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A Chance for a HomeA Chance for a Home "He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home." Johann von Goethe Home. Family. Backyard cookouts. A table laden with more than we can eat on Thanksgiving day. These things ground us, offer us stability, and give us an environment where we can learn, explore, grow, and even self-actualize. Yet for 210 million children, these basic human needs will never be met because most of these children will come of age in an institution, never knowing a family, never experiencing the warmth, joy and acceptance of a home environment. These children are orphans. And for them, finding a family is like winning a lottery. It is a dream come true, when all the pieces fall together and home becomes a reality. Those who never find a home face hurdles and burdens that no child should bare. They face years of loneliness and despair. Many fail to thrive in their institutions, most experience developmental/language delays and grow slowly. A general rule of thumb, children raised in orphanages lose approximately 1 month of linear growth for every 3 months in orphanage care. The good news is that many of these children will make a complete recovery after adoption. Within just a few years, some of them will have caught up physically, mentally, and emotionally to their home grown counterparts. Others progress more slowly, but they all progress given the right environment. The Biggest Hurdle- the $20,000 or so Price Tag Many warm, loving families want to bring these wonderful kids into their homes. To take them in, love them, nurture them, and support them. In fact, there are many couples who would jump for joy at the chance of adding an orphaned child to their family. Adoption fees, court costs, attorney fees, immigration fees and so on quickly pile up. Before a prospective couple or family can even begin to look for a child, they know they’ll have to overcome the biggest hurdle of all – the $20,000 or so price tag. There are several roads to adoption. Let’s look at a breakdown of the adoption options. Public Agency Adoption A public agency adoption is an adoption directed and supervised by a state or local Department of Human Services or Social Services. In many states adopting through Social Services is free. This is a huge benefit in choosing this method of adoption, and there are over 100,000 children awaiting adoption through public agencies in the United States. Infants and toddlers are rarely available. Many of the children are school aged or have emotional or physical disabilities. Some states require that a family foster a child for a period of at least six months before completing an adoption. There is a great need for adoptive parents to come forth for these children, but it is not the right choice for every family. You can find out more by contacting your local Department of Human Services or through the Department of Human Health & Services website (http://naic.acf.hhs.gov). Private Agency Adoption A private agency adoption is one directed and supervised by a privately funded, licensed adoption agency. Infants and toddlers are often associated with private adoption. Fees can be as low as $8,000 for special needs children and can reach beyond $30,000. The birth mother will often choose the adoptive family. Agencies may recruit by race or religious affiliation. International Adoption International adoption is process of adopting a child who is not a U.S citizen. This can be accomplished through a private agency, an attorney, or independently. Adoptive parents often have to travel to the child’s birth country to attend a court hearing and pick up the child. Fees can reach $40,000. About 88 countries throughout Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America allow U.S. citizens to adopt their children. Fees and regulations vary greatly from country to country as do the condition of the children. Some are fortunate enough to have foster parents, but many live in orphanages. Some live on the streets and others take jobs as maids. The need is tremendous for these children, but the costs of bringing them to the United States is insurmountable for many families wanting to adopt. Independent Adoption Independent adoption is also known as private adoption. This is generally associated with infant adoption, but some international adoptions can be done independently. Ukraine, for example, does not allow private agencies to work within the country and thus all foreign adoptions through Ukraine are independent. The costs for adopting an infant from the United States independently can range from $5,000 to over $40,000. Prospective adopting parents will often advertise for a birth mother and then pay her medical and living expenses through the duration of her pregnancy.Bringing Home the Orphans Unfortunately, most good, prospective parents can’t afford to pay even a fraction of the costs associated with adoption. So the children sit and wait. Unfortunately, most good, prospective parents can’t afford to pay even a fraction of the costs associated with adoption. So the children sit and wait. Many adopting families beg and borrow enough to cover these initial fees from families and friends. Those who are able to cash in their IRAs or take out a second mortgage are fortunate. Some run up credit card debt to cover adoption fees. Many give up and never consider adopting again. The road to adoption is steep, but the rewards are tremendous. Imagine giving a child a warm bubble bath before bed. Now imagine that this is a brand new experience for your child. Warm bath water is a luxury many of these children never know. Even if you are unable to adopt a child yourself you can still make a difference by donating to a children’s charity which offers adoption grants to families adopting older or special needs children. Tanya Sturman is the volunteer director for A Child’s Desire, Inc., a 501 c(3) children’s charity. A Child’s Desire offers adoption grants to children waiting over a year in an orphanage for a family to choose them. More information can be found at www.aChildsDesire.org
The Process of 'Vivid Thinking' Which Makes Success Certain! - Part 1 The Process of “Vivid Thinking” Which Makes Success Certain” - Part 1 by: Jason Katzenback Some principles are so simple that we often overlook their significance. For instance, success is lack of failure; each failure is due to some mistake; each mistake in action originates in some mistake in thinking. To change from failure to success, it is necessary to develop those processes of thought . . .
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