Something Cool

I noticed something cool today when I was looking at our blog stats. One of our families put a link to our blog on their blog and it lead 6 people over to our blog! Now, 6 doesn't sound like a huge amount, but can you imagine if each of you reading this put a link on your blog or facebook???? If each of those led another 5 or 6 people to us, we might find families for some more of our waiting kids! So can you help spread the link? We still need to find families for June, Colin, Hallie, Jenson and Dylan!

Dylan

Look at that sweet face! Isn't he adorable? Dylan is turning 9 years old this Fall. Can you imagine what he thinks of on his birthday? We have to prove to him that he is wanted and find his family! Dylan is good at sharing and always happy to help others. He lives with a foster family and gladly takes care of his younger siblings, helps sweep the floors and do the dishes. He gets along with his family members well. He is smart, competent and caring. Could Dylan be the missing piece to your family? Please pass on this link and help him find his family!

Change for Children

ASIA is taking part in Joint Council's Change for Children Campaign. The idea is to get kids thinking about and helping other kids. It's not always easy to introduce the concept of helping others to little ones, but this is an easy way to do so. It's literally collecting pocket change to help children around the world who need families. Your child/ren can do it for one night---while they go Trick or Treating they can ask for pocket change to help children around the world without families. We can send you a collection bag, or you can have your child make one out of a paper bag or an old milk jug (just about any sort of plastic container would work). If you have a business that is open to this sort of thing, you can put your Change for Children collection jug out at your business and collect pocket change until Halloween night (how easy is that?). ASIA has already collected $24 out of pocket change!  Or you can be like me, and hold a Change for Children Halloween Bash! It's fun, festive and the kids get to learn how to help others. We have all sorts of resources we can email to you to help with your party planning. Pattie will send you whatever you need: pattiec@asiadopt.org   What a clever campaign:-)

The funds ASIA raises will go towards our partner orphanage, Changsha #1 in Hunan Province, to help the kids who haven't found families yet. Your little one will be able to see the difference their efforts make! You can join our team with your kiddo, or for an easier way to take part, make a donation. Either way, check out our team page to learn more: http://goo.gl/jy7Eu

I know, you're tired of hearing this, but....SAVE THE ADOPTION TAX CREDIT!

We need YOUR help to save the adoption tax credit! I will make this super easy for you:-) I don't know how many times I hear from folks, we would like to adopt, but....fill in financial reason here... The adoption tax credit will help so many families to be able to afford to adopt and will help so many children find their forever families because of it. Every year it comes down to the wire. I'm the queen of putting off contacting my congressperson, but I've done both my senators and congressman now, so that will tell you the urgency of this:-) Please do the same! 

You can find links to your representatives here: 

http://www.house.gov/

http://1.usa.gov/3UAs 

Below is a letter you can use to explain the importance of the tax credit/refund. All you have to do is fill in the reason it's important to you in the 3rd paragraph and sign it: 

Do you know how many orphans there are in this country? According to the Joint Council on International Children’s Services, there are more than 111,000 children in the U.S. and an estimated 153 million orphans globally, all waiting for permanent loving families. Children without families are more susceptible to sex trafficking, child labor, and malnutrition. They are far less likely to finish school, succeed at work, & become good parents themselves.

I am writing to ask you to support the adoption tax credit, S 3616, which is set to expire on December 31, 2012. Since 1997, the adoption tax credit has helped tens of thousands of parents offset the high cost of adoption, making it possible for them to provide children with loving, permanent families.

The adoption tax credit is especially important to me because ______________________________

If Congress does not take action, the current adoption tax credit will expire at the end of 2012. The credit will be reduced to $6,000, and will only benefit the few families that adopt children with special needs and have qualified adoption expenses. Most families adopting children from foster care, intercountry adoption, and domestic infant adoption will not receive any benefit. Without the adoption tax credit, many parents hoping to adopt will be unable to do so, and others will face great financial hardship. The adoption tax credit is essential to ensuring that as many children as possible find the forever families they deserve and ensuring that those families are in a more stable financial position to provide an environment where children can thrive.

The adoption tax credit must be extended to help as many children as possible find the permanent, loving family they need and deserve and to get those kids out of government sponsored care. And for 2012 it should be made refundable again so that most adoptive families will benefit from it. The best adoption tax credit would be permanent, refundable, inclusive of all types of adoption, and remain a “flat” tax for children with special needs.

