Jiangxi Province, Shanghai & Suzhou July 28 - August 6, 2013

Jiangxi Province is excited and honored to participate in sponsoring a heritage tour this summer from July 28 through August 6, 2013.  The tour, which will start in Shanghai and finish in Nanchang, is designed with Jiangxi children and their families in mind, as well as families with children from Shanghai, Jiangsu and other East China regions.  However, it is open to all children adopted from China. In addition to the tour, it is possible to add time at the beginning or end to allow for orphanage visits or to see other sites in China.

  

All Chinese adoptees are eligible for in-China financial support from China's Ministry of Civil Affairs, through CCCWA. Amounts will be determined based upon individual family participation. The subsidies are available for a limited number of families -- please apply early, to be considered for this financial support. For a detailed itinerary and applications, please visit the Gladney Asia website  www.gladneyasia.org.

STUCK, the Film

STUCK is a recently released documentary film, produced by Both Ends Burning, that uncovers the personal, real-life stories of children and parents navigating a rollercoaster of bureaucracy on their journeys through the international adoption system.  The film is an important part of the advocacy done by Both Ends Burning to address the "squeeze" being felt in the international adoption community that is preventing children from finding homes outside their countries of birth.

Frank Garrrott, Gladney's President, sends a passionate appeal to all Gladney families to see STUCK and encourages a huge Gladney turnout in every city where the film is being shown.

To learn more about the STUCK film, and tour itinerary click here.

Superkids Charity - A BIG part of Gladney's Asia Program

Superkids Charity, what is it and how did it begin? Pat Marcus describes how this amazing initiative got its start and how she became involved.

Pat with Edna Gladney at Shanghai Children's Home

"Superkids Charity was founded in 2006 by a Gladney mom, Janet Fink.  Janet wanted to give back to the orphanage that took such good care of her daughter. I have been an integral part of Superkids as the first professional to join the team. In direct collaboration with Gongzhan Wu, Vice President and Managing Director of Gladney's Asia Programs, we took our first trip to China in 2007. We have made nine trips to Asia since then. Our volunteers include physical therapists, speech therapists, and medical doctors.

The first orphanage we visited was the Shanghai Children's Home. We have now visited six provinces and assisted orphanages with many different objectives including increased focus on opportunities for gross motor skill development, and specialized attention to speech and feeding issues. We train caregivers and work with rehabilitation staff. During our visits we are able to evaluate children and provide information to waiting adoptive parents. Importantly, Superkids also provides care and comfort to children who may not find their forever families."

- Pat Marcus 

Click here to learn more about the Superkids Charity and read the blog.

Just in time for Mother's Day, a new book by Jane Aronson

"Carried in Our Hearts is an amazing account of the journey that Dr. Jane Aronson and countless families have taken toward shepherding children through the process of finding permanent and loving homes."
- Hugh Jackman, Gladney Dad

Dr. Jane Aronson, adoption physician and founder of Worldwide Orphans (WWO) Foundation has written a book called Carried in Our Hearts which captures uplifting adoption tales and highlights the importance of both connection and family. The book is an edited collection of stories written by parents who adopted from many countries; it features essays from many adoptive parents from China.

In a recent Glamour magazine article, comedian Amy Poehler interviews Jane Aronson, "the woman she is proudest to know" about this new book and the WWO Foundation.

The book has a publication date of May 12 (Mother's Day!). For all pre-orders made before April 18th, the publisher, Tarcher/Penguin will donate $1 to WWO. Pre-order yours today.

Chelsea Guffy, Law Student Volunteer

We are pleased to introduce Chelsea Guffy who currently attends law school and volunteers each week at the New York office. This summer, Chelsea will continue with Gladney in an internship position and receive academic credit.  As part of her summer experience, she is preparing to travel to China with Gladney staff.

