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Community Resources
**NOTE: These groups are family led and moderated.**
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Support Our Cause
(proceeds support Opportunity House)
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YOUR STORY
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If you are an AAI adoptive parent, child, or relative, we would love to hear your story and share it with our newsletter list. Please email us if you are interested!
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VOLUNTEER FOR AAI
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Interested in volunteer opportunities at AAI? Contact us to learn more!
We would love to grow our team! Having a family that spans the nation is a huge asset and we'd love to find a way to have you support our efforts.
*board members
*committee members
*blog contributors
*volunteer program help
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Dear Friends,
Happy autumn to you! Cold winds and grey skies are blowing in to Port Angeles, but the shimmering red and gold trees make fall a beautiful time of the year on the Olympic Peninsula.
The holiday season is almost here! If there are any chefs on your list, then the AAI 30th Anniversary Cookbook is the perfect gift! It's filled with delicious recipes from several countries AAI has worked in over the years as well as family stories, cultural tidbits, and other fun facts. The cookbook will be ready in time for the holidays, so keep an eye out!
Sincerely,
The AAI Staff
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SEEKING EXPERIENCED FAMILY FOR ETHIOPIAN BOY
This beautiful, healthy Ethiopian boy arrived in the U.S. in the fall of 2012. Born in 2003, he had a challenging early childhood which has affected his ability to fully reach his emotional and cognitive potential. He generally gets along with other children in large, controlled settings and he adapts well to new environments. He is athletically gifted and is a particularly skilled soccer player. He can be playful and amusing, interacting with others well when he is relaxed and happy. He enjoys the "idea" of school and the idea of learning new things. His ability to master and retain new material, however, can be frustrating for him.
A skilled, experienced, confident adoptive family is being sought who can help this attractive boy develop appropriate levels of empathy and cooperation. He has trouble with authority figures, particularly his adoptive parents. A neuropsychological evaluation reveals that there are likely a cluster of issues involved, including linguistic challenges, PTSD (postulated from behavior as well as what is known of his personal history in Ethiopia), and possible fetal alcohol effects (resulting in the memory and other cognitive "glitches." Testing revealed "uneven" abilities and, as always, it is extremely difficult to sort out linguistic and cultural factors. His memory does not meet standard performance, as did a test measuring "visual motor integration." His fine motor skills, however, exceeded standards. He did relatively well in the area of basic math. His parents and teachers report concern about aggression and hyperactivity. Given his relatively brief time in the U.S., the evaluator did not "feel that he meets criteria for a diagnosis of intellectual disability at this time."
 This child is currently in the 4th grade. It would be best if he were the youngest child in his new home by at least two or three years. It would also be preferable to find a family experienced with PTSD in children as well as ways to help set up the home and school environment to minimize the effects while helping the brain heal, psychologically and physiologically, from the trauma. It needs to be a family who is comfortable with his possible cognitive limitations who will encourage him and engage in educational interventions that will help him maximize his potential. Suggested activities include doing puzzles and picture searches, working on reading fluency, and encouraging practice with visual spatial processing.
If you believe you have the skills, patience, space, and love to consider offering this child a home, please contact Gay Knutson.
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30th ANNIVERSARY COOKBOOK
 The AAI 30th Anniversary Cookbook is moving ahead with mouthwatering vigor! There are only a handful more recipes to collect and a few more photos to work into the scheme of things.
It has been an interesting several weeks looking at the old placement logs dating from 1983. We were surprised to figure out that AAI has actually facilitated adoptions from 39 countries during the course of its thirty year history! It was also rather amazing to recall that this relatively small agency tucked into the foothills of Washington's Olympic Mountains has done homestudies for families living in Israel, Togo, Burkina Faso, Mali, Uganda, Ethiopia, India, New Zealand, Senegal, and maybe a couple more places we missed. We have also placed children with families, working through other agencies, who live in Turkey, Egypt, Germany, Japan, Korea, Italy, China, Thailand, Great Britain, Ireland, Canada, the United Arab Emirates, Spain, Mexico, and probably more! Working on this anniversary cookbook has given us a chance to review our long and amazing history.
