A Different Start to the Adoption Journey

With Gladney's Hope Exchange Program, prospective adoptive parents start their adoption journey in a very unique way.  Instead of  waiting for your child's referral after completing your paperwork, this Program offers you the opportunity of traveling to Colombia and actually meeting your child -- face-to-face!

Gladney is pleased to announce the Hope Exchange Program, and a change in destination. Rather than bringing children to the United States, this time adventurous prospective parents are invited to travel to Colombia. Gladney is looking for families who are willing to open their hearts to an older child from Colombia. Ranging in age from 7 to 14, healthy boys and girls can’t wait to spend time with a loving family. This year ten adventurous prospective adoptive families are invited to travel to Colombia July 20-27, 2013 for Hope Exchange.  

The first step is to get more information about the camp by contacting Judy Hayes via email or 432.563.3344.  Don't miss this unique opportunity!

Time for Some "Colombianisms"

Here's a great blog post by one of the SuperKids Charity volunteers that is currently working in Colombian orphanages - http://superkidscharity.blogspot.com/2012/10/colombianisms.html.

If you would like to donate to the Superkids cause, please send a check made out to Superkids/Gladney Center, to

The Gladney Center
6300 John Ryan Drive
Fort Worth, TX 76132-4122

Superkids is part of the Gladney Center, a 510 (c)(3) support organization.

Do you know what Hope Exchange Is?

Back in 2002, Gladney began Bright Futures Camps as a way to raise awareness about older children living in orphanages.  Thousands of children remain in orphanages, and sadly, the older a child gets, the less likely they are to experience the gift of family through adoption.

Gladney is pleased to announce the Hope exchange Program with a twist.  Rather than bringing children to the United States, this time adventurous prospective parents are invited to travel to Colombia. What an exciting opportunity to brighten the life of a child living in an orphanage, and experience the culture first hand.

If interested in being part of this exciting opportunity, please contact Judy Hayes at judy.hayes@gladney.org or 432.563.3344.  Don't miss this unique chance of creating your family through adoption!

For further information about Gladney's Colombia Adoption program, please visit our website.

Colombia Camp Program

Over a decade ago, Gladney began Bright Futures Camps as a way to raise awareness about older children living in orphanages. Thousands of children remain in orphanages, and sadly, the older a child gets, the less likely they are to experience the gift of family through adoption. With its first camp, 11 Russian children traveled to the Dallas/Fort area for an opportunity to stay with host families and experience family life. Since then, children from Russia and Ethiopia have traveled to the United States for a chance at one simple pleasure -- experiencing what it means to have a loving family and home.

Gladney is pleased to announce the Colombia Camp Program, and a change in destination. Rather than bringing children to the United States, this time adventurous prospective parents are invited to travel to Colombia. Gladney is looking for families who are willing to open their hearts to an older child from Colombia. Ranging in age from 7 to 14, healthy boys and girls can’t wait to spend time with a loving family. This year ten adventurous prospective adoptive families are invited to travel to Colombia in the Summer of 2014 for the Camp Program.

Based on Gladney’s successful U.S. based Bright Futures Camp, this camp offers a fun-filled week of camp activities including sightseeing and the opportunity to spend time with a loving prospective family. Being in Colombia offers some additional benefits to both parents and children. By going to Colombia, families can spend more time with their child before placement and have the opportunity to experience Colombian culture first hand –- both of these experiences will help build a strong foundation and bond. Additionally, because the children remain on familiar turf, they experience less culture shock and feel more at ease with prospective parents.

What an exciting opportunity to brighten the life of a child living in an orphanage, and experience the culture first hand!

For planning purposes, families must have submitted their application by February 1, 2014. There is a lot to do, but Gladney has experts to guide you through every step of the process. The first step is to get more information about the camp by contacting Judy Hayes at judy.hayes@gladney.org or 432.563.3344. Don't miss this unique opportunity!

http://adoptionsbygladney.com

Gladney Center for Adoption's Humanitarian Aid Program

Pei Wei + Gladney = Cookies

For a limited time (May 3-16), all Pei Wei restaurants in AZ and TX will be selling Cookies4Kids (Double Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookie for $1.00). All proceeds from this promotion will benefit Gladney’s humanitarian aid efforts around the world.

LIVE presentation of Colombian children

Date: Thursday, April 29, 2010


Time: 6:00pm - 7:00pm

Location: Your computer



Dear families and friends,

Colombian Central Authority, ICBF, has declared an emergency plan to find homes for about 5,000 children that are classified as adoptable children with special characteristics, not meaning mental or medical special needs. The classification of "Special characteristics" is in reference to their age, specifically an individual child 8 years of age and over or a sibling group in which at least one of the siblings is 8 years of age or older. ICBF has informed us that they are mentally and physically fit in accordance with international adoption standards.

