Wed, 02 Jul 2008 10:27:27 -0500 http://www.facadopt.org/ en-us http://www.facadopt.org/images/logo.jpg http://www.facadopt.org/ pat@facadopt.org http://www.facadopt.org/Article160.htm Please come and JOIN US at the FAC ANNUAL Summer Picnic SUNDAY, AUGUST 3, 2008 12 noon to 4 pm (rain or shine) Halmich Park in Warren, Michigan HOT DOGS AND FIXINGS, CHIPS, POP and PLACE SETTINGS A-L – please bring a DESERT M-Z – please bring a CASSEROLE OR SALAD Immediate family $26 – Guests $5.00 – make check payable to Family Adoption Consultants GAMES/Prizes for all ages This year we are asking that you send in a picture of your child with your reservation and complete the attached form so we will have ahead of time to display at the picnic. This is a good way for people to meet each other and see who is at the picnic from year to year. We will bring this board each year and you can watch all our children grow. Please click here for directions and and the reservation form. Wed, 02 Jul 2008 10:27:27 -0500 http://www.facadopt.org/Article159.htm Click here to view the video The following series of videos brings you interviews with FAC staff and families. Tue, 17 Jun 2008 12:02:31 -0500 http://www.facadopt.org/Article158.htm This flowchart details the new Hague process for DHS and immigration. Click here to download the Hague Incoming Flowchart PDF Thu, 12 Jun 2008 14:37:11 -0500 http://www.facadopt.org/Article157.htm http://chinaservicemay08.blogspot.com/ The Latest news from the China Service Project Fri, 09 May 2008 11:14:48 -0500 http://www.facadopt.org/Article155.htm Thu, 03 Apr 2008 13:45:36 -0500 http://www.facadopt.org/Article153.htm Family Adoption Consultants is very pleased to be one of the first agencies to be officially accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA) as an international adoption service provider. The Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Inter-country Adoption (Convention) is an international treaty that was signed by the U.S. in 1994. Its provisions ensure that inter-country adoptions are in the best interests of children, birth families and adoptive parents involved in the process. The Conventions key principles include: Uniform requirements for ethical practices by adoption service providers Ensurance that inter-country adoptions take place in the best interests of children Regulations preventing the abduction, exploitation, sale, or trafficking of children Once the Convention enters into force in the United States, families adopting a child from a convention country will have assurances that they and the children they are adopting have the protections and safeguards provided by the Hague Convention. More information for prospective parents is located at travel.state.gov. For more information about the Convention and an up-to-date list of countries that are parties to the Convention, please visit the website for the Hague Conference on Private International Law. Wed, 12 Mar 2008 13:50:41 -0500 http://www.facadopt.org/Article152.htm Camp Mabuhay July 25-27, 2008 Columbia, MD Celebrating Filipino culture for the entire family in Columbia, MD in our 13th year. The Filipino community has generously donated time, energy and resources along with our adoptive families to make our camp a success. Reservations can be made at campmabuhay@yahoo.com on a first come first served basis; space is limited. http://www.filipino-adoptees-network.org/campmabuhay/ Tue, 04 Mar 2008 13:26:36 -0600 http://www.facadopt.org/Article151.htm Family Adoption Consultants has achieved Hague Accreditation from COA. read below for the text of the letter we received. Fri, 29 Feb 2008 16:09:42 -0600 http://www.facadopt.org/Article150.htm Theo Daniels, an FAC's adoptee, is in need of a bone marrow transplant due to a rare form of leukemia. Please consider bone marrow registry for Theo and the many others it could help. Click here to download the PDF with information on Theo and the registry. Thu, 28 Feb 2008 13:52:30 -0600 http://www.facadopt.org/Article149.htm The Transition to Adoptive Parenthood Project is aimed at exploring the transition to adoptive parenthood in a diverse group of families. We are asking you to help us understand your experiences as you prepare to become, and then become, parents. For example, What things make this transition easier or harder? What are your feelings about the adoption process? What are the expected and unexpected challenges and joys that you face? Your participation is very much needed and appreciated. Couples who participate in this project will be interviewed individually either in person or by phone during the preadoption period, and then again three months after the adoption. As a token of appreciation, you will be paid for your participation in this project. Please contact us for more information about the project, via phone at 508-793-7289, or by email, agoldberg@clarku.edu Please read about this study and Dr. Goldberg’s other research on her website: www.clarku.edu/faculty/goldberg/index.html Call us today - your participation makes a difference! Thu, 24 Jan 2008 15:19:06 -0600 http://www.facadopt.org/Article148.htm Family Adoption Consultants Presents Bright Night III Please Join Us for Buffet Dinner, Silent & Live Auctions, Comedian Jim Oakley. Honorary Co-Chairs: Peggy Agar of Channel 7 News & Cyndy Canty of Magic Morning Show 105.1 FM Saturday, March 8, 2008 6:00 p.m. – 1 1 :00 p.m. $40.00 per person & cash bar St. Aidan’s Activity Center 17500 Farmington Road, Livonia Between 6 & 7 Mile Roads R.S.V.P. by February 22 For hotel