Brave Love

  

Recently, Gladney President, Frank Garrott posted in his blog an introduction to a video clip featuring Gladney China adoptive mom, Ellen Porter speaking about the organization she founded called Brave Love. Frank wrote: "It's about 5 minutes and Ellen does a wonderful job talking about the option of adoption and the bravery of birthmothers." To view the video of Ellen speaking on TV click here.

China Heritage Tour Featuring Jiangxi Province, Shanghai & Suzhou

July 28 - August 6, 2013

The Province of Jiangxi is jointly-sponsoring a wonderful heritage tour which will run July 28 through August 6, 2013, starting in Shanghai and finishing in Nanchang. Jiangxi is among the Provinces with the most adoptions; this tour was 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, there is also an option to add time at the beginning or end to allow for orphanage visits or to see other sites in China. Naturally, such additional trips involve extra cost.

Financial support for the in-China tour expenses for all Chinese adoptees who participate is available by China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs, through CCCWA. These subsidies are available for a limited number of families, so apply soon. Applications are welcome until all spaces are filled.

Highlights of the tour include a three day sightseeing tour in Shanghai and Suzhou, followed by visits to: Jiangxi Provincial Capital City of Nanchang; Jingdezhen, China’s centuries-old “Capital of Porcelain”; a visit to Longhu (Dragon and Tiger) Mountain, the birthplace of Taoism; and the amazing peaks, strange stones, famous trees and rare flowers of Sanqing Mountain. For a detailed itinerary and applications, please visit Gladney Asia www.gladney.org.

Tours for all families will be coordinated through Gladney China Heritage Tours, under the direction of Gongzhan Wu, Vice President and Managing Director of Gladney’s Asia Programs. In-China arrangements will be made by the Bridge of Love Adoption Service in Beijing. Gladney will help travelers gather the documentation required for in-China travel, visa application preparation and processing In addition, they will assist families who wish to extend their tour with a visit to Social Welfare Institutes or other sites in China.

If you have questions about the tour or the application process, please contact Gongzhan Wu at Gongzhan.wu@gladney.org or Lydia Macci at chinaheritagetours@gladney.org.

A Gladney Family's Chinese New Year Traditions

Gladney Mom, Stephanie Brueckel shared photos from this year's Chinese New Year celebration including cleaning the house before the New Year began, decorating with traditional New Year decor, and visiting daughter Kathryn's classroom.

 

Cleaning and Decorating in Preparation for New Year!

  

 Doing a Chinese New Year wordfind (from the Asia Newsletter!) and

gifts for the class - red envelopes with chocolate coins and pencils.

 

Kathryn learning about Chinese characters from her teacher.

Stuck Documentary on Tour

Both Ends Burning, a foundation which aims to lead the turnaround in the decline of international adoption, gave rise to the production of "Stuck", an award winning documentary about personal, real-life stories of children and parents navigating a rollercoaster of bureaucracy on their journeys through the international adoption system.

In a just released letter to all Gladney families and friends, Gladney's President Frank Garrott, is passionately spreading the word about the "Stuck Tour" that is coming to most of our GFA cities over the next 80 days! To read Frank's letter and for a copy of the Stuck Tour Itinerary click here.

Opportunity in the Midst of Change

Over the last few years, international adoption has changed dramatically. However, despite countries shutting down their programs and statistics showing a decline in the number of adoptions, it is important that people know there are still many viable programs available with beautiful children waiting to join their forever families! In fact, Gladney mom and Rainbow Kids founder Martha Osborne recently wrote a related article geared toward families who are wondering where they can adopt from in light of the recent international adoption "squeeze".

Gladney currently has seven international adoption programs, including three programs in the Asian countries of China, Taiwan, and the Philippines. Program highlights for prospective families can be accessed here. Please contact Judy Hayes at judy.hayes@gladney.org with any questions regarding Gladney's International Programs.

Wuhan CWI Reunion Tour July 10 – 17; Space Still available - Applications Due March 29, 2013!

The Wuhan Child Welfare Institute (CWI) located in Hubei, China has announced a subsidized Reunion Tour open to all children adopted through their institute.  This unique opportunity for adopted children and their families will take place from July 10 through July 17, 2013 and includes sightseeing and cultural activities in Beijing and Wuhan.  Optional extended tours to Xi’an or Shanghai are also available from July 17 through July 20.