They are adorable children looking for their forever loving family. Our Gladney team is committed to walk this journey for them and with them, hoping you can come along with us.

ICBF guidelines do not permit the children's pictures to be posted on the internet, so we will be doing a special LIVE presentation of the children which will include basic information, pictures, and the process of adopting older children in Colombia.

In order to alleviate the problem of background noise, all participants will be muted. At any time during the webinar you may ask questions using the question box feature on the control panel (located on the right hand side of the screen once you log in) and one of the Colombia team members will respond to you directly.

"Ayuda por favor" (Please help) by attending this special presentation and helping us find forever families for the children of Colombia.

Sincerely,
Gladney’s Colombia Team



Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/356338259



System Requirements
PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP, 2003 Server or 2000
http://www.facebook.com/gladneycenter#!/event.php?eid=114052201962903&ref=mf

Recommended Readings:

While in Colombia . . .

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Calling All Artists!

Have a little artist in your home? Here's their chance to make their mark. Knowing that children have endless visions of sugar plums and candy canes, Gladney is looking to its "babies" to design its annual holiday card. Budding artists can submit cover art, the inside verse . . . or both!

Entry form.

Homestudy is necessary first step in adoption

Homestudy is necessary first step in adoption

Posted using ShareThis

New Gladney Family Association in Florida

We are thrilled to announce that we have just officially established a South Florida GLADNEY FAMILY ASSOCIATION! This is a very exciting time and we would love to have you as a member.

Participating in the South Florida GFA is a wonderful way to meet other adoptive families, share your experiences throughout the different stages of adoption and have fun! As you are well aware, adoption touches all aspects of family life. That is why GFA membership may include grandparents, adult adoptees, friends (adoptive families through other agencies) or members of the community who are supporters of adoption. We are planning our Kick-Off event on Saturday, August 29th (location & time TBA) so please SAVE THE DATE! The dues to join are only $40 per year and the next dues will not be collected until January 1st, 2011, so if you sign up now, you will receive 18 months for the price of 12! You will then be included in every quarterly event we are planning this year as well as the South Florida GFA directory. Once you sign up, we will contact you personally to share more information about our Gladney Family Association. Don't hesitate to contact us directly if you have any questions!

We are looking forward to meeting you personally in the near future.

Join today!

La Cultura

More about the area and the culture:

Medellín - The city was founded centuries ago by Jewish refugees fleeing Spain after they were given the ultimatum to either convert to Catholicism or leave the country. They founded the city in the beautiful Aburrá valley where it resides today, making it one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

Driving and Traffic - Traffic here is different in one big way here. We take it for granted in the U.S., but there is NO respect for other cars on the road here. The best way I can put it is that in the United States we utilize defensive driving, here in Colombia they use offensive driving. When you´re on the road, you better know where you´re going and stay out of everyone else´s way. When you´re trying to merge, get out of a parking lot into traffic, no one is going to slow down and let you in, you have to make a move and get in there yourself, or you´re going to get some dirty looks and honks. That said, it works, and there are not many accidents.
Also in regards to traffic, Colombia utilizes something quite interesting to lower emissions and reduce rush hour traffic fatalities. It is called ¨Pico y Placa¨ and roughly translates as ¨the peak and the plate.¨ It means that at least twice a week, on two days in a row (monday and tuesday, tuesday and wednesday for example) you cannot drive between the hours of six thirty and eight thirty in the morning and five and seven o clock at night. This is determined by the last two numbers of your license plate. It´s quite interesting to see this in action, and it works and everyone abides.

Food - I know i´ve talked a little about food, but one thing I must mention. Colombians are in LOVE with desserts. Whenever you´re between meals anyone can ask you if you want to ¨tomar de algo,¨ and that means do you want to go get a little pastry and maybe some coffee? It´s pretty cool, and as for something we don´t have in the US that they eat here that´s AMAZING is Arequipe. It is like caramel, except sweeter and tastier and not as rich. They can put it in ice cream, in a hot pastry, anything really. Another awesome dessert they eat here is really simple but they eat it all the time. It´s called fresas y helado ...strawberries and ice cream. Not strawberry ice cream, strawberries in vanilla ice cream. And the FRESHEST strawberries I´ve ever seen. All of the fruit here is excellent, which leads me to another point, that they drink a LOT of juice here. Everyday at lunch at the orphanage there is a different fruit juice accompanying my meal, and to tell you the truth I haven´t heard of any of them really, but they are all SO GOOD. My thing with food is, whenever you´re traveling, ask a local what´s good, and eat it. They usually won´t lead you wrong. And don´t be afraid of something weird or different...you only live once!