On behalf of the countless children waiting to be adopted, and the many thousands of families that stand to benefit from the adoption tax credit, thank you for your attention to this important issue.

Sincerely,

click the "cool" button below if you plan to make a difference!

The Good and the Bad

The good news is that we have families for Whitney, Cade and Brett!!!! The bad news is that we still have no interest in adorable Colin who seems to have a very minor special need. Go take a look at our website and check out Mr. Adorable!

The other sad news is that many of our Hope Journey Children went back to the shared list today, although we still have the files of Jenna, Jensen, Dylan and Hallie. We also still have the files of our Changsha kiddos, June and Leeann from another orphanage. We have some hope for Jenna, but nothing confirmed yet, so do whatever it is you do--pray, cross your fingers, hope, whatever that we are able to place Jenna with an awesome family! Thank you for all that you do! Stay tuned...

Grant For Jenna

We have up to a $10,000 grant (based on need) available for Jenna. Contact me for more information: marcisk@asiadopt.org

Popular Jenna

ASIA sent out a flyer recently, attempting to advocate for some of the older children we have on our waiting child lists. LOTS of people seem to have a heart for Jenna and want to advocate for her, so thank you! We even had a family with such a big heart for Jenna that they donated $5000 to help her get adopted! So now we have up to a $10,000 grant for Jenna (based on need). Jenna ages out in less than 7 months so we have little time to find her family. We hope in this time to find the right family for Jenna. The family that is prepared for the emotional journey that the challenges of older child adoption can encompass. The family that has parented teenagers before and is familiar with the challenges, but sees the beauty and fun in them as well. A family that is open to learning more and is willing to work hard to develop attachment with a child that is developmentally supposed to separate. Tall order, right? Do you know anyone like that? Send them my way! Have them view the adorable videos of Jenna that we have on our password protected waiting child list. Please don't let them delay! Jenna doesn't have much time left. We are not looking for the family that wants to adopt her only because they have a heart for her they don't want her to age out. We appreciate those families so much because they are excellent advocates! But those placements can be too difficult for families like that. A family needs to really want her for who she is right now because she already has a personality.

Jenna is: Easy going, nice and sweet, thorough and hard-working. She likes to help others and is devastated that she does not have a family yet. She has seen her friends get adopted and the nannies wonder why she doesn't have a family yet. Jenna would love to have a mother, father and sibling. She is older and knows the importance of family and says she would care for her family if one is found for her.

A Poem For Those Who Wait

This was written by one of our adoptive parents, Barbara, quite a while ago and I just came across it again. It is always inspirational:

Things I wish I'd Known About Adopting A Waiting Child....

I had wanted to adopt a "healthy" infant, but I fell in love with a "waiting child":
I wish I'd known that she would teach me the true meaning of perfection.

I had wanted to adopt a baby but my waiting child was almost three,
I wish I'd known that "toddlerland" would become my favorite destination.

I knew that I would love my child with my whole heart;
I wish I'd known that she would love me the same, without reservation.

I knew that I would move heaven and earth to help my child with her special need;
I wish I'd known that my child would teach me about strength and determination.

I knew that I would do my best to help my child deal with stares and comments;
I wish I'd known that family, love, and self-acceptance would be her consolation.

I wish I'd known all of these things and more;
but I couldn't have known, these blessings were beyond my imagination!

Itchin' To Know?

So for those of you who are itching to know some updates on the status of our waiting children, here you go: of the kids in our Brighter Futures Program, Whitney has a family pursuing her! Congratulations to Whitney and her new family! Cade and Brett have families reviewing their files. It knocks my socks off that no one is considering Colin!!!!!!  I wish I could feature this boy, but alas he is Non Special Focus so I cannot. He has a very minor special need, though, and is quite a little character in a good way:-) He has the most beautiful features, his smile just melts your heart. So if you have a completed dossier, and you're open to an adorable, sweet, mechanical and smart boy, contact me for details right away!!
 Sweet June and Leeann also do not have anyone considering them! I haven't met Leeann, but June was one of those kids that I met that drew me in and I don't know why. I just knew there was more to her than we were seeing. It was the same way that little Jason drew me in when I met him last year. I could just tell there was more inside him than he was able to show me then. Look at him now! He's ordering everyone around and has made tremendous strides just in the few months he has been home. Yesterday we even saw him do a little jig for us! It's amazing to see these kids just blossom right before your eyes. There's just nothing better! If you haven't seen the video on our website of June singing and dancing, please take the time to view it. You can't see her light up in the pictures we took, but you can see it in that video!

