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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,
The holidays are fast approaching; have you made your list yet? In celebration of AAI's 30th anniversary, we're publishing a special cookbook full of recipes from 30 of the countries we've worked in over the years. The included dishes are delicious yet simple enough for any level of cook to prepare. All proceeds from cookbook sales will help us to continue in our mission of helping children around the world for many more years to come!
If you're interested in purchasing a cookbook, please click here to download the order form and send completed form to AAI by mail or email. If you are interested in helping with fundraising, consider selling cookbooks at your church, synagogue, or service club! AAI can provide you with informational flyers and order forms. Contact Johanna for more information. Any and all help is greatly appreciated!
Sincerely,
The AAI Staff
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WHAT IS ADOPTION?
Love Without Boundaries is a non-profit organization based in Oklahoma. Their mission is to provide comprehensive care to orphaned and impoverished children in China through several different programs, including foster care, medical care, and education. The LWB team recently traveled to China and interviewed four groups of children from four different provinces, asking them questions about adoption.
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ANNIVERSARY PARTY
AAI is celebrating its 30th birthday on November 18, 4:00-6:00 PM at the Port Angeles office located at 709 South Peabody. For those of you who have never visited, we're easy to find! Our office is a big yellow house across the street from the PA Senior Center.
For those coming from the east: Follow Hwy. 101 (turns into Front St.) into Port Angeles. Turn left onto Peabody St. right before the downtown area. Head straight for about seven blocks. You'll see the AAI office on your left.
For those coming from the west: Follow Hwy. 101 (turns into Lauridsen Blvd.) into town. Turn left onto Peabody St. near the North Olympic Library. Go straight for about 5 blocks; the AAI office will be on your right.
We'll have cake and other refreshments and a small display. You can meet Lenny the Lion, get his "pawtograph," and buy tickets for his raffle. We hope that many of you will drop by with your whole family if possible!
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OCTOBER HOMECOMINGS
Several children arrived home with their forever families this past month! They are:
- boy age 5 from WA State Foster/Adopt
- girl age 2 from Ethiopia
- boy age 3 from Burkina Faso
- girls ages 4 and 7 from China
Welcome home and congratulations AAI families!
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BLUE DRAGON RECORDS
 Alan and Janet of Washington adopted through AAI's China program in 2005, bringing home their beautiful daughter Jenna. Alan recently founded Blue Dragon Records. In addition to recording local musicians, Alan has released several of his own songs. These are available for download for free on his website. We encourage you to take a listen!
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Alan and Janet with Jenna on "Day 1."
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 | | Jenna celebrating her third birthday! |
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FAMILY UPDATE: TRICK-OR-TREAT!
The following is from Kelly and James about their three beautiful daughters adopted through AAI, two from the foster/adopt program and one from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
"Juliet is as tiny and feisty as ever. She talks more and therefore can boss people around better! Juliet and Elizabeth are starting to play more together instead of just near each other which is adorable. I'm working on getting her into the special needs preschool Maya goes to. Maya loves it and I'm sure Juliet will too. As Juliet gets older her delays are getting more significant. She does talk more but its still very little.
The other day she was cracking me up. Juliet was on the rocking elephant chirping "cup, cup, cup;" in other words, "Bring me my cup, mom!" Nice try girl! She's still our big cuddle bug and is starting to love dressing up. When she wears the bunny costume and I take it off to change her diaper she bawls. She asks for hair pretties and loves shoes. Loves animals. Our big dog had his head in her lap snuggling yesterday morning. Still a major grandpa's girl. We love her to pieces."
 | | Juliet excited for Halloween! |
 | | The girls trick-or-treating with grandma. |
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THE LITTLE MARKET
 | | Linen and felt pillowcase made in Nepal. |
The Little Market is an online shop that features many unique, handcrafted items made by artisans from countries around the world. Each item bought from The Little Market directly supports the creator and helps them to support their life and family.
