Happy 2011!!

Happy 2011!!! In honor of 2011, I'm just going to post a montage of pictures of beautiful little boys and girls that are still available for adoption. If any of these children peak your interest, please contact me--they are all in need of forever families(except for the girls in the group pictures): marcisk@asiadopt.org

Teacher, Thomas update

Thomas is an outgoing boy with a strong sense of responsibility and leadership. Other kids always follow his lead, and he is always the one inventing new games. There was one time, Thomas and other kids are hanging out outside, and it looked like they were bored. Suddenly Thomas saw that the adults were cooking in the kitchen. He asked “who wants to play kitchen game.” All the kids ran to him and wanted to participate. He started ordering “you, go get the pot”, “you, go to the dorm get crackers”… Kids went to get all the stuff he needed. They were playing for a long time. After everybody got bored, he suggested the Police game… He is the most energetic kid in his group. Other kids like to call him “big brother” because he acts like a big brother. He obeys his teacher. He is always the first one to finish his tasks.

There must be a family out there with children who could love a leader like Thomas? I remember thinking how adorable he was during the camp! That little face just melts my heart! Surely there is a family out there for Thomas? There's a new year coming up, the economy is improving and the adoption tax credit/refund has been extended through 2012! Don't wait! Please help find Thomas' family and have them contact me: marcisk@asiadopt.org

Exciting Updates!!!

Our little elf, Eva, was able to convey to Bao an what kind of updates we would like on the children and this morning we received updates on 17 of the kids!!!!! They are all currently in Chinese, so our other elf, Fei, will be working hard to translate them tomorrow so I can post all of the wonderful stories and information they provided us with about the children. Stay tuned for more exciting posts and pictures!!!!

More From Santa's Elves

Cute Kerry:

All of the boys in this picture are still in need of families!

All of the boys from Shenzhen were very mature and obedient, however Kerry was a happy-go-lucky, outgoing kid! He was the one that seemed most like a kid just enjoying being a kid! He liked chosing his gifts and got right in there, unable to contain his excitement, although he did maintain his politeness:-) You can see the other boys are rather reserved, but this kiddo has personality! Kerry and Warner were both outgoing and asked Susan and Eva (our elves) questions. Kerry is in a foster family with several of the other children. Kerry is a healthy older boy who needs a forever family. Could you or someone you know be that family to make his dream come true?

Sweet Harold

Look at this sweet face!






All of the boys in this picture are still available:

Eva confirmed that Harold still has such a sweet, shy personality. The heart wrenching part of her visit was finding out that the orphanage tried to register him for adoption several years ago, but there was a mishap, so this adorable little boy lost his opportunity to find a family when he was still young and reportedly very cute and pudgy! Nevertheless, we hope to still find him a family. You can see that he does much better with people he knows and in an environment with fewer people. We could barely catch him smiling back in April, but Eva got several pictures of him looking relaxed and smiling. He is also a very bright boy! He is in 4th grade, which is ahead of his age level in China. Susan asked him some complicated math questions and he answered correctly right away! Harold said that he likes to read for fun. Isn't there a family out there that would be a good match for this sweet boy? Contact me if you could be that family: marcisk@asiadopt.org

Bo and CJ, brothers at heart

Bo and CJ live in the same foster home and truly act like brothers. They attend the same elementary school--Bo is in 2nd grade and CJ is in 1st grade. They share a bed and communicate well with one another, aside from the normal sibling arguments over toys.

Bo has made great improvements since meeting him in April. He helps his foster family with chores and is extremely detail-oriented and a perfectionist. Bo takes his tasks very seriously. When he is asked to do chores with his foster siblings, he sweeps the floor and makes sure it is clean down to the last piece of hair. He gets very happy when his foster mother praises him for his good work. He has learned to care for himself very well now and takes instruction well. When he is corrected for doing something wrong, he listens and tries to do the right thing next time. For example, when his teacher passed out notebooks one afternoon, she left the extras on a table after class ended. Bo put them in his backpack and took them home. His foster mother found them and explained that it was wrong. The next day, Bo took the notebooks back to his teacher and apologized and promised not to do it again. Bo has become a much more open and happy boy. He can carry on good long conversations with people with whom he is familiar. He likes to play with the other kids in his neighborhood.

CJ is a bright little boy who often remembers things after just being taught once. He gets good grades. He is active and lively and can sometimes be a bit mischevious. He is also a very caring little boy. One time when his foster mother was out, his foster brother came down with a fever. The foster dad went to look for some medicine, so CJ went to the bathroom and got a warm, wet towel and put it on his brother's forehead. The foster mother was so touched when she found out because she had once done that to help CJ when he had a fever, and he remembered. He is also very empathic. Once when his brother was crying because he got corrected for doing something wrong, CJ tried to soothe him by saying: "Don't worry, brother, it will be ok, just do better next time." CJ has lots of friends and often takes care of his younger friends.