or event information: 1-800-753-0129 or azfac96@yahoo.com Adult family and friends are welcome We host special events to raise money to ensure that children are well-cared for prior to adoption, as well as to provide for children unable to be adopted. FAC is non-profit and operates solely on fees paid by adoptive families and receives no other regular funding from public or private organizations. Invitation in PDF format Reply Card in PDF format Raffle info in PDF format Thu, 24 Jan 2008 13:30:47 -0600 http://www.facadopt.org/Article147.htm Korea Culture Camp - Ohio Adoptive Families Support Association is proud to announce its twentieth annual Culture Camp for Korean-American children. Camp will be held Wednesday, July 30 through Sunday, August 3 at the St. Leonard Youth Retreat Center in Avon, Ohio, which is about 20 miles west of downtown Cleveland. Tue, 15 Jan 2008 10:29:54 -0600 http://www.facadopt.org/Article146.htm Thanks to the support and financial assistance of FAC and Friends of Adoptive Families, Li Fang is getting the medical care that she needs to lead a normal life. Thu, 06 Dec 2007 22:23:20 -0600 http://www.facadopt.org/Article145.htm Current Information from the CCAA The waiting time from log-in of dossier to matching/referral has continued to increase. The CCAA has just posted the dates for the most recent referrals. In November, families whose dossiers were submitted through December 8, 2005 were matched with children. So Fri, 09 Nov 2007 09:19:52 -0600 http://www.facadopt.org/Article143.htm Come join us for the… May 2008 China Orphanage Service Project Thursday, May 1 - Sunday, May 11, 2008 Join Family Adoption Consultants on its inaugural China Service Project as we assist children with special needs at an orphanage outside Beijing, China! Tue, 23 Oct 2007 09:41:45 -0500 http://www.facadopt.org/Article142.htm Mon, 01 Oct 2007 14:27:44 -0500 http://www.facadopt.org/Article141.htm Hello all!! We hope that you have enjoyed your summer!! We are writing to inquire about interest in our Chinese language and culture class for the fall and winter sessions. As some of you may already know Miss. Jessica has moved to Houston, Texas but has left us in good hands. We have been given the name of another teacher her Chinese name is Xueying Pei and her English name is Francis Adam. We are pleased to announce that Deidre has talked to her and she has agreed to become our new teacher. Xueying Pei has taught in China for many years. She also teaches Chinese for the Solon school. She loves working with children and teaching Chinese. We are very excited to have her as our teacher. We are also please to announce we can now offer Chinese dance to our program. Corrina Yu is interested in becoming our dance instructor and has given us some background information on herself: Corinna Yu trained with the Chinese American Dance Theater in Minnesota for seven years, learning from graduates of the Beijing Dance Academy as well as several master class teachers from various parts of Asia. She was a lead dancer for 4 years and taught classes for children and young adults. At Washington University she continued to teach her peers the diversity of Chinese dance through performances during Lunar New Year Festivals, as well as earning a minor in ballet and performing in various modern works. In 2005, she spent 3 weeks with the New York Folk Dance Company learning from the dance instructors in Shanghai. Currently she attends Case School of Medicine and has been actively involved choreographing dances for Doc Opera, a parody of med school used to raise funds for the Free Clinic. Goals for the classes include: *flexibility (basic stretching, warm-up, isolations) *technique (foot pointing, turning, lines, jumps, body awareness, coordination) *choreography (teaching traditional dances) *performance (spring dance recital) *culture (traditional music, props, costumes, history, story lines) *FUN, FUN, FUN!!! -Corinna Yu Here is the following class schedule. SESSION ONE (Language): · 6 Saturdays · Dates: September 15th – October 20th · Time: Language class offered from 11AM – 12PM SESSION TWO (Language): · 6 Saturdays · Dates: October 27th – December 8th, taking off November 24th for the Thanksgiving holiday · Time: Language class offered from 11AM – 12PM SESSION TWO (Dance): · 6 Saturdays · Dates: October 27th – December 8th, taking off November 24th for the Thanksgiving holiday · Time: Dance class offered from 10AM – 11PM Please note the dance class will run the second session only from 10AM - 11AM and the language will follow from 11AM - 12PM. Families are welcome to do only the language or only the dance classes or both for the second session. Right now we are looking for commitment to the classes. Cost will be decided upon the number of children enrolled but in the past we have been able to keep the cost at $50 per session. Please email or call by Monday, September 3rd to let us know you are interested so we can make sure that we have a successful class. Thank you, Melissa Albrecht and Deidre Weeks melissa_albrecht@yahoo.com (330) 963-6489 weeks_8@sbcglobal.net (216) 291-2980 Thu, 30 Aug 2007 13:33:44 -0500 http://www.facadopt.org/Article140.htm When Bill Torgler volunteered to head up a crew of six members of a non-profit group to do a service project at an orphanage in Beijing last September, he didn’t know he was signing on for anything more than a humanitarian effort to help the 40-50 older children housed there. He had no idea that the experience would affect him so profoundly that he would sign on for two more trips. Bill is returning with the same non-profit group to do similar work this May and he also volunteered to head up the Family Adoption Consultants’ 2008 China Service Project. Mon, 20 Aug 2007 11:06:36 -0500 http://www.facadopt.org/Article139.htm 1. Download the FAC information packet and submit the Preliminary Application. 