China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA) is granting, through CCCWA, a subsidy up to $800 in fund support depending on the paid participants in their travelling group toward the in-China Reunion Tour fee for all Wuhan adoptees attending the program 

This opportunity is open to all families with children adopted from Wuhan CWI regardless of agency or facilitator.

Tours for all families will be coordinated through Gladney China Heritage Tours, under the direction of Gongzhan Wu, Vice President and Managing Director of Gladney’s Asia Programs.  In-China arrangements will be made by the Bridge of Love Adoption Service (BLAS) in Beijing. Gladney will assist travelers with gathering the documentation required for in-China travel, the orphanage visit and visa processing. In addition, they will assist families who wish to extend their tour with the Optional Extended tour to Xi’an or Shanghai or plan other in-China travel.

If you have questions about the tour or the application process, please do not hesitate to contact Gongzhan Wu at Gongzhan.wu@gladney.org or Lydia Macci at chinaheritagetours@gladney.org.

Two Free Webinars of interest - March 12, 2013, 1-2pm EST

Dyslexia: Diagnosis, Planning and Support for Struggling Readers

When students begin to experience challenges with reading and related learning issues, it is difficult for parents to understand what is going on and how to best support their children. Dr. Paul B. Yellin, Director of The Yellin Center for Mind, Brain, and Education is hosting a webinar to provide to provide:

- An explanation of what "dyslexia" is

- A look at the types of subtle learning variations that may be present when a student is struggling with reading, spelling, or other areas of learning

- Insight into the importance of understanding each learner's individual strengths when doing educational planning.

For more information and to register for this free one hour webinar click here.

Expert Q&A Webinar: Parenting after Older Child Adoption

Parents who adopt a child beyond infancy, whether from the U.S. foster system or internationally, may have questions and concerns about sleep, language and school, attachment, sibling relationships, physical development, and talking about the child's past. Join older-child adoption expert Regina M. Kupecky, LSW, to ask any questions you may have about the initial transition period and beyond.

For more information and to register for this free webinar click here.

Recently in Taiwan News

In February, two court hearings were held, and in both instances, the court did not require the prospective adoptive parents to be present. Both of these families will now await their civil rulings. Last month a civil ruling was issued for a family planning to adopt a baby boy, congratulations to this family! And, we are excited that one of our families from CA received their final ruling and will be traveling in a couple of weeks to bring their daughter home!

We couldn't resist sharing another photo of Lucy who arrived earlier this year.

Effective April 1, 2013 there will be new U.S. immigration procedures in place for adoptive families who have not yet entered the Taiwan court system. These new procedures will be summarized and posted on our Taiwan blog within the next few days and we will provide helpful links to the various relevant government websites so you can learn more. If your adoption case has already entered Taiwan district court, these procedures will not impact your adoption. If you are not yet matched with a child, these procedures will apply to your case. Gladney will help families with the necessary additional filings that will become part of the immigration process, once a family has received and accepted a child referral. This new process, referred to as PAIR (Pre-Adoption Immigration Review) will review a child's immigration eligibility prior to the court ruling establishing a legal parent-child relationship.

The Adoption Tax Credit Instructions

The IRS has released the instructions for 2012 Form 8839. Form 8839 is necessary to file for the adoption tax credit, and the instructions contain a worksheet for taxpayers to calculate how much of the credit they will get with their 2012 taxes (with the rest of the credit carrying forward to future years). For the instructions click here.

JCICS Conference May 20 - 22, 2013

In May, the New York Office staff will attend the Joint Council's (JCICS) 37th Annual Child Welfare Symposium. They will join over 200 leading professionals, researchers, and advocates in the field of child welfare, orphan care and adoption to learn about and discuss topics relating to child welfare and adoption.

Over the course of three days, there will be numerous workshops to address the needs of children in Haiti, India, Ethiopia and China, as well as financial organizational empowerment, medical and nutritional issues, orphan care issues, and intercountry curricula. More information on these workshops can be found here.

For more information about JCICS, please visit www.jointcouncil.org/.