Both Bo and CJ bring much joy to their foster family. They would make the perfect addition(s) to the right forever family. Could you be that family?

Eva The Elf is Baaack!

Eva arrived back at the office today and gave us a wonderful update on the Santa Stopped in China event! Bao an's Sunshine Academy held a Christmas party that day, complete with Christmas tree, Santa hats, gift bags for the kids and candies. Eva brought pictures which she is still uploading of the kids who were all extremely excited to be getting gifts! The backpacks were a hit, along with all of the other goodies the elves brought! Bao an was so gracious and willing to share more information about the children. They were pleased to hear about those who have families pursuing them and more than happy to provide more information about those that don't. Again Eva got the impression that the folks at Bao an truly love the children and want what is best for them.

Eva got some additional information on all of the children. It seems that they have all made tremendous progress since we were there in April! Some of the kids seemed to be completely different in the more mellow environment this time and really came out of their shells. Harley has made incredible academic progress since returning to the more supportive school environment at the institute. It seems that he had a bad experience in public school where the teachers made discouraging comments. He is thriving in the supportive school that the institute provides. Lilah also seemed to be much more comfortable chatting with her foster family than with strangers. She hardly spoke at the camp and is a shy child, but Eva was able to observe her having conversations readily with her foster family. She was a happy, talkative little girl who knew what to say, is definitive and is very capable of taking care of herself and helping with the younger kids and chores in her family. When talking with Eva, she gave very short answers, but when talking with people she knew, she was much more eager and talkative.

So stay tuned, because there is going to be LOTS more pictures and information on the kids to come! What a wonderful gift!

Santa Stopped in China

Our little elf, Eva, delivered the gifts to the Hope Journey children and the other children living in the orphanages there. We have not heard any specifics yet, but we do know that they wound up with even more donations due to the generosity of many last minute donors! They were able to buys lots of gifts for each child so they will have a wonderful Christmas!!! Each of the kids in the Hope Journey program will get their very own backpack. The little elves were also able to buy 40 bounce-on animal gym toys to help train their core and balance (and they're also fun!), pens in various styles, stickers, watches, finger puppets and hair accessories. There was enough money left over to give to the orphanage to have them buy shoes for each child! It will be a very Merry Christmas, indeed! Stay tuned for more information and pictures in the coming days.

You may have also heard of our current fundraiser, Give the Gift of Family? We have had several extremely generous donors for that as well and are continuing to raise money to help unite children and families. It truly is the season of giving and we appreciate all who are helping to unite children and families! If you're considering an end-of-the-year donation, please consider giving the Gift of Family. Happy Holidays to all!

For the Love of Boys

Marci is off enjoying a nice vacation with her family and she asked me to post a few thoughts about adoption.

My name is Joy and I'm an adoptive mom of two lively boys, age 5 and 7, who were born in South Korea. A couple of days ago it was my eldest son's "Gotcha Day", so I've been thinking about those early days when we were working towards becoming parents. Since it was our first adoption, we told our social worker that we would accept either a boy or a girl. Like any new parent, the gender didn't matter...as long as it was healthy...although we couldn't say that either since we were adopting a child with special needs. But when that fateful day arrived with our son's referral information, we fell in love with him immediately! As we waited for our approval to travel, I proudly showed his referral picture around, decorated his new room in blue, bought cute boy-themed clothing and in general tried on my new role as "mom".

Fast forward a couple of years and we began yearning for a sibling. This time around, our social worker told us that if we wanted to request a girl, we could expect to wait a couple of years for a referral -- even for a girl with special needs. We decided that having a girl wasn't as important to us as having a sibling pair that was close in age. Plus, it seemed the right thing to do since there were so many boys available, and, besides, we already had all the equipment for raising another boy. A couple of months later, I ws scrolling through the Waiting Child list and zing! fell in love once again.

Even today people are surprised to learn that we actually chose to adopt a boy the second time around -- surely we would have preferred one of each? But this concept of somehow making our family "equal" wasn't a priority and having two boys was the perfect fit for us. I love the fact that they keep me active as I try to keep with their boundless energy. I love listening to their sounds of gratitude as they gobble up my homemade meals with their big appetites. And I also love seeing the world through their eyes every day. So looking back, I wouldn't have changed a thing...well, except maybe that I would have adopted sooner.

