After advocating on behalf of adoptive families for the past 6 months, Joint Council is very pleased to confirm that USCIS has announced a very positive ruling concerning the I-600A process. Please read letter from JCICS for all the exciting details.
Letter to families from JCICS
JCICS Initiative a Success!
JCICS Initiative
Please read the linked letter and position paper from JCICS (Joint Council on International Children’s Services). They are calling for assistance from all Adoption Service Providers, Child Advocacy Groups, Potential Adoptive Parents, really anyone involved in International Children’s Services and International Adoption. Here is an excerpt from JCICS’s position paper explaining the purpose of this initiative:
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ (USCIS) final regulations, issued in May 2007, state that Potential Adoptive Parents with an approved I-600A may only file for a renewal one time. According to USCIS, families must thereafter ‘start from the beginning’, which in Hague Convention countries, would require the family to file a new I-800 petition. Joint Council maintains that this interpretation o
A CAS Family Shares Their Story
We started the adoption process expecting it to take a long time and now that our little boy is home it all seems like a dream. The last 20 months passed quickly. At times it felt like it would never get here but we focused on one stack of paperwork at a time….that seemed to help. There were bumps along the way, as most adoptive parents will tell you. The emotions ran from thinking it would never happen to busting with excitement at the thought of having our child in our arms. The last 4 months were the hardest for us, especially after receiving the referral and seeing that sweet face. Knowing that we were right there at the end and so close, but having to wait on the US government paperwork to be completed.
When our son came home it was a whole new world for us. I expected it to be hard but never expected us to be as exhausted as we were. One thing we learned is that we need to take care of ourselves, which isn’t easy when all your focus is on your child. This is our first child so everything was new to us. All of a sudden we had this 9 month old and had so much to learn about his personality and caring for him. That was very tough and it really did take both me and my husband working together to cope for the first couple of weeks. We were, however, blessed with a very good natured baby. We are still learning about his personality and very excited to see what his interest will be as he grows.
New Education Webinar Series to begin with AdoptPrep!
Carolina Adoption Services (CAS) is proud to offer our applicant families the opportunity to participate in a new series of education seminars online. All you have to do is register with us, you will then be sent an email with a link to the seminar and a phone number to call and participate. You participate in the comfort of your own home!
We kick off with AdoptPrep. AdoptPrep raises awareness about international adoption issues and provides adoptive parents with information about resources and support systems. The AdoptPrep series will be held on three consecutive Thursday nights beginning October 2, from 7:30-9:30pm (EDT). In November CAS will hold a Beyond Basics webinar series, watch for more information on our website. To register please contact Trudy Tobias, and she will provide the login information for the webinar.
AdoptPrep Webinar Series
October 2, 9, & 16, 2008
7:30-9:30 pm (EDT)
Click here to Register Today!
Makutano Boys Project—Kenya
$2500 was recently given to the Makutano Boys Project in Kenya for repair and improvement of their dormitories and lives. These boys are the orphans of the Aids crisis and live together with the support of a local woman. She is their teacher, for it is unsafe for them to walk to school, and she cooks their meals.
Some of improvements made to the boys’ lives were:
- New mattresses
- Sheets
- Buckets and plastic food containers
- Personal care kits
As a thank you the boys offered a dance in thanks to the generosity of their supporters—their faces tell the joy this brought.
Upcoming improvements will include knocking down a wall to expand their living area, plastering and painting, adding electric lights, repairing the toilets, and making the dorm mosquito proof.
Click here to see more photos!
If you would like to support our future efforts in improving the boys lives please contact us.
CAS Continues Adoptions from Moldova
Carolina Adoption Services has been given permission and an extended special accreditation through January 2009. If you are interested in adopting from Moldova contact us today or visit our program page: Adopting From Moldova!
Nepal…A Possible New Program!
In August, CAS began the application process to become a registered adoption agency. Nepal has recently implemented new adoption laws and is working to become more centralized in the process. We are awaiting our approval and will begin working on the structure of the program. This may become an exciting new adoption option. We will keep you up to date with the latest news.
CAS has also entered into an aid & development agreement with an orphanage in Nepal. Look for some projects to benefit these orphans soon.
HELPUSADOPT.ORG Announces Deadline for Grants
Helpusadopt.org is a national, non-profit 501(c)3 financial grant organization that will help couples/individuals (regardless of race, religion, marital status or sexual preference) with their adoption expenses by awarding grants form $500-$15,000. Grants will be awarded twice a year and the deadline for the second round is October 17, 2008. Applications and guidelines are available on www.helpusadopt.org.
In the first round of grants 125 families applied and eight received grants. The eight families received a total of $53,000. Helpusadopt.org has met with an incredible response from the adoption industry, the public and the press. We have received media coverage from the following news outlets: The Daily Record, The Philadelphia Daily News, CBS 3 Philadelphia, Fox 5 New York, Main Line Today, Forbes.com, and more.
Helpusadopt.org is pleased to announce that they will be giving away another $50,000 of grants in the second round in December 2008.
Moldovan Officials Have A Dynamic Visit
Carolina Adoption Services was honored to host a group of officials from Moldova from July 25-August 7, 2008. The group was comprised of: Albina Zara, CAS facilitator; Svetlana Chifa, Director of Child Protection Chisinau; Tamara Popovici, Ministry of Social Protection Chisinau; Maria Jechiu, Director of Children’s Orphanage Chisinau; Aurelia Varic, assistant to facilitator and translator; and Andrew Zara, son of Albina. The group had two purposes in their visit to the United States of America. First, they wanted to visit with families and see how the children are adjusting and ask the families what services would benefit the children in the adoption process. Second, they wanted to meet with people who have similar positions with the government and private agencies in the U.S. Their goal with these visits was to learn about our systems of services for families and children and what ideas and concepts they could take back and implement.
The Moldovan officials were very successful in completing their two primary goals. They were able to meet with 16 families with a total of 20 children that ranged in age from 1-19 years old. Area agencies were also very willing to meet with them and provide a wealth of information. The agencies included Department of Social Services, Child Protective Services, Foster Care, Family Services of the Piedmont, Cheshire Therapeutic Center and the Greensboro Rotary Club.
How will this benefit families and children you ask? A program is under consideration to do a joint training to prepare families and social workers in Moldova for adoption, foster care, and related areas. Both CAS and Moldovan officials have a much better idea of the aid and development needed in Moldova to improve the lives of children and families and ways to build community support in country. The officials were very impressed with how the community and business come together to support social causes and now want to begin this in their areas.
Most importantly this visit strengthened the personal and professional relationships and they gained confidence in the competency of CAS. They also were very reassured that the children were well cared for and loved, and pleased by how they were thriving.
Everyone has renewed energy and excitement for international adoption between Moldova and CAS. We look forward to this program growing in many ways.
CAS thanks all who participated!
Celebrating 15 Years of Successes!
- 15 years of building happy families in 40 states and overseas!
- 2700+ children are home with their loving forever families
- Successful adoptions from over 20 countries
- Hundreds of thousands of dollars to aid children in orphanages
- Helped to secure over 60 students futures in Moldova
- Continued growth in compassion, professionalism, and quality as an agency
- Assisted many families with their dreams by providing underwriting for adoptions
- 15 years of advocating for childrens’ rights
- Building strong communities of families
- Earned highest accreditations through Council on Accreditation and The Hague