I also want to take a minute to tell you about Greer and Lidia. These were two older kids that participated in our camp in June and they were both very spunky in different ways.

Lidia is a bit shy about sharing her smile. She may be a little self conscious. At her age, that is not surprising. Lidia is almost 11 years old. Just this year she has been selected to go to a school that only accepts two children from the institute each year. Lidia has finally become one of the older ones at the orphanage, so it is her turn to go. It is sad that she has been there that long. Lidia is so kind and gentle with the other kids. She is also a bit of a tomboy--her best friends are boys. She likes to run and play with the boys, but that's probably a good thing since boys are in the majority there. I think Lidia could do well in a family with either boys or girls, but she would probably feel more at home with boys. However, I do think that she needs a Mom to share with her some of the special parts of a mother-daughter relationship. My guess is that she would naturally be a bit of a daddy's girl. Lidia has been waiting way too long for her family to find her.

Greer is a very sweet, spirited boy who likes to be where the action is. Greer is almost the opposite of Lidia, in that he loves to stick his face in the camera, where Lidia likes to hide from it. Greer wants a family with a mom, dad and sisters, surprisingly! He is willing to learn English and knows a few basic words that he was able to speak when we asked. He likes to play hide and seek and basketball. Most of all, Greer is an extremely happy boy! He often has a smile on his face and is very good-natured. If you live near Ohio, you're right next to the best facility for the treatment of his special need! 

Do any of these kids sound like they could be a fit for your family? Don't make them wait any longer--contact me if you're interested. If they aren't the right fit for your family, you can still help them. Share this blog and encourage others to take a peek to see if any of these kids could be the missing piece to their family: marcisk@asiadopt.org 

Children's Files Going Back

Towards the end of the week we have several files of our Hope Journey kiddos that will be going back to the shared list if we don't get any interest in them. Those poor kiddos include: Judy, Bradley, Dustin, Gideon, Phillip, Layla, Carter, Curt, Casey, Karly and Mike. Is there anyone out there who wants to take a look at these adorable kiddos?

Mike
Could you be the family to adopt Mike before he ages out?

Curt

Judy
Could you be the family to help Judy see the whole world through brighter eyes?

Bradley
Could you be the one to help Bradley break the barriers and become the next Oscar Pistorius?

Dustin
Could your family be the very first place where Dustin feels like he truly belongs?

Gideon

Phillip

Layla

Karly

Casey









Share this post and help find their families to make their dreams come true.  Thank you for being a waiting child advocate!

ASIA Happenings and Good Reads

If you haven't seen ASIA's most recent newsletter, have a looksy--it has some great stories! If you remember Lucy and Jason, two kiddos with severe heart conditions that ASIA advocated for on this blog, and placed with families, then you will want to read this! There are updates on each in here:

A Focus On Special Needs Newsletter from ASIA

Doesn't Anyone Want This Cute Boy?

Every time I look at this boy's pictures or videos, he just melts my heart. He is so cute and sweet and gentle! Check out his video and request his file if you have any interest! No one is considering him!!!! 

Updates

Just in case you've come here looking for your little one, I wanted to update you on what files are available as of right now. NO ONE is looking at my adorable boy, Cade. If I could post his picture here, you would all jump for this adorable boy! Like Whitney, he is captivating and his special need seems so minor! Alas, he is Non Special Focus, so I cannot post his picture, but he is definitely worth mentioning. There is also another Non Special Focus boy, Colin, who is also adorable and has a minor need. So take a look at our lists and open your minds up to boys! They are precious, affectionate and spunky!

Whitney has a VERY long list of families waiting to see her file, so in all likelihood, one of those families will pursue her. It would knock my socks right off if that wasn't the case!

Leeann does not have anyone looking at her file, so if you even think you might want to consider her, or might be open to her, please contact me for her file!

June has one family considering her, but alas they are the only family who has requested her precious file. We didn't get many great pictures of her, but we do have some adorable video of her on our password protected waiting child list, so stop by and take a look! She really shines around music! You should see her sing and dance! It just wins your heart.

