of Shanghai Children's Home

Why Waiting Children?

Some of you may have wondered at some point, why are some children referred to as "waiting children"? What does this mean?

In some programs, parents work hard to complete their dossier and submit it to the adoption authorities and then wait for their child's paperwork to be prepared. These parents eagerly and anxiously wait to see their child's picture for the first time - sometimes months or years! However, in the Guang Ming program, these children already have their paperwork prepared and are available for adoption. They are waiting for their families to find them and come and bring them home! These precious kids are in need of families who are paperwork ready so that they don't have to wait any longer to join their forever families.

If you feel that you might have a child waiting for you in China - contact Judy Hayes at judy.hayes@gladney.org to learn more about getting started in Gladney's Guang Ming program.

Recently in China Adoption News

• CCCWA has matched families with LIDs through August 2, 2006! Congratulations to all of the families who have received referrals!


• CCCWA has reviewed dossiers with LIDs through November 20, 2010.


• CCCWA has issued Travel Approvals for three Gladney families in October!


• One Gladney Family received their Letter Seeking Confirmation in the month of October.


• One Gladney family has travelled to China to complete their adoption!
  
  
  Congratulations to the Osborn family on the adoption of your precious daughter!
  

Trick-or-Treat!

This was J's first time trick-or-treating, looks like he had a blast!

What a pretty butterfly! M came home from China a couple of years ago and can't wait to go trick-or-treating with her little brother or sister one day!

Upcoming Asia Waiting Child Webinar

Each month Gladney hosts an Asia Waiting Child Webinar. Our next Webinar will be this Wednesday, Nov. 9th at 1pm EST. Be sure to register for the Webinar!

This informative webinar will focus on the process of adopting waiting children from China. The webinar will provide an overview of Gladney’s program as well as share photos of available children. You will get a detailed explanation of the Application and paperwork process involved with adopting internationally. Also, each month we will feature different children, with a variety of ages and special needs, who are available for adoption. At the end of each webinar we offer time for attendees to ask questions and will provide contact information for you to follow up with one of Gladney’s Asia Program Staff.

This month we will feature profiles of new children who have been designated to Gladney - so you definitely will want to tune in!

We hope you will be able to join us for our webinar! Feel free to pass this invitation along to friends and family members that may also be interested.

Happy Halloween!

Sarah is a pink superhero this year, and Kathryn is the Queen of the Nile. James's costume did not arrive yet but here he is as he heads off to his middle school camping trip (with a weird flash effect!). We hope everyone is enjoying the autumn! We love to see all the kids' costumes, so please send your Halloween photos--or just photos, if you don't celebrate Halloween or don't have costumes yet!--to Mary Chapman at mary.chapman@gladney.org.

Upcoming Asia Waiting Child Webinar

Each month Gladney hosts an Asia Waiting Child Webinar. Our next Webinar will be this Wednesday, Oct. 12th at 1pm EST. Be sure to register for the Webinar!

This informative webinar will focus on the process of adopting waiting children from China. The webinar will provide an overview of Gladney’s program as well as share photos of available children. You will get a detailed explanation of the Application and paperwork process involved with adopting internationally. Also, each month we will feature different children, with a variety of ages and special needs, who are available for adoption. At the end of each webinar we offer time for attendees to ask questions and will provide contact information for you to follow up with one of Gladney’s Asia Program Staff.

We hope you will be able to join us for our webinar! Feel free to pass this invitation along to friends and family members that may also be interested.

Visitors from Shanghai

Last week, a delegation of 5 adoption officials from Shanghai visited Gladney’s Fort Worth office and New York office! The Shanghai officials were able to learn about Gladney’s US domestic and international adoption programs.

In Fort Worth, Gladney welcomed the Shanghai delegation with a tour of the Gladney Center Fort Worth campus. The staff gave the delegation a very Texan welcome by showing them the Historic Stockyards and the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame. They ended the day at the Texas Rangers baseball game!

In New York, Gladney held a reception to welcome the Shanghai delegation and was joined by families adopting children from Shanghai as well as families who had previously adopted children from Shanghai. The families were excited and honored to meet the officials face-to-face to have the chance to learn more about their children’s environment before coming to the US. The delegation reported that they were happy to see such caring parents and that the adopted children are living healthy and happy lives.

The Johnsons picking up their daughter, Ava, in Shanghai.