Santa's Coming in a Whirliebird

Santa has landed in Guangzhou and will be making her way to Shenzhen on the 16th when she will deliver gifts to the children in our Hope Journey II program. We wound up with a whopping $850 to buy presents for the children! Santa will also be delivering some very special gifts to children who are being pursued by families! One day those families will be able to tell those children that it was they who sent those very special gifts! If you wanted to contribute to the Santa Stops in China Campaign, but didn't get a chance to, you can help children with the gift of family by donating through the paypal button to the left. That money will go to helping to unite waiting children with families, which is the best gift! We hope to get pictures and more information about the Hope Journey kids after Santa delivers the gifts on the 16th.

Happy Holidays!

Boys, Boys, Boys!

We've been talking about boys on ASIA's facebook page and I've featured all of the boys left on this blog, so I thought I would just do a little spread to remind you of who is left. Aren't they adorable? We have Thomas, Harold, Edward, CJ, Peter, Shawn, Michael, Henry, Warner, Kerry, Harley, Bo, Gene, Parker, Fabian and Jeremy. Don't their little faces just melt your heart? Can you imagine one of them calling you "Mommy" or "Daddy"?

Hopeful Heather

Heather is an active and happy little girl. When she came to the orphanage she had no hearing or language. However, now she has received hearing aids and it has opened her world up to communication. She can now write numbers and pinyin and her verbal vocabulary is growing. She loves to dance, draw and color. She also likes outdoor activities, like basketball, bike riding and playing on the playground. She is well behaved and likes to help other kids. She is also very helpful to the teacher and is actively engaged during class. She likes to play with other children and is very friendly. Doesn't she have a cute smile?

The Season of Giving

The season of giving is upon us. It's that wonderful time of year when family becomes priority (if it isn't all year) and children light up with the magic of the holidays. We have already seen so much generosity with the Santa Stops in China Campaign. We have $845 to buy gifts for the children of Bao an and Shenzhen orphanages! But truly the greatest gift anyone can give an orphan is that of family. 16 of the children in our Hope Journey II program will receive that wonderful gift of a forever family. As of right now, that leaves 19 children who will watch their friends leave with families to start a new life. All children deserve families. If only there was a magic wand that could grant that wish for every orphan who wanted it! Instead we'll have to search far and wide to find the other end of that red thread for each child. If you have a place for these orphans in your heart, please help us find their families.

If you're thinking of adopting, don't wait until the new year! Take a break from the business of the holiday season and pursue those dreams! ASIA will be raising our fees very slightly in the new year, so if you want to save a little, apply now. Take one step closer to helping your dreams come true, as well as a child's dream of a forever family. Happy Holidays!

I would like to say Hello

Hello, my name is Henry. I just had another birthday without a family. I am now 8 years old. I would really like a family to take me home. My best friend has a family now, but I don't. I'm lovable and I like to draw and listen to music. I also like to play outside on the playground with the other kids and take walks. My teachers say I'm pretty smart, but sometimes I'm shy about speaking. However, I really do like to be around other people and seek out other ways to interact. When I was a baby the nannies always said I loved to play peek-a-boo:-) I'm happy, clever and outgoing and I need a mommy and daddy to love me and tuck me in at night and cuddle with me. I need someone to help me with my homework and teach me how to swim and ride a bike. Where is my mommy and daddy? Please come find me soon!

Henry's teachers describe him as bright, sweet and obedient. He understands English, but doesn't speak much of it yet. Would he make a good addition to your family? Contact me: marcisk@asiadopt.org

Thanksgiving Brings Good News!

I'm thrilled to announce that both Cherry and Quentin now have families pursuing them! Congratulations to those families!!! I'm so excited that Quentin and Cherry will be going home to loving forever families! These are truly Happy Holidays!

Let's Be Thankful

This is the time of year when we become reflective and think about being thankful. There is so much to be thankful for, despite our tough economy and the many difficulties we have faced over the last year or so. Those of you reading this all likely have families...families that you love and trust. You may or may not have your differences, but they are always there for you. I'm so thankful that my family will all be together for Thanksgiving this year. I'm thankful for my family, my friends, my job and my dedicated coworkers.

I'm thankful for the fact that I have the privilege of working with so many wonderful families, who give of themselves every day because they see the love and potential in the eye of a child who belongs in their family. I'm thankful for the adoption community reading this and so many are always willing to help try to find the right family for our waiting children. I'm so thankful for my waiting child advocates out there that I bother with emails to advocate for our waiting children--and they do! I don't thank them enough! They have united so many children and families.

I'm thankful that the children in our Hope Journey program have such loving staff at their orphanage and try to make it feel like a family. I'm thankful that we have found families for 15 of the Hope Journey children so far. I'm thankful that so many found it in their hearts to donate to the Santa Stops in China program so that we can help give these children a wonderful holiday. We now have $620, but the campaign is not over yet! There is so much to be thankful for, even in a time of trouble. What are you thankful for?

You Thought You Couldn't Do It...

Today CCAA announced some clarifications to their Special Focus program. Since these children in our Hope Journey program are Special Focus children, the changes apply here and may be important for your decision to adopt.

