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Archive for the 'Posts by Josh' Category


Together for Adoption Conference Audio

Together for Adoption has posted the audio from their Nov. 1 conference. Check it out at their 2008 Conference Audio page. The audio titles are:

Jason Kovacs and Maridel Sandberg - “Conference Welcome and the Christian Alliance for Orphans’ Vision for Orphan Ministry”
Dan Cruver - “Adoption in God’s Story of Redemption”
Rick Phillips - “The Good News [...]

Domesticate an International Adoption in SC: Live online course this Thursday

Carolina Hope is offering a live online course this Thursday (Nov. 6) about Domesticating an International Adoption in South Carolina. Participation requires a phone and an internet connection.
Please pay and register today or Wednesday if you would like to participate. More information on the course contents and on registering is available at the course page.
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Open adoption: what’s best isn’t always easiest

Open adoption is a frightening or strange idea to many people. I remember talking to a friend whose sister had recently adopted — with an open adoption. My friend thought that the openness was unnecessary and probably a bad idea. This from a well-educated, sophisticated man.
One of the goals of our Openness in Adoption workshop [...]

Adoption awareness dinner at The Vine Community Church, Nov. 9

From our Workshops and Events page:
The Vine Community Church in Taylors, SC, is hosting an Adoption Awareness Night on Sunday, November 9 (5-9pm). There will be dinner and speakers (adoptive parents, adopted persons, and birthmothers). More information is available at Child of the King’s website. Please RSVP to Katie.M.Nyblom@gmail.com or 864-430-4367.
:: posted by josh ::

JCICS Policy Recommendation on Ethiopia Adoption Travel

On October 22 the Joint Council on International Children’s Services (of which Carolina Hope is a member) issued a policy recommendation about cultural sensitivity for U.S. families traveling to Ethiopia to complete an adoption. Here’s the policy recommendation (PDF).
Carolina Hope supports these recommendations and plans to implement them for our Ethiopia Adoption Program.
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Ukraine opens up spots for adoption

We just made the following announcement on our Ukraine Adoption page:
On October 14, 2008 the Ministry for Family, Youth and Sports published official Order #3899 approving revised procedures for submission of new adoption dossiers from foreign citizens in the fourth quarter of 2008. The annual adoption dossiers quota for 2008 had previously been set [...]

Dan Cruver to speak at Orphan Awareness & Adoption Sunday

Dan Cruver of Together for Adoption will be speaking in the 9:30am service and 11am Sunday School this Sunday (October 26) at Woodruff Road Presbyterian Church in Simpsonville, SC. Carolina Hope’s Laura Godwin will be there as well with information about Carolina Hope’s adoption services and also embryo adoption.
:: posted by josh ::

Jason Kovacs to join Laura Godwin for Funding Adoption workshop

Jason Kovacs of the ABBA Fund will participate in the Oct. 23 online workshop entitled Financing an Adoption.

Adoption language: “parent” vs. “adoptive parent”

Over at the Adoption Guide’s Advice page, I came across a document labeled “Accurate Adoption Language,” which links to a PDF entitled “Positive Adoption Language.” The fact sheet (reprinted from OURS Magazine, May/June 1992), has a fairly complete listing of preferred language (which it calls “positive”) and dispreferred language (called “negative”) for talking about adoption.
In [...]

What is open adoption? Is it as scary as it sounds?

In a week and a half, on October 29 (Wednesday, 9 pm), Carolina Hope is offering a live online adoption education course about openness in adoption. Here’s the write-up from the course page:
We often hear that families who are considering a domestic adoption are afraid of an “open” adoption. In this 1-and-a-half-hour course, you will [...]

Update on advocacy for I-600A renewals for China adoption

On October 7, I posted a call to action from JCICS. JCICS’s advocacy — in conjunction with the advocacy of other stakeholders and concerned Americans — has resulted in at least limited success. Here is JCICS’s announcement.

Dear Colleagues,
After advocating on behalf of adoptive families for the past 6 months, Joint Council is very pleased to [...]

Financing an Adoption: Visual conference call on Oct. 23

On October 23 (Thursday) at 9 pm, Carolina Hope Director Laura Godwin is teaching an online education course entitled Funding an Adoption. This approximately hour-and-a-half-long course will be conducted by phone and internet, so you can participate from the comfort of your own home.

Transracial adoption study: please participate

JCICS sent out the following request:
The University of Maryland, Department of Family Science is collaborating with The Center for Adoption Support and Education, (C.A.S.E) to conduct a national survey of transracial adoptive families, examining the extent to which parents’ attitudes and practices impact the adolescent’s sense of self and racial identity. Joint Council asks its [...]

Please help: JCICS Call to Action on I-600A Renewals

JCICS is urging all adoption stakeholders to actively participate immediately in encouraging USCIS to implement a policy that’s good for families and children regarding I-600A Renewals.

International and Domestic Adoption Workshop Tomorrow (Tuesday)

Tomorrow evening (Tuesday, October 7), Carolina Hope Christian Adoption Agency will hold its monthly Adoption Education workshop entitled “Introducing Domestic and International Adoption.” The workshop is free of charge and will be held at Carolina Hope’s office in Greenville, SC. More details at our Adoption Workshops page.
:: posted by josh ::

A Birth Mother and an Adoptive Mother Tell Their Shared Story

Carolina Hope’s director Laura Beauvais-Godwin will be presenting during a break-out workshop at New Jersey’s 27th Annual “Let’s Talk Adoption” conference to be held on November 1. Laura’s session is entitled, “Openness in Adoption: A Birth Mother and an Adoptive Mother Tell Their Shared Story,” and presenting with her will be Margaret, the birthmother of one of Laura’s daughters.

Nov. 1: Together for Adoption Conference, Greenville, SC

I just put this announcement up over on our Adoption Workshops and Events page. But we don’t want you to miss it, so I’m putting it here, too!
Together for Adoption Conference, Greenville, SC
Saturday, November 1, 2008
www.togetherforadoption.org
Together for Adoption wants Christians to think vertically about adoption and allow the truth of vertical adoption (i.e. God [...]

Pre-register for adoption Hike-a-thon today!

Pre-registration for the Child of the King Hike-a-thon ends today. After today, the cost rises and you aren’t guaranteed a t-shirt. More details at the adoption Hike-a-thon event webpage.
:: posted by josh ::

Waiting family profiles for domestic adoption

Carolina Hope’s Domestic site has recently added a new feature: profiles of waiting families who are trying to be matched with a birthmother.

How to finance an adoption (subtitled: Yeah, they’re usually expensive)

Have you ever been frustrated by how much an adoption costs and wished there were ways to offset those costs? You’re not alone. Funding an adoption is very difficult — but adoption agencies do recognize this reality. One way we try to help is by educating families about things they can do that might help cover some of those costs. This week (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday) Carolina Hope is offering a live online course about Financing an Adoption.