Gladney’s partnership with the Shanghai Children’s Home began in March 2011. If you would like to learn more about Gladney’s partnership with the Shanghai Children’s Home, please visit here or contact April.Uduhiri@gladney.org. You can also read stories about the joy these children bring to the parents everyday through the Asia Waiting Child program.

Visit from Heilongjiang Officials

Last Friday, Sept. 16th, the Gladney Asia Program had a breakfast reception to welcome several officials from Heilongjiang Province. Also attending the breakfast were children who had been adopted from Heilongjiang, including the cute twins above!

Reception in NYC for Heilongjiang Officials

Gladney Center for Adoption cordially invites families who have adopted from Heilongjiang Province to join us for a welcome breakfast as adoption officials from Heilongjiang will be visiting Gladney’s New York office on Sept. 16th. We are very excited to host the officials and would love to see many families at the reception!

The officials are on a limited travel schedule and so we will be hosting an informal breakfast reception for them at 9am on Friday morning, the 16th of September. They are especially looking forward to seeing children adopted from Heilongjiang as they are very interested in the welfare of the children after they are adopted. This is a great opportunity to show them how much the kids thrive in loving families!

Gladney Center for Adoption is located at 363 7th Ave, 3rd floor (corner of 7th Ave and 30th St) in Manhattan, near Penn Station.

Please RSVP to April Uduhiri at april.uduhiri@gladney.org or 212.868.4564.

Back To School In Brooklyn!

In many parts of the country, kids have been back in school for weeks already, but James, Kathryn and Sarah just started back last Thursday! James is in middle school now and Kathryn and Sarah are in first grade. Their first days back all went great, and they also enjoyed their first soccer games this weekend and celebrating Sarah's sixth birthday! If you would like to share your back-to-school photos on the blog, please send them to Mary Chapman at mary.chapman@gladney.org. Happy Fall everyone!

NYC Reception for Shanghai Officials

Gladney Center extends an invitation to all adoptive families in the area with children from Shanghai, China, as well as pre-adoptive families who would like to learn more about Gladney Center’s Waiting Child partnership with the Shanghai Children’s Home.

It has been 15 years since a delegation from Shanghai has visited the United States and this reception allows US families the chance to share with Shanghai adoption officials the well-being and successes of their children as they have grown through the years.

WHEN: Monday, Sept. 19th, 6-8pm

WHERE: Gladney Center for Adoption, 363 Seventh Ave., 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10001

Refreshments will be served. Cost is $30 per family.

For more information and to register please click HERE. Please register early and mail payment before September 12. Space is limited and thus registration will close on September 13, 2011.

FCC NY Event

The Greater NY chapter of Families with Children from China (FCC) will be presenting "A Lecture by Professor David Smolin: The Missing Girls of China". The lecture will be held on Friday, Sept. 9th from 6-9pm at The National Arts Club in New York, NY. The event is open to FCCNY members, as well as non-members.

Professor Smolin will speak to and analyze the present impact on international adoption of China's "one-child policy" and other policies, and present his views on possible solutions.

To learn more about the event or to register, please visit FCC's website. The online registration deadline is Sept. 5th.

Save the Date - Visitors from Shanghai!

Gladney Center for Adoption is honored to host 5 officials from Shanghai next month! Representatives from the Shanghai Children’s Home (SCH) and local government will be travelling to the US to meet with agencies and families to learn more about the adoption process from the other side of the globe.

Gladney will hold two events, one in the Dallas/Fort Worth, TX area on Wednesday, Sept. 14th and another in NYC on Monday, Sept. 19th to welcome our visitors. The officials are also excited to mingle with families who have adopted from China, as well as families that are interested in adopting through Gladney’s Shanghai Children’s Home partnership program.

Director Gongzhan Wu and Asia Program Caseworker Lindsay Hatcher meet children from SCH’s foster care program.

Gongzhan and Lindsay outside of SCH with one of the social workers.

Additional information about the two events will be provided within the next week. We look forward to having many adoptive families join us in welcoming these special visitors!

Sarah, James and Kathryn have been having a busy, fun summer in NYC! The three had their older cousin from Germany taking care of them in July and he took these pictures of Sarah on the beach at Coney Island, James on the subway, and Kathryn relaxing at home. The whole family enjoyed a trip to Fire Island in July and will be going to Mohonk Mountain House at the end of August. Right now the sibs are all in day camp and having a lot of fun!

Please send your Summer Fun pictures to mary.chapman@gladney.org to be posted on the blog!

Whitney Enjoys Turks & Caicos!