My hands are tired, more tomorrow, I have to update you on the kids of course! They´re doing great and the people there are SO nice. They really are loved and well-fed and love each other and me...haha more on that tomorrow, Que dios les bendiga - God Bless

María, Full of Grace

Howdy folks, Matt here in Medellín. I know i´m getting a little behind on blogging, but I had quite a busy weekend and start of the week. My next few posts will deal a little bit with the culture here, so that those of you who are considering adoption or are in the process can understand a little bit how things are here.

On Sunday, I got up around ten and had a nice breakfast with the family. We left for mass around eleven thirty. Most of the population here (more than ninety percent) is Catholic. I have been to many a mass in my life, but not in many years, so I was not quite sure what to expect. My church that I attend in Myrtle Beach is a rock out, dance kinda church, so I knew it would be different. I was pleasantly surprised with how heartfelt and beautiful the service was. It was only about forty five minutes long, and included all things that any American Catholic would expect, and the people were all so nice and so so faithful and it seemed like they really meant it when they turn to one another and said, ¨peace be with you,¨or ¨God bless you.¨
After church, we went to eat at an amazing restaurant on the side of a mountain looking over the whole valley, where I had the ¨típico¨ (typical) that is eaten in Colombia, which includes on a huge plate steak, sausage, an arepa (best compared to a fried tortilla), fresh avocado, rice, beans, banana, and my favorite, chicharrón. Chicharrón is best compared to the fatty part of the bacon, cooked until crispy, just how I like it :). Needless to say, I was quite full and satisfied.
We then walked around the mall for awhile. Turns out Medellín is a world center for fashion, and it shows. There are more than twenty malls here, many of which specialize in high class clothing. Being that the peso is such a weak currency, I would recommend traveling here to check out your next Dolce and Gabana or Prada or whatever it is you ladies are into these days.

Another thing that is amazing is the climate. I know I have mentioned this before, but it is so awesome that people don´t use air conditioning here. I´m sitting at this computer with the windows open in the house, yea a car goes by every now and then, but the view is amazing, and there is always a light breeze blowing through the valley. Also, all of the malls and restaurants are open as well. It is just really relaxing to sit here and take it in.

I´ll write more, but I think this is enough for one blog post. Que dios les bendiga - God Bless

Saturday

Howdy folks, this has been quite a week here in Medellin. I have been teaching two children in the mornings, helping them learn english, and then in the afternoons I teach about ten children. I am certainly not an expert in ESL, but I do know how to manage a class and I do know a little bit of how the brain most quickly learns a language. So, I teach the children a few things that they will have to know in order that we can have a successful class, such as ¨be quiet,¨ ¨sit down,¨ and ¨repeat¨. Along with that, I always repeat myself in spanish after everything that I say. After just two days of an hour of class, they are already wowing their caregivers, asking them ¨what is your name?¨and ¨what time is it?¨ pretty cool.
As for the city, it is really cool. Last night, my host family took me for a drive around to catch a view of the nightlife, this city has many, many outdoor bars and restaurants, as the climate here is just superb. We then stopped in the middle of town and I got to sample a bit of the street food. I had a ¨perro ranchero,¨haha. Don´t worry, it was not a real perro, but the Medellin-version of a hot dog. It was incredibly messy, filling, and delicious. For the not so experimental pallate, I would not recommend it, but hey, get out there and try something new, right?
Today has been a relaxing saturday, just hanging around listening to music and watching tv, but later on we may go out, we´ll see. I¨ll keep you posted. Hope all is well with all of you and I appreciate your continued thoughts and prayers. Que dios les bendiga-God bless- Matt

Wow.