Brett also has a family considering him, one of only two who have asked for his file. He is such an adorable boy, please don't be scared away!

Now for the Hope Journey Kiddos: the only child whose file is being considered out of that group is Hallie. So that leaves Jenna, Mike, Karly, Casey, Dylan, Curt, Carter, Layla, Phillip, Dustin, Bradley and Judy. We have posted some adorable videos of them on our password protected website, so please stop by and take a look! If you need the password, just contact me: marcisk@asiadopt.org



Have a Happy Holiday Weekend!

Lidia

Lidia Playing Chase with me

We thought we had a family for Lidia and were so excited, but unfortunately they were not able to continue with the adoption. While I was in Changsha, Lidia and I repeatedly played hide and seek and chase with my camera--she did not want her picture taken! However, I was able to get some good pictures of her when she wasn't paying attention. For a girl with a physical special need, it doesn't slow her down one bit! In fact, I had a bit of trouble keeping up with her and not dropping my camera equipment! She's quite a tease, giving a coy little smile and then taking off to hide:-) Lidia really tugged at my heart. She would then peek out of her hiding spot and wait for me to see her, then take off for somewhere else.  She is one of those kids who puts on a brave front, but you can tell that inside there is a heart that needs love and acceptance. Lidia has a kind heart--helping the children who are in wheelchairs to position themselves as part of the group. She has a girly side, but is a bit of a tomboy, loving to rough house with the best of them! Her biggest smile came when she found the pirate mask to put on and jaunt about as a pirate. Lidia has a few years before she ages out, but she does need a special family who is willing to work through her brave front to get at the sweet child beneath.

Lovely Leeann

We have heard from someone who visits Leeann's orphanage yearly about what a lovely girl she is. We did not get the opportunity to go to Leeann's orphanage when we were in Changsha, but we did communicate with the director there and she desperately wants to find families for the children in her care, including Leeann who we have our list now. Here is some information about Leeann from someone who knows her:

Sweet Leeann is a ball of energy. Every morning she would greet my team and I with a smiling face and run and give us a hug.  I noticed that she mostly wanted attention, like most children in an orphanage do. She attached to one of our team members quickly, and everyday you could see them playing together. She loved this particular team member SO much. Leeann does have a lot of energy, but she's not out of hand. She just loves to have fun. I noticed that she has calmed down A LOT within the last year. With attention and love, she calms down and pays attention. She thrives with attention. She wants a family SO badly. 

She can't use her left hand very well, but that does not stop her. Leeann can use her left arm, just not her hand. She can do anything a healthy child can do. 

One day, she snuck her way into the baby room to play with us. We spent some time putting bows on each other and laughing at one another. She doesn't like being very girly ;). She then went over to our team leader and the baby she was holding and played with the baby. Leeann was really good with her, and loved making the baby laugh. :)

Leeann is very smart and very funny. She loves doing crafts and anything hands-on. She is SUCH a happy girl. Any family would be lucky to have her in their family. 

Today I Got a Reminder

Today I sent out an email to check in with our old ASIA families since it had been a while. I got back some fun responses with updated pictures of kids who were adopted years and years ago, and some more recently. It was fun to see how much everyone is changing and how well they are doing. It reminded me that what you see in a referral picture, even if it's one that I have personally taken, is not what you get after the child has a chance to settle in and adjust to their new reality and life. So many of these kids just absolutely blossom and thrive with their new families! It may not be easy work to get there, but nothing worth doing is  :-) So as you look at these adorable kids, remember that! Then go take a look at our password protected waiting child list on our website:-)

Curt

Layla

Judy

Our Kiddos

ASIA has received a lot of files lately, so it's hard to cover all of them. I highly recommend that you take a look at our password protected website to view our waiting child list if you haven't yet today or yesterday. Feel free to contact me for the new password if you have not received it yet.

Now to get down to business. Those of you who have been following this blog surely remember Whitney. I posted about her when we met her on our trip to Changsha. She is the adorable 5 year old girl we pictured here:

Need I say more? She miraculously is special focus, although her special need has been repaired and now she is amazing! We have her file, so check our website for more information.

We also have June, who you may remember from our trip? She's a shy little girl who didn't want to perform the first time we saw her, but by the second time she became more comfortable with us. She is a very sweet and sensitive little girl who is also doing well and is special focus.

