Help a Child Day!

If you're reading this, these children need YOUR help! You don't have to adopt them if that's not right for you, but help spread the word to other families! Today is your day to help a child! We have 5 children about to age out of being eligible for adoption in the next few months! Their only hope is people like you who will spread the word about them to other adoptive families....families who may already be logged in, or a ways into the process. That's the only chance these five kids at having a life that is not filled with the stigma of being an orphan, and going around in life as "unlucky." These kids all have grants associated with their adoptions! So what some family may have thought wasn't possible, is now possible! Please tell everyone you know in the adoption community about these children. We also have 3 others who age out within the year (2011) with grants, and for those it may be possible for families without dossiers logged in to pursue them. Please take a stand and help these children find their forever families and experience a life with potential and encouragement!

3 More Boys in need of families!

We have up to $5000 grants on each of these children who age out before the end of 2011!

Foster is in 4th grade and does well at school. He studies hard, is clever and fond of learning. He is outgoing and curious about new things. He has a good command of language, asks many questions and is fond of singing and dancing. He has good rhythm. He likes watching TV and playing badminton. He has a good appetite and is not picky. Could you be the forever family that Foster has been waiting for all this time? THERE IS A GRANT UP TO $5000 AVAILABLE FOR FOSTER

Heath is clever and likes to learn. He is somewhat shy, but is intelligent and gets along well with others. His language ability is good and he is receiving good marks in 4th grade. He likes math the most. He gets good comments from his teachers. He likes to eat fish, meat and fruits, but is not picky. He has a close relationship with his foster parents, but wants to be adopted into a forever family. Are you the family to help his dreams come true before December? THERE IS A GRANT UP TO $5000 AVAILABLE FOR HEATH

Leroy is active and extroverted, but is shy when he meets new people. He gets along well with his classmates and teachers. In 2007 he was in grade 3 and doing well academically. He can be naughty, such as coming home from school covered in dirt, but he is very obedient with his teachers, helping them to clean the chalkboard and empty the dustbin. He has been part of the Little Sisters program. Leroy had a family until he was four years old and needs a forever family to come forward and adopt him before December. THERE IS A GRANT UP TO $5000 AVAILABLE FOR LEROY!

Please see ASIA's waiting child section of the website for more detailed information about these children, or contact me if you are interested in viewing their files: marcisk@asiadopt.org

Brighter Futures!

ASIA is excited to share more details about our Brighter Futures program! ASIA is pairing with Baotou Social Welfare Institute in Inner Mongolia! We are very excited to have the opportunity to help this orphanage! We have received a preliminary listing of the children there that will need to be registered for adoption. There is a surprising number of really young children! The children range in age from newborns up to 13 years old and have special needs such as cleft lip and palate, heart conditions, limb differences, digestive disease, vision and/or hearing issues as well as conditions that could be more serious like cerebral palsy and down syndrome. Two ASIA staff members are planning to visit the orphanage towards the end of April to help begin the process of registering the children for adoption and doing evaluations on the children. We will also take the opportunity to take additional pictures and video, like we did for the Hope Journey Programs. We will gather as much information as we can about the children to help them find the families that were meant to be theirs.

We do not expect to receive the files of these children for several months, as their medical reports have not yet been done and they will then need to be translated and approved. ASIA families with dossiers logged in and other ASIA families will have priority for these children, and then they will become available to all other families interested. ASIA is extremely excited to partner with Baotou and we look forward to sharing more details as they unfold.

In Desperate Need of Families NOW!

These five children are all aging out in the next few months!!! There are GRANTS available for all 5 of these kids! We need families who already have their dossiers logged in, or are extremely close, to adopt these children. If you're interested, please contact Marci: marcisk@asiadopt.org

Jessica is active and extroverted. She has formed close bonds with her caretakers and is a happy girl. She is a smart girl and communicates well with others. She helps the caretakers do housework actively. She has normal physical and mental development.