That´s the only word I can come up with to describe the first 24 hours in Medellin. To say I was thrown to the wolves is an understatement, haha. It´s quite insane for me to think I´m really going to be here for almost two months, but my nervousness is mixed with excitement definitely.
This morning, I awoke and ate an arepa for breakfast, arepas are small pancake like things made from bananas and you cover them with this sweet butter that makes them both delicious and filling. Then, it was off to the Casa de Maria y El Niño. When I got there I was introduced to the head of the orphanage, Raquel, a very nice lady who led us to a back room where I could be briefed on what my job would be for the next weeks. Needless to say I was quite intimidated. My spanish is good, but these people speak really fast. I see it taking maybe a week to adjust to the accent, it´s already getting better even in the last day or so. I met Daniel and Maria, in charge of the children´s education while at the orphanage. The older children go to school (some in the morning others in the evening) but the younger children participate in a kind of kindergarten at the orphanage under the tutelage of the women who work there, whom all the children refer to as ¨mamás.¨ I then was introduced to Mauricio and Lina, two kids who are quite excited to be adopted soon, and we discussed what they already knew in english, which surprised me as it included numbers, colors, greetings, and various day-to-day vocabulary. This got me quite pumped for what was to come. I was told I´d have to wait for the morning-schooled children to return to begin teaching a little english.
While waiting, I was treated to an excellent lunch by the kitchen staff at the orphanage, including beef, rice, and vegetables as well as soup. Also, Colombians drink very little soda, mostly staying with fruit juices and milk, which they find a way to make really really tasty.
After the kids returned and lunch was consumed, I met the older children and as soon as they learned that I was from the United States (a shocking fact in itself for them) and was going to teach THEM english, they were estatic. I have NEVER seen kids so thirsty for learning. In fact, my first day ¨teaching¨ turned into the kids asking ¨como se dice ______ en ingles?¨ over and over again and me picking up little kids and letting them touch the ceiling, which they liked so much that when I told them I was getting tired of everyone bouncing on me and climbing, they simply formed an orderly line as they waited for tired ¨mateo¨ to pick them up, haha.
After about an hour and a half of my english school, they kids were allowed outside on the playground to play. There they begged for me to let them ¨montar de caballo,¨ (piggy back ride) until I could barely walk. Let´s just say I¨m definitely going to lose some weight on this trip haha. Then, my ride came, and off I went. What a day.
So in the next few days I¨m going to have to come up with a way to teach these kids in an organized manner, which could be hard because of their varying ages. I´ll figure it out though. I´ve been on the computer a while though, so I should prolly get off. The view is amazing from this house. I¨ll put up pictures as soon as I start taking them, I´m still in a little bit of culture shock, but I´ll get over that soon. Until next time, Que dios les bendiga. God Bless.- Matt

Matt Parris - New Colombia Blog Author

Gladney adoptee, Matthew Parris, is spending his summer working in a Colombia orphanage. He will be immersing himself in the culture and teaching the children how to speak English. Follow his journey through video, photos, and the Colombia Adoption Blog.

2009 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces List

Each year, the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption announces a list of employers with the best adoption benefits in the nation. Rankings are based on the amount of financial reimbursement and paid leave for employees who adopt. Honorees include the top 100, the top ten by size and the top five in each industry.

America's Top Ten
1 Wendy's International, Inc.
2 Citizen's Financial Group, Inc. / RBS Americas
3-TIE Liquidnet
3-TIE LSI Corporation
3-TIE United Business Media LLC (UBM)
6 Subaru of America, Inc.
7. Bowen Engineering Corporation
8. Timberland
9. Barilla America
10. Time Inc.

April Update

Update

-March and April have been full of excitement at the Gladney Center!! 8 families received referrals and 2 are already in country. (Pictures and family news are below ICBF chart)

-ICBF published the new referral chart 4/8/2009. An english translation is below. My math may be a little off in terms of total number of months the family waited though. :) Children 8 and older as well as siblings group of 3 or more have an immediate referral.

-Many older children and siblings groups are already available for adoption. To view some of the children availble please visit achildtolove.org. There are also several siblings groups of four who are looking for a forever family. They range in age from 2-8. If you would like more information, please call Beth Cheek at 817-922-6082 or Raul Velez at 813-265-8444.




ICBF Referrals by age group April-2009

Age of Child Date of Dossier Approval/total wait
Child 0-12 months Nov-2005 42 months
Child 13 - 23 months Nov-2005 42 months
Child 2 years May-2005 47 months
Child 3 years May-2005 47 months
Child 2 - 3 years Mar-2006 37 months
Child 3 - 4 years May-2005 47 months
Child 4 years Jul-2005 45 months
Child 5 years Jan-2006 39 months
Child 4 -5 years Jan-2006 39 months
Child 5 - 6 years May-2007 23 months
Child 6 years Nov-2008 6 months
Child 7 years Nov-2008 6 months
2 Siblings 0 - 4 years Mar-2007 25 months
2 Siblings 0 - 5 years Jul-2006 33 months
2 Siblings 0 - 6 years Aug-2007 19 months
2 Siblings 0 - 7 years May-2008 11 months

*Dates that have advanced since last chart February-2009

Recent Placements

Raelen will celebrate her 7-month birthday tomorrow! She arrived in the US in February.
We asked Raelen's mother, Lyndsey, what is the best advice you received during the adoption process?