The Little Market was founded by Lauren Conrad and Hannah Skvarla who met in 2006 while attending the Fashion Institute of Design and Marketing. Both share a love of fashion, travel, and empowering women. Both have traveled extensively and Hannah was a volunteer at AAI's Layla House in Ethiopia.
From The Little Market website:
"The Little Market's mission is to build sustainable partnerships with artisans in developing countries, by connecting them with customers through an online marketplace. We seek to empower women artisans to rise above poverty and support their families.
Our handmade goods showcase the artisans' traditional skills and their dedication to preserving their artisanal techniques. We source all of the artisans' products ethically and practice fair trade principles. We acknowledge the interdependency of people around the world and our responsibility to help others."
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ADOPTION FINALIZATION
 You've paid all the fees, filed all the forms, and jumped through all the hoops that USCIS and the foreign country's government has thrown your way. Your child is finally home with you. Congratulations! This is a joyous, celebratory time for your family. However, there is still work to be done!
Adoption finalization, also called "readoption," is a process that takes place after your child arrives home and is handled by your local county court. Finalizing your adoption allows your child to be issued a U.S. birth certificate and adoption decree and, depending on your case, may be the first step in acquiring U.S. citizenship for your child.
If your child entered the U.S. on an IR-3/IH-3 visa, then they are automatically granted citizenship upon passing through immigration. You should receive their Certificate of Citizenship in the mail within 50 days of entry. However, readoption is still strongly recommended in order to obtain U.S. adoption documents, such as a state birth certificate and adoption decree. That way, if anything ever happens to your child's foreign documents, you will have U.S. copies and records in your local court.
If your child entered the U.S. on an IR-4/IH-4 visa, readoption is absolutely mandatory. Your child is not granted citizenship upon entry into the U.S. Instead, they are issued a permanent resident card, commonly known as a "green card." In order for them to become a U.S. citizen, the adoption must be finalized in the United States, a U.S. adoption decree must be issued, and finally Form N-600, Application for Certificate of Citizenship must be filed with USCIS. A Certificate of Citizenship will then be issued to them.
As a Hague-accredited agency, AAI requires all of our families to readopt, regardless of the type of visa with which the child entered the U.S. Failing to finalize your adoption can result in headaches down the line when it comes time to apply for jobs and college. There have even been cases of adult adopted children being threatened with deportation due to not having the proper U.S. documentation. All of the is easily prevented by finalizing your adoption soon after homecoming!
We generally recommend beginning the readoption process 6-12 months after your child arrives home. Court requirements differ from place to place, so be sure to contact your local family court to find out which forms you need to file and how to do so. Your homestudy agency (for our Washington families, that's us!) should be able to provide you with everything you need.
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NEEDED: A FEW STRONG, EXPERIENCED FAMILIES
Not every child finds it easy to become part of a new family. Some are so wracked with survivor guilt that they feel disloyal if they find themselves feeling a growing sense of attachment to their new parents or siblings. Some have suffered so much trauma, be it physical, emotional, or both, that they need a great deal of time to heal their wounds. Some children respond to their pain with defiance and aggression, others with withdrawal and depression. It is extremely painful for everyone in the family when the dream of a happy, loving adopted child is dashed. When he or she is not yet able to accept the affection, support, and positive direction offered, ripple effects run through the psyche of the entire extended family. Sometimes families need some respite time, a chance to rest, evaluate, and explore new support resources. Sometimes families make the extraordinarily painful decision to relinquish their parental rights to a new adoptive family with the hope that the "chemistry" will create a second chance for success. Each year AAI hears of an average of four children and families who are experiencing significant relationship challenges. Typically, the children are between the age of 9 and 13 and most have been in the U.S. at least three years. These children are of both genders. If you believe you have an innate gift for helping preteens work through their many challenging issues, please consider adding your name to a list of potential families who would like to be contacted when a family asks for help. Please send your name, state of residence, current family configuration (ages/genders/special needs), and a brief statement about your experience and preferences to Gay Knutson. Thank you for your consideration. |
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