Our family enjoyed a quick trip to Turks & Caicos. Whitney sure enjoyed her time in the water and playing on the beach.

Family Fun Time!

Keira, who came home through Gladney's Asia Waiting Child Program last year, met her cousin Mikey for the first time this 4th of July - they instantly became fast friends! The cousins spent their time together celebrating the 4th with a family BBQ in New Jersey.

If you would like to share your summer photos and adventures, please email Mary.chapman@gladney.org.

Summer Days

Tessa (age 3) and Emma (age 10) are spending their summer in Chicago swimming, playing at the park, taking dance classes and eating lots of ice cream!

If you have summer photos you would like to share, please email them to Mary.chapman@gladney.org.

Madeleine - One Year Later

7/15/2011 Houston, TX: “One year ago today we were called by Gladney with the great news of our referral! Here are our referral pictures, along with a picture taken of Madeleine today.”

MOCA Dragon Boat Festival Family Day - NYC

We wanted to let all of our China families know about this fun, family event happening next weekend!

WHAT: Dragon Boat Festival Family Day

WHEN: Sunday, July 31st - 10:00am - 5:00pm

WHERE: Museum of Chinese in America, 215 Centre St., New York, NY 10013

The day-long festival includes:

• Performance and Storytelling with Mingmei Yip
• Poetry Workshop with Janet Wong
• Family Friendly Tours
• Drop in Arts and Crafts

Visit MOCA's website for more details! Admission is $10 or free for MOCA Members and children aged 1 yr or under.

Waiting Child Webinar

Will you be joining us for our next Waiting Child Webinar that will be held this Wednesday, July 13th at 1pm EST?

Each month Gladney hosts an Asia Waiting Child Webinar. This informative webinar will focus on the process of adopting a waiting child from China. The webinar will provide an overview of Gladney's program as well as share photos of available children. You will get a detailed explanation of the Application and paperwork process involved with adopting internationally. Also, each month we will feature different children, with a variety of ages and special needs, who are available for adoption. At the end of each webinar we offer time for attendees to ask questions and will provide contact information for you to follow up with one of Gladney's Asia Program Staff.

Be sure to register today!

4th of July Fun!

We hope everyone had a festive and fun 4th of July weekend!

Kathryn and Sarah spent the 4th of July with their family, including Mom, Dad, big brother James and their Grandparents, picnicking in Manhattan!

Whitney spent the holiday sailing with her family!

How did your family spend the 4th of July weekend? If you would to share your July 4th photos, please email them to Mary.chapman@gladney.org.

Summer Has Arrived!

Happy 4th of July!

All Gladney families are gearing up for a busy summer season! This year Grace, who came home in the spring of 2010, will be spending her second 4th of July with her family in NY. Last year, she celebrated her first Independence Day with her mom and dad at the beach.

What are your family's plans for the summer? Will you visit the beach like Grace? Will you spend time with special friends?

Will you have a lobster feast?

We would love to hear all about your summer adventures! Please send your summer stories and photos to mary.chapman@gladney.org. We will post the stories and photos throughout the summer - we can't wait to see what all of our Gladney families are up to!

Call for Stories and Pictures by the CCCWA (formerly known as CCAA)

TO ALL ADOPTIVE FAMILIES FROM CHINA

SUBMISSION DEADLINE IS JUNE 20, 2011

On the occasion of the Fifteenth Anniversary of the founding of China Center for Children's Welfare and Adoption (CCCWA) in Beijing, China, there will be a series of activities to celebrate adoption. As part of the celebratory activities the CCCWA would like to introduce inter-country adoption to even more people throughout China, as well as internationally. It is the hope of the CCCWA to educate as many people as possible that it is in the best interests of the orphaned children to be raised within a loving family.

The CCCWA has asked Gladney and other US adoption agencies to reach out to their adoptive families for stories that highlight the opportunities, reflections, achievements and accomplishments of the children. Each story should be accompanied by 5-6 photos of the adopted child at different stages of their growth.

Gladney would like to collect these stories over the next few days (deadline Monday, June 20, 2011) so that we can forward them to CCCWA in time for the beginning of their celebrations later this month.

Thank you for participating in honoring CCCWA on its 15th anniversary!

PLEASE EMAIL YOUR SUBMISSIONS TO: mary.chapman@gladney.org

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAIL SUBMISSIONS, PLEASE SEND THEM TO:

Gladney Center for Adoption

363 Seventh Ave., 3rd Floor

New York, NY 10001

Please send questions to mary.chapman@gladney.org.