Each recipe is accompanied by a short accounting of the number of placements, the decade, and a brief overview of the country's cuisine and, for some programs, a very succinct account of the program's beginnings. Save a place on your shelf for one of these rather unusual and delicious memento cookbooks!
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SEPTEMBER HOMECOMINGS
Several children arrived home with their forever families this past month! They are:
- girl age 18 months from WA Foster/Adopt
- boys age 2 and age 4 from WA Foster/Adopt
- girl age 2 and boy age 4 from WA Foster/Adopt
- boy age 8 from WA Foster/Adopt
- boy age 2 from WA Foster/Adopt
- girl age 15 from Ethiopia
- boys age 6 and 9 from Ghana
- boy age 13 from Ghana
- boy age 5 from China
- girl age 13 and boy age 8 from China
- boy age 6 from China
Welcome home and congratulations AAI families!
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DOCUMENTARY: GIRL, ADOPTED
Girl, Adopted is a documentary that follows Weynsht, a 13-year-old Ethiopian girl, as she adjusts to her new life with her adoptive family in rural Arkansas. The film explores the challenge of creating an identity after being placed in an unfamiliar place and culture, a struggle that many international adoptees face.
Girl, Adopted will be available to view online for free on PBS's website until October 29. Be sure to like the film's Facebook page to stay up to date on any news and interact with other viewers!
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LENNY THE LION
He may be less than a foot in height, but Lenny the Lion has been living large in the Port Angeles area. The African visitor has been spotted at such locations as Olympic National Park, beaches and other parks in the vicinity, accompanied by his special "blankie" - a uniquely beautiful, handcrafted quilt from his native continent.Lenny has made many friends during his stay, two-legged tourists and locals, but mostly children. Lenny will bid his new buds on the Peninsula a friendly growl at the end of October, taking off for further adventures across the United States.
But why, you may ask? Why indeed; it is something of a mystery at the moment. Please stay tuned while the children try to solve the riddle - why is Lenny in the U.S.? Where is he going? And why must he travel so far for so long?
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CHILDREN IN FAMILIES FIRST ACT OF 2013
The Children in Families First Act of 2013 (CHIFF) aims to improve current U.S. law and foreign policy regarding orphan care and family preservation. There are an estimated 200 million orphans worldwide; many of these children are growing up in dire conditions - in institutions, refugee camps, on the streets - without the love and stability of a family. CHIFF hopes to change that.
CHIFF will realign U.S. foreign assistance to prioritize children growing up in families; focus on protecting children by preserving, reunifying or creating families through kinship, domestic and international adoption; and strengthen procedures to prevent abuse of children without families, all without increasing spending. CHIFF makes our government smarter, not bigger, by redirecting resources that are currently not being well used.
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CERTIFICATE OF CITIZENSHIP DELAY
 If an internationally adopted child enters the United States on an IR-3 visa (issued when both adoptive parents personally saw the child prior to court proceedings in the country of origin), they are automatically granted citizenship when they enter the U.S. and a Certificate of Citizenship is typically received within 50 days of entrance.
However, we have gotten notice from a couple AAI families that there is currently a 3-6 month delay in certificate processing. If you still haven't received certificates for your IR-3 children and it's been over 50 days since arriving home, it is likely that their certificate is caught up in this delay.
If you would like to contact USCIS regarding this, you can call them at 800-375-5283 or send them an email. Hold times can be quite lengthy when calling, so we would recommend going with an email!
Click here for more information on Certificates of Citizenship. If your child entered the U.S. on an IR-4 visa, you will need to finalize the adoption in your local county court and then file the N-600 to receive their certificate.
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SUPPORT GROUP FOR EX-SOVIET ADOPTION
Families for Russian and Ukrainian Adoption (FRUA) is a non-profit organization staffed by volunteer adoptive parents who know firsthand what the adoption process is like, from researching agencies and options to bringing your child home and adjusting to life after placement. With chapters across the U.S. and around the world, there's bound to be one close by for you to join. And don't let the name steer you away; FRUA is open to all families who have adopted from any eastern European or central Asian country, not just Russia and Ukraine.
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