"It wasn't really advice, but when I saw photos of other families who had gone through the process and had their child, I became really excited about our baby!"

What helped you during the wait?

"Knowing that we weren't alone in the wait, and having supportive family. We also had 2 other children to focus a lot of attention on, so that helped. Sometimes I still can't believe she's here! I would just tell families that I am glad we waited and it is totally worth it!!!"

We have another family currently in country who is adopting a 6-year old girl named Angie. Mom, Dad, and big sister, Bria (age 7), met Angie yesterday for the first time. The following summary is what Mom wrote about their first day together.

"Hallelujah this day has arrived. Bria was so excited this morning. She said this was going to be the best day of her life. Here is how the day went.

In she came, smiling and happy. She was so cute. She was wearing a pretty little blue dress with white lace socks and white buckle shoes. Like she was dressed for church. She was carrying her favorite doll in a little clear plastic tote bag and another little red tote bag, smaller than some of my purses, with all her belongings. Not much.Everyone left except for the translator, who video taped us for the first few minutes. Then he left also giving us about 10 minutes alone before we left to come back to the hotel. I asked her in my broken Spanish if she was happy to have a new family. She smiled and nodded. She was very quiet. Not talking much. But happy.

Until...................

We got in the van to come back to the hotel. She was not looking like she was feeling well. The attorney asked her if she was going to be sick. They thought maybe she was car sick. We had her sit by the window and had a trash bag ready just in case. She had some crackers in her tote bag. Phil suggested that she eat something to help her stomach. She ate them. We thought it helped. We pulled up to the hotel. When we looked at Angie, tears were rolling down her face. She was quietly crying as she looked out the window. Apparently, it hit her hard at that point that she was leaving everything she had known behind. She did not want to get out of the van. Whenever anyone reached for her she pushed them away and started crying harder. The driver tried to talk to her in Spanish. Some of the women in the hotel staff tried to talk her into coming inside. Phil and I both tried to tell her it was OK and that we understood but it didn't help. This went on for a good 20 minutes. Finally, Phil picked her up kicking and screaming out of the van. We got her inside. She just stood by the door. I was at a complete loss at what to do. I just sat with her. Some of the staff again tried to talk to her and got her something to drink. She had stopped crying but was still hesitant. Another little girl her age talked to her in Spanish. It didn't seem to phase her. Then, a few minutes later, it was just her and I at the front door and she started to walk into the lobby towards the back of the hotel. I followed her. She walked straight to the back where there is a small playground with a swingset. She got on the swing and started laughing and smiling. Bria went out and got on the swing next to her and they were having fun. Phil got behind Angie and began to push her on the swing. Then, later I got in front of her and was playing with her as she swung over my head which she got the biggest kick out of. Her whole upset episode lasted about 30 minutes. The rest of the day was GREAT. She was happy and laughing the whole rest of the day.

The attachment process followed shortly thereafter when she called me Mami for the first time after about the first hour or so. Then, she came up to me and hugged me. She had a great day that started on the playground. We played foosball with several golf balls which she loved. Then we ate lunch. She eats very well. I hope she rubs off on Bria. We played outside with Dora stickers and colored letter stickers. That really broke the ice. She began to talk more.Then, we came upstairs to the room for the first time. Bria showed her how to play some video games like pac man and frogger. They did that for a while. Then, we went downstairs to the lobby to watch Barbie's Mermaidia in Spanish. They do not have a DVD in the room. Then we came back to the room where we played with Go Fish cards. "The whatever version" because she did not understand how to play and wasn't interested in the rules. She just wanted to hold the cards and take turns picking a card from the other person whether it was her turn or not. This didn't go over to well with Bria but she accepted it... Finally, about 8:30 Angie passed out first and Bria was right behind her. Saturday we are scheduled with our driver to go shopping at the mall."

Colombia FAQ:

Q: On average, how long is the total process for Colombia adoptions?
A: Families should expect about a 18 month to 2.5 year process for Colombia.



Q: Is it safe to travel to Colombia? I have seen some travel warnings online. What about traveling with other children?
A: There are travel warnings for U.S. Citizens traveling anywhere in the world. You must always be aware of your surroundings. However, you are escorted by a Gladney in-country representative while in the foreign country. If at all possible, it is best to leave children at home with family.



Q: How common is it for intercultural adoption?
A: Very common. There are approximately 20,000 children adopted from foreign countries every year by U.S. Citizens.