China Monthly Update - June 2011

Referral and Program Update:

The CCCWA has issued referrals through 6/30/06 and dossiers have been reviewed through 11/30/10.

We have 1 family with an LID of 6/28/06 who received their referral in the most recent batch! Congratulations to this family!

We currently have 1 family in China adopting their daughter and 2 more families will be traveling later this month to complete their adoptions. The children will be returning to the states of Texas, Tennessee and New York in time to enjoy the hot summer months ahead - with plenty of pool and sprinkler time!

Gladney Staff Trip to Asia:

Two Gladney staff spent time in China and Taiwan during May and the early part of June. Gongzhan Wu, Gladney's VP and Managing Director, had the chance to meet with government officials and orphanages in the provinces of Beijing, Shanghai and Changsha. The Standard Child program continues to remain stable, although the lengthy wait times are expected to remain. The CCCWA continues to focus their efforts on finding homes for Waiting Children who are healthy and older or who have medical conditions.

Gongzhan and Lindsay also had the opportunity to visit a regional foster care station in the Shanghai district and meet some of the children currently living in foster families in China. These regional stations act as a hub to provide services to families who are providing care for the children in areas that are distant from the orphanage.

This little girl smiled ear to ear (as did her foster family) when we looked through the photos sent by her prospective adoptive family! She will be adopted through Gladney's Waiting Child partnership with the Shanghai Children's Home.

Lindsay will join this week's Waiting Child webinar on Wednesday at 1pm EST and talk about her recent trip and some of the waiting children she had a chance to meet. You can register for the webinar HERE. We are also planning to record the webinar and will make it available on Gladney's Asia Waiting Child Website.

Dragon Boat Festival - June 6, 2011:

The Dragon Boat Festival is an important festival in China that is now recognized as a national holiday. It falls on the 5th day of the 5th month of the Lunar Calendar - which was June 6th this year. There are several different myths as to how the festival came to be, including the story of Qu Yuan, one of the first great Chinese poets who drowned on the 5th day of the 5th month. Festivities usually include eating rice dumplings called "zongzi", drinking realgar wine and racing dragon boats! Health and wellness are also heavily promoted during the festival and many will follow traditional methods of warding off disease - such as wearing a perfumed medicine bag.

To the ancient Chinese, dragons were thought to be benevolent spirits who controlled the rain and water. Racing dragon boats originated to simulate a dragon fight in the heavens in order to appease the dragon deity - which in turn would bring rain to make the crops flourish. Dragon boats are long, wooden boats that require teams of rowers to propel them through the water. A drummer sits at the front of the boat to help keep time for the rowers.

China Monthly Update - May 2011

Referral and Program Update:
The CCCWA has issued referrals through 6/20/06 and Dossiers have been reviewed through 9/30/10.

Last week we had 2 families in our Waiting Child Program receive their Letter Seeking Confirmation. Congratulations to those families! Our next LID for our standard program is 6/28/06. We have 6 families with referrals who are waiting for their Travel Approvals to be issued. Once each family's Travel Approval is issued they will begin working with Gladney toward their individual travel plans for a 2 week stay in China. Some of the families may be able to join up for the final week in Guangzhou, depending on when Travel Approvals are all received!

Gongzhan Wu, VP and Managing Director, is currently in Asia and is planning to visit the cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. He will also be visiting Taiwan. Later this month our Asia program caseworker and Taiwan program coordinator, Lindsay Hatcher, will join Gongzhan to visit orphanages and local adoption officials in both China and Taiwan.

Have you considered adopting a boy?



Most (but not all!) children adopted through the "standard" China program are little girls - but did you know that there are many little boys with mild to moderate special needs available for adoption from China? On the shared database there are currently 1110 profiles of boys (as compared to 416 girl profiles).

Love Without Boundaries has compiled a brief video that captures the joy of little boys - and reminds us that these little guys need to grow up in homes with Moms and Dads to hug and chase them! Boys available for adoption are all ages! 1-3 years old; 4-7 years old; and 8+. If you can imagine these little guys growing up through these stages and want to be a home and family for a waiting child who happens to be a boy - please let us know!

To review and consider adoption profiles of boys available through Gladney's Waiting Child Program (shared database as well as designated profiles), please let your caseworker know! Our next Waiting Child Webinar on May 11th at 1pm EST will highlight boys available for adoption. Be sure to register today!