CCAA decided that families who have completed their adoption registration within the last 12 months would be allowed to submit a copy of their old dossier (along with an updated home study and USCIS approval) to adopt a Special Focus child. That saves a whole lot of money on document fees, authentication, etc...so perhaps adopting a Special Focus child is in reach for more families than we thought? Does this option allow you to consider adopting again?

You may also remember that families adopting a Special Focus child are allowed to adopt two children at once, as long as one of them is a Special Focus child. Perhaps the child you're currently in process for needs a brother?

Another option is to leave your healthy infant dossier logged in with CCAA and pursue a special focus child without losing your login date.

If any of these changes allows you to consider adoption and you are interested in any of these children, please contact me right away: marcisk@asiadopt.org

Let's Start with Victories

Let's start today off good with our victories for these children! We have families for Jimmy, Joel, Anna, Chrissy, Mark, Clive, Quentin, Dani, Lily, Jack, Sam, Chance and Wade! Let's celebrate for these kids! Especially for Shelby, who is already home with her family!


We have also raised $350 for the Santa Stops in China program so far, which is not too shabby :-) I believe there is a bit more coming, as reported from families. These are both victories to be celebrated! Especially the families that have found their children! Their lives will be changed forever in immeasurable ways.


Now lets talk about those kids that don't have families yet. I hear stories of older boys, especially, who dreamed of a family and then aged out of the possibility. These boys are smart and engaging with unlimited potential, but lost their dream of a family. I've met the kids I'm advocating for here. These kids also have that kind of potential. They just need a family to commit to them and help them reach it! As an orphan in China, they won't have much opportunity. They are considered bad luck. No child should be considered bad luck! Each child should be treasured for who they are! Each child has the potential to change the lives of their family members in positive ways! They will teach you a thing or two:-)

Let's take Harley for instance: he is such a sweet boy who has led a difficult life because he attempted to integrate into public school and was teased. We all know what it's like to be treated unfairly by others, but then to have no one to come home to and share the pain with, to comfort you, or help you through it--now that is truly unfair! Surely someone would like a sweet, sensitive boy to be part of their family?









Let's take Shawn: he has a special need that may never effect him in his life, or it could--it's hard to say. Up until now, he has been a healthy, intelligent, scruptious little boy! Everyone loves him. He has a slightly increased chance of something changing his life and he will need help and support through that. That's something a family could give him. Any child, biological or adopted, healthy or special needs faces the risk of life--that something could happen and change their life forever. No one wants to think about those things, or much less experience them, but it happens.





I know that many of you are reaching out and trying to help these children any way that you can. I've heard from families who have heard from you--so thank you for trying to help! Each of your attempts could be the very key to changing that child's life. That's what we need to do--change each child's life one at a time.

Whimsical Warner

Warner seems like a very sweet 9 year old boy whose special need from what I can tell has been corrected. He is in second grade and his favorite subjects are PE and art. He likes to read English story books for fun! He wants to be adopted and feels ok about going to America. He is happy and smiles frequently. He had a whimsical outfit for his performance, with CD's hanging from his belt! How clever! His teachers describe him as expressive and clever.You can tell by his drawing that he has a positive outlook. Could you be the family for Warner? His file is available for review if you would like to consider him.

Other children that have not found families yet are:

Harley

Michael

Heather

Lilah

Shawn

Peter

Bo

Thomas

Henry

Gene

Cherry

CJ

Harold

Edward

Gavin

Kerry and

Fabian

Lisa

Please see previous posts or our ASIA website for more information about each of these children. Contact me if you would like to see their files: marcisk@asiadopt.org Families have 6 months from pre-approval to get their dossier in, so it is not necessary to have a home study completed to view a file!

Macy and Thomas

Let's talk about Thomas now that you know about Macy's special need. Thomas has had a repair and is waiting for a family like Eva Corbeau's who will love him unconditionally and accept him for who he is. He is Thomas, because he seems to be all boy. Thomas wants to drive a big red car when he grows up. He likes to be funny and active. He is bright, an extrovert and is always eager for an adventure. His favorite subjects in school are Chinese and art. Thomas is a very special boy--he was one of two children chosen to speak in front of all of the CCAA officials (and reporters) at the camp. He wants a family of his very own. He will see his good friends, Jimmy and Mark get adopted (Yay!!!!! They have families!!!) and now we need to find Thomas his own family. Out of the kids in the Lion dance, the only ones without families at this point are Thomas, Peter and Cherry! Where will their red threads lead them? These kids need families ready to adopt! Now is the time. The economy may not be good, but interest rates are low and it is the season of giving! We have already gotten donations for the Santa Stops in China campaign and will help these children have a Merry Christmas!