We also have Brett who is adorable, has a special need that sounds scary, but can be explained fully and he is special focus! Don't let his stated special need scare you away! Contact me for more information about him! Isn't he adorable?

I wish I could post pictures here of my Cade boy, but he is Non-Special Focus, so I can't. A dossier is required for him. He's adorable, young and has a very minor special need. So far none of our dossiered families have stepped forward for him.

We also have another young boy, Colin, who has a minor special need and is 2 years old. Colin is happy, very capable and a fun boy who is non-special focus. Dossiered only families for him, please.

Please help pass on the word about these kiddos so they can find their forever families. These kids were so much fun! We had a blast playing with all of them and they each kept us on our toes:-)

Password Changed! Changsha Files Arrived!

Please note, ASIA's waiting child list password has been changed. We cannot release it to non-ASIA clients until tomorrow. At that time, we will send it to inquiries who filled out the pre-qualification form within the last 6 months or so.

The good news is ASIA received 5 adorable little kiddos from our Changsha program who are available for adoption for the first time! These are not kids who have been on the shared list. These are kids who each stole my heart in Changsha! Stay tuned for more about them tomorrow!

Cute Little Guys

Please meet Curt. Curt sounds just like one of the little guys with the same special need that we met at Bao an. That little boy was adopted and is doing wonderfully! Curt is very smart and learns quickly. He already knows quantities, can put beads on string, fold paper, speaks long sentences, learns all of the rhymes that his teachers teach to him and can dress and feed himself. His Half The Sky Teachers report he has a rich imagination and good observation and problem solving skills. Curt can go far in life! Are you the family to take him there?

Curt

Judy likes to sing and read and sometimes teaches the other children to recite poems. She is intelligent and easy going, studies hard and always finishes her homework.She gets along with others and is active and social. She hasn't been found to have any symptoms of her condition and seems to be pretty healthy. 

Judy

Carter is a happy, smiling, outgoing and active boy. He gets along with others quickly. He likes being hugged and kissed by the nannies he has developed a relationship with. He has high self esteem, but because he is in a limited environment, he is a bit behind his peers in his development.

Carter

Gideon is a funny, active and busy boy. He is a tease and laughed when Susan chased him. He is gregarious and full of curiosity. He likes music toys, playing games with adults, which he shows great interest in. 

Gideon

We got these new cuties today--aren't they adorable?? Check them out on our website and stay tuned for more information!

Broken Hearted

Our hearts are aching today at ASIA for all of the kiddos from the shared list in our Hunan program that we were unable to place. Their files have gone back to the shared list, but they have not been removed from our hearts. Those kids whose eyes told the story of their dreams of having a family, who ached for affection and the love that only a Mom and/or Dad can provide. Those kids who just seemed like regular kids playing when we did our camp with them--why have they not found families? Yes, they do have special needs and yes they are older, but they still deserve and need a childhood and family. They still are just kids and their special needs do not prevail over their daily lives. In fact, when we were there we had to look up what their special needs were in many cases! So do me a favor--if one of these kids captures your heart, but you are scared of the special needs, take some time to research it. Go to No Hands But Ours website and read the family stories. Just maybe one of these children is the one you have been waiting for--take a chance! Adoption is a leap of faith!

We have failed these kids, but will not give up yet. Just because their files are on the shared list doesn't mean they have left our hearts or minds. We will continue to advocate for them and try to find them a family, along with those in our newest Hope Journey Program. Will you help? Can you share some information about these kids with your local community and friends? Check the interesting box if you will! 

From the Heart

We have 10 new cute kiddos from the latest Hope Journey Program that I encourage you to all check out. If you don't have the password to access our waiting children, feel free to contact me: marcisk@asiadopt.org

While I need to advocate for our new kiddos, my heart also pulls me back to advocate for the kids we met in Changsha who touched my heart and still don't have families. Lacey, Taryn, Lidia, Doug, Josiah and Finley still don't have families. These kids each have amazing potential and such sweet, generous spirits. These children would blossom with the love, stimulation and attention that a family provides. They deserve to be valued, treasured members of a family and society. Please don't judge them by their covers! I just know there has to be families out there for these little ones! If you're not the right fit, please help to let others know about them.