2. FAC sends you the formal application packet. This includes forms and information about the adoption study, parent preparation and articles regarding adoption. You then fill out and return the forms regarding employment, health, health insurance, finances, references, background checks, autobiographies, government forms, and other documentation. A. For international adoptions obtain the I-600a form from the CIS webpage at www.uscis.gov and begin collecting supporting documentation, to be submitted when the adoption study is complete. B. For programs requiring travel, apply for a US passport if you do not already have one. 3. Contact the Kalamazoo office with your questions about any of the application forms or procedures. 4. Attend an FAC orientation meeting if you haven’t already done so (orientation to agency programs/procedures is required by Michigan and Ohio child-placing agency regulations). The application process can begin prior to orientation. 5. Attend FAC Parent Workshops to comply with The Hague Convention requirements for 10 additional hours of education in addition to the adoption study. These ten hours may be started at any time, but must be completed before child placement or travel for adoption. 6. When you have submitted the application and all supporting documents and fees, FAC reviews your application for acceptance into the program. 7. Once you have been accepted, an adoption specialist will be assigned to work with you. The adoption specialist will contact you to schedule dates and times for the adoption study interviews. 8. FAC sends you a comprehensive guide to the program/country you have chosen. This guide contains valuable, current information about adopting through the country you have chosen. 9. If your program requires a dossier, start collecting the required documents as outlined in the program guide. 10. After the interviews have been completed and all supporting documentation has been received, the adoption specialist writes your adoption study narrative report and submits it for review/approval to the supervisor. 11. When the adoption study report is approved, the next steps vary depending on your chosen program and are outlined in the program guide. Thu, 16 Aug 2007 12:12:42 -0500 http://www.facadopt.org/Article138.htm Fall 2007 enrollment for Sae Jong Korean Language School is now open Thu, 02 Aug 2007 13:33:29 -0500 http://www.facadopt.org/Article136.htm Adoptive Families Magazine is holding a photo contest for inclusion in their publications. Entries are due by September 10th. Click Here for the flyer Mon, 30 Jul 2007 11:45:25 -0500 http://www.facadopt.org/Article134.htm Saturday October 20, 2007 Join us for a fun filled night of casino games, video horse racing and fantastic raffle prizes at the Metroplex Sport and Event Center in Warrensville Heights, Ohio! October 20th is Sweetest Day – treat your date to a night of entertainment and a chance to win money and great prizes, while supporting Friends of Adoptive Families, an organization dedicated to raising money for humanitarian projects for children in foreign countries. Invite other adult family members and friends and meet other adoptive families who support this meaningful cause. If you can not attend the event, you can still help by making a cash or raffle donation, purchasing a horse, or sponsoring a race or casino table. More information about the event is available on the FAC website at www.facadopt.org. You may also contact Heather Lavelle at TropicA1A@aol.com and/or Michelle Messner at docmicdvm@aol.com. Click Here for the Flyer. Click Here for Advertising Rates. Click Here for Raffle donation request. Mon, 30 Jul 2007 10:47:27 -0500 http://www.facadopt.org/Article133.htm To help meet the mandatory Hague Convention requirements for ten hours of education in addition to the adoption study, Family Adoption Consultants has created these workshops for FAC families, as well as for families from other agencies who are currently in the adoption process. Certificates of Attendance will be given after each workshop, so it is important to pre-register. Parents who are just starting the adoption process or those who are seasoned parents wanting to learn more about some of these important adoption issues and share their experiences, are welcome to attend. Adoption is a life long process and the more diversified our participants, the more we all learn! Adults only please. Wed, 25 Jul 2007 14:41:26 -0500 http://www.facadopt.org/Article132.htm Please come and celebrate our 25th Anniversary at the FAC ANNUAL Summer Picnic Saturday, July 28, 2007 12 noon to 4 pm (rain or shine) Halmich Park in Warren, Michigan This year’s special guests will be Mr. Jeon, Bong Yoon – Director of Korea Social Service and Ms. Lee, Kyeong Suk, Adoption Supervisor Mon, 16 Jul 2007 09:11:33 -0500 http://www.facadopt.org/Article131.htm Cai, Xi Jing (pronounced “Tsai”) has been FAC’s China representative since 1995. She has become an invaluable member of FAC’s China “team” and has helped hundreds of families reach their goal of becoming parents to a Chinese child. One of those children has appropriately nicknamed Ms. Cai as the “family maker”. Thu, 05 Jul 2007 07:50:54 -0500