"... adoption law is a subject that is barely covered in law school. On occasion, we read cases in law school that somehow loosely pertain to adoption, but the intricacies of adoption law are rarely discussed.  That's why I volunteer at Gladney. I help out a little bit and in return I get to see adoption at work and speak with adoption professionals, not to mention the joy I receive from the photos of smiling "Gladney babies" lining the walls. Gladney is a weekly reminder of why my education matters, a reminder which is of great importance to me."                                          - Chelsea Guffy

Click here to read Chelsea's full article which includes a synopsis of the New York Law School Adoption Conference which she recently attended with the Gladney Asia Staff.

New Member of the Gladney Asia Team!

Pat Marcus, Gladney Superkids Physical Therapist

We are proud to announce the addition of Pat Marcus to the team! Pat will be continuing her work with Gladney's Superkids Charity and the Asia Waiting Child Program in a new staff position! She will also be contributing monthly to this newsletter.

"Working as a volunteer with the Asia Waiting Child program has changed my life. I have been privileged to work with so many wonderful children and adoptive parents. As the kids I meet in China come home to their forever families, my work comes full circle.  This is rewarding beyond words.  I am so pleased to now be part of Gladney's staff and to be able to advocate, care for, and work with waiting children. In the coming months, I will devote more time to working with Gongzhan, and Gladney. So please follow us in the newsletter and at Superkidscharity.blogspot.com"                                                           - Pat Marcus

Gladney's NY office is on the move!

Our temporary address for the Spring will be:

Riverside - Gladney Center for Adoption

48 Wall Street, Suite 703

New York, NY 10005

All mail/FedEx/UPS packages should be sent to the above address.  We have activated mail forwarding service with USPS, so any mail that has already been sent will make it to us at the new address!

The main number for the New York office is still active, 212-868-3434.  For staff direct numbers, please call:

Gongzhan Wu - 917-969-0987

Wendy Stanley - 347-371-2270

April Uduhiri - 646-244-3514

Mary Chapman - 347-574-3320

Recently in Taiwan Adoption News:

In Gladney's Taiwan program we recently welcomed home two children! Congratulations to Jamie and Erin from CA on the adoption of Aliza and to Justin and Nina from NY on the adoption of Sonny!  The month of March also saw smooth progress of families matched with children through the court process; with one family having their court hearing and two families receiving news of the issuance of their civil rulings.

We just wanted to remind parents in our Taiwan program that it is possible the Judge, in his or her discretion, may request for the adoptive parents be present at the court hearing.  For our one court hearing in March, the family was not requested to be present, but please keep this in mind.  If you have any questions please always feel free to ask us!

Welcome home Aliza and Sonny!

Aliza

Sonny with his parents Justin and Nina and big brother Elvis

Gladney's 100th GFA Lifetime Member

"Gladney's year of milestones continues..... 125 years; 30,000 placements; 1,000 children adopted from China; and now, 100 Lifetime Members of our Gladney Family Associations, which are located in 19 cities around the country....".

GFA Chinese New Year Party in New York

Click here to find out who the 100th member is and to read more about GFA Lifetime Membership in Gladney President, Frank Garrott's insightful blog "What Really Matters".

GFA Chinese New Year Party in Texas

Register now for next week's FREE expert Q&A webinar

Presented by Adoptive Families Expert Q&A: Parenting in Transracial Adoption with Deborah H. Johnson April 10, 2013 @ 1 pm EDT Parents who adopt a child of a different race may wonder what life will be like as a conspicuous family, how to teach their child about his birth culture, how to find role models of their child's race, what resources exist for multiracial families, how to deal with and prepare their child for racism, and more. Join transracial adoption expert Deborah H. Johnson to ask any questions you have. The Expert Q&A Webinar: Parenting in Transracial Adoption will take place on Wednesday, April 10, 2013 from 1pm to 2pm EDT(12pm-1pm CDT; 11am-12pm MDT; 10am-11am PDT). Don't want to forget your question? Submit it in advance here.   Can't attend the webinar? We'll post a recording here after the session.