2011 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces

An important part of adopting is investigating all the areas in your life that will support your adoption. For many, the workplace is a wonderful resource of adoption benefits. Is your workplace on the 2011 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces list?

To see all the companies that made the list or for a toolkit to propose or establish adoption benefits in your workplace, visit the Dave Thomas website.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving - A time to give thanks for family and friends, health and happiness, our beautiful country and our freedom.

From the Gladney Asia Program Staff

Free Course - We're Home! Now What?

• Are you awaiting a referral?
  


• Have you recently received a referral?
  


• Have you adopted in the last 6 months?
  

Well, here is a FREE class that may help with issues new families face such as language, sleep, eating, discipline attachment and medical care.

During the month of November, Adoption Learning Partners is offering We’re Home! Now What! for FREE!

1. To receive this course for free, click here to link to the registration page.
   


2. Please enter your agency name during registration.
   


3. When registration is complete, a coupon code will appear. Use this code at checkout.

Ambassador Jacobs National Adoption Month Video

On November 3, 2011, Ambassador Susan Jacobs, Special Advisor for Children's Issues (CI) in the Bureau of Consular Affairs, spoke about intercountry adoptions in celebration of National Adoption Month 2011. Click here to access the video.

November is National Adoption Month!

National Adoption Month is a time to celebrate family and to bring about awareness that there are hundreds of thousands of children awaiting adoption. States, communities, and agencies hold events during the month to bring the need for families into public view.

Celebrate National Adoption Month with your family and friends by:
- learning how and why National Adoption month began (click here)
- participating in day to day activities (for ideas click here)
- supporting adoption organizations such as Gladney by joining in their 125 Anniversary celebration.
- attending an adoption conference in your area, such as the 31st Annual APC Adoption Conference on Sunday, November 20, 2011 in Brooklyn, NY. For more information about the conference, click here.

Gongzhan Visits Asia Accompanied by Pat and Edna

Gongzhan Wu, the managing director of Gladney’s Asia programs, is travelling throughout the month of November to various cities in Asia. On the first leg of the trip, to Taiwan, Shanghai, and Harbin, he is accompanied by Pat Marcus, a pediatric physical therapist from New York. In Taiwan, Gongzhan had a chance to meet with the social welfare organizations through which Gladney’s adoptive placements occur. During his recent visit to Shanghai, it is rewarding to see that Gladney’s partnership with the Shanghai Children’s Home continues to strengthen, with Gladney providing training and consultation, as well as continuing to advocate for the adoption of older children. It is our hope that we can build similar partnerships in other areas of China, as well as in Taiwan.

This current trip is a wonderful opportunity for us to share Gladney’s long 125 year history of helping children find adoptive families. Bringing Edna Gladney along on the trip has been quite an experience! She seems to be agreeable with the arduous travel schedule – always smiling!

Gongzhan, Pat and Edna at JFK Airport

Edna, Gongzhan and Pat arrived safely in Taipei

For Gladney families who would like to participate in the fun of celebrating Gladney's 125th Anniversary – click here to learn how you can print “your own Edna”. Bring Edna along to interesting places, and post your photos to Gladney’s “Where’s Edna facebook page”.

31st Annual APC Adoption Conference

Sunday, November 20, 2011 in Brooklyn, NY

The Adoptive Parent Committee (APC) annual conference serves to promote a better awareness and understanding of adoption and provide members with accurate information concerning adoption and parenting issues. Conference participants will have the opportunity to attend numerous informational sessions including a workshop conducted by Gladney's Asia Staff on "Adopting from Taiwan" from 3:00pm to 4:00pm.

For more information about the conference, click here.

Recently in Taiwan Adoption News

During the month of October we received several civil and final rulings. And thus, as Novemberunfolds before us we are busy planning for five families to travel to Taiwan to complete their adoptions to bring home their daughters and sons! Included with these families is one family who will be adopting a sibling set, two sisters, through the Chung Yi program.

Last month one family completed the adoption of their son and returned home to Illinois. Two more families adopting little boys are in Taiwan currently. In October, Gladney received 2 more boy referrals from New Hope - a baby boy under 6 months old with a minor special need, and this week, a referral of a healthy boy approximately one year old. We also received a referral through our Chung Yi program for a two year old boy. Last week Gladney submitted a dossier on behalf of a family adopting a litle girl through Cathwel and we currently have one family working on their dossier to adopt a baby girl from New Hope.

One of our families who returned home in September recently sent us an email and shared this photo and news:

Kobi took to us right away when we met and transitioned very easily to us. We met only his foster mother, who was very nice. She said that Kobi loves people and was an easy boy to take care of. The foster mother didn't cry at the transition - she smiled the whole time and made it go very smoothly.

Mr. Yeh was wonderful, although he makes you eat alot of stuff that is different! In other words, he doesn't take no for an answer on what you order! We eventually got used to the lax ways of the country, i.e., no car seats, kids on scooters, and even a small zipline that Travis and Kobi both did! Kobi slept 9 of the 12 hours on the flight from Taiwan to San Francisco.

Kobi is a very busy little boy! He loves daddy and says "da da" already. We are home getting adjusted and I'm so glad I have a little boy! -- Andrea and Travis (Illinois)