Marie is a beautiful, extroverted and clever girl who is loved by everyone. She gets good marks in schools. In 2009 she was in grade 6 and went happily to school and listened to her teachers. She takes good care of herself, can run and jump freely, sweeps the floors voluntarily, makes the bed and wipes the desk. She is well behaved and popular.

Perry is shy, but gets along well with others. In 2009 he was doing well in grade 1 at school. He lives with a foster family and is able to get along with his classmates at school and finish his homework by himself. He has good language skills and can take care of himself. He has a slight limp, but is able to walk well. He has some trouble running and jumping. He likes watching TV and chatting with his foster family at home. His foster parents take him out for walks often to help his muscles.

Lee was found and sent to live in the orphanage when he was 10 years old. Despite being abandoned at an older age, they have taken such good care of him at the orphanage that he is filled with trust in his life. He is active and loves to smile. He loves to play outside and gets along with the nannies and other children very well. He is a very polite young man. He is a very bright boy, but he doesn’t like to study. He has written that he wishes to be adopted, but his time is running out!

Hansen is a bright child who likes playing basketball, bike riding, traveling, drawing and doing housework. He wants a family and understands that foreigners will speak a different language. He promises to get along with brothers and sisters and will study hard. He wants a mother and father to love him.

"Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit."
-e.e. cummings

How perfect for the world of adoption!

Welcome Back Singles!

You may have heard the hulabaloo about singles and this time it's true! CCAA has decided to allow single females to adopt Special Focus children! There are some additional requirements for singles, but this means children like Harold, Thomas, Fabian, Michael, Shawn, Henry, CJ and Kerry will have a better chance at finding a family! We at ASIA are thrilled at this development! We have long been an agency that has advocated for singles and now we can do that once again through China special needs! This gives me so much hope that more children will find families instead of sitting on the waiting child list for years. We are thrilled to welcome back singles into the China special needs program!

Parker, Fabian and Harold

Fabian and Harold both have families now! We are thrilled for them!

Do you remember Harold, Fabian and Parker? Well, we just found out that their Social Welfare Institute is willing to waive their orphanage donations so they can be adopted! If money was stopping you from pursuing one of these older boys, please contact me! They are still on the shared list, still needing families! Here are some reminders of who they are:

Harold is the sweetest little boy who is a very talented musician. He smiles often, but is shy around strangers. He loves to play badminton and music. He wants to be a police officer when he grows up to catch thieves.

Fabian is really into comic books and is a talented artist. He likes to teach younger kids to draw. He also likes to play the curcurbit flute. He is in the 5th grade and is very conscientious.

Parker is shy as well, but very kind hearted. When his foster mother is sick, he is very compassionate and offers to help take care of her. He is quiet, although he has friends in school. He is also in the 5th grade and has a good attitude about learning.

Treasure Each Day

There are some things in life that make you wake up and realize you need to treasure each day, savour each moment with your children, and if you're thinking about creating a family, or adding to yours, don't wait. You never know what the future will hold, but a child's mind is a wondrous thing! They are filled with such wonder and joy at the simplest things. There's nothing better than having an excuse to act like a kid again with your child:-)

Whenever I thought about being a parent, I always thought about Halloween because it is one of my favorite holidays, and being a parent gives me the perfect excuse to go to the pumpkin patch, carve pumpkins and do all the things that I love about Halloween! Now that I am a parent, it's not just Halloween I love, but every day I get to see my child discover new things, tell me stories in her own way or just be goofy and fun. For me, there is no greater joy than being a parent and I get to see that joy in others, too.

I'm happy to report that a family is working very hard to be able to adopt Milly! I'm also happy to report that there has been some interest in the Hope Journey II kids, even though their files are now on the shared list. I continue to share their pictures and videos with folks asking, which gives me hope. I was afraid they would get lost on that list, but they haven't! So my hope has returned. So on that hopeful note, I leave you with hope for the future. Happy Weekend!