Dear Friends,   

By way of introduction, my name is Brad Collins and I recently accepted the call to become AAI's Interim Executive Director. I have over forty years of experience with non-profit organizations as well as municipalities and national organizations. I'm committed and eager to lend my expertise to AAI.

I may be new to the position, but adoption is a concept poignantly close to my heart. The picture to the left is me at about age four. Although I was probably really looking for a pirate ship at the time, this photo represents my childhood desire to get the merest glimpse of my biological parents, just to know, just to understand, just to "see." My adoptive mother and father were wonderful, loving, and supportive parents. They also adopted my brother, who had a different set of biological parents. There were no "how to raise your adopted child" books in the 1940s or '50s, so my parents did the best they could to meet our emotional needs. I will be forever grateful that this couple stepped forward to offer me the chance for a fulfilling, successful personal and professional life.

Since becoming part of the AAI family, I have witnessed a continual wave of miracles, as the daily e-mails, cards, photos, and letters arrive with stories of success, hope, and commitment. Ben and Jessica Wiederholt recently wrote about their son who was dying of AIDS in Uganda earlier this year. His CD4 count was 51, which means his assaulted immune system had very little resources with which to fight. They brought him home this past August and already he has an undetectable viral load. This means the HIV in his blood is so low that it cannot be detected by blood tests! He has gone from the 10th to the 25th percentile in weight. The Wiederholts write, "We are blown away by this little boy. He is our Super Hero! We have adopted three children from Ethiopia and Uganda through AAI."

The Wiederholts' son, before placement and today.

Then there's this little guy in Burkina Faso. He arrived at the orphanage in Yako run by Ruth Cox, our in-country coordinator, in March of 2012. Very tiny at birth, he arrived with abdominal swelling, lethargy, and very little core body strength. He did not seem to see or hear. Since coming to Ruth's orphanage, he doubled his weight, received medical care and physical therapy as is available. He started spending daily periods of time in a Bumbo seat, donated by an AAI family, and became increasingly responsive. Although the extent of his future challenges are not yet known, and despite the possibility of ongoing neurological, visual, and auditory involvement, a very loving, committed, and enthusiastic AAI family came forward to call him their son about two months ago. To foresee how his life will be impacted by adoption is beyond my imagination at this point. I look forward to hearing more about him as he joins the Pinkston family in Canada in 2014.

Chase and Meagan Brown are another AAI family with a miraculous story. Says Meagan, "Tessa was born without both her legs and is also missing her right arm above the elbow. She arrived at Kidane Mihret in Ethiopia when she was about 3 months old and I met her for the first time in November 2013. She was sweet, small, shy and so loved by her caretakers and volunteers at KM. But she was also quite delayed and weak. She came home at the end of January 2013 and it has been amazing to see a total transformation in her over this past year! She's still sweet of course, but she's also so spunky, strong and loves to be on the go! Having Tessa as our daughter (and sister) is a complete honor and she fills our home with joy!"

Mom Meagan with daughter Tessa.

Tom and Stephanie Lacock traveled to China just three months ago to bring home their son, Hudson. They describe him as a "loving, spicy little boy that has a contagious joy for life. We feel so blessed that God has allowed us to be his forever family." The trip to China changed their life for the better, their passion for providing aid to and advocating for orphans having grown stronger. "We're thankful that we were able to play a part in there being one less orphan in the world. The adoption process isn't easy, but it is definitely worth it!"

The Lacocks, an AAI China family.

Kevin and Carmen Haskins are well-versed about adoption, both domestic and international; seven of their eight children joined their family through adoption.

"Six of our family members have come to us thanks to AAI! Lucas (16), was our first arrival, by birth. A few years later, we brought Ileana (12) home from Guatemala as a toddler. Shortly after her arrival, we moved from the Chicago area to Port Angeles, Washington, where we were first introduced to the amazing ladies at AAI. Months later we brought Abel (10) home from Ethiopia, as a very sick baby. Once stabilized we went on to adopt teenage Tamrat (20) also from Ethiopia. After a break of several years to let our family settle, we got foster licensed through AAI, a different experience entirely than international adoption! In May of 2010, Aiden (5) was placed with us. He came to us with a list of special needs so long that Gay, our adoption counselor, sometimes found it hard to fit all of his information on the State forms. However, within a few months, miraculously, Aiden was walking, climbing, running, talking, eating (without a feeding tube), and was just 'a regular little kid.'  We finalized the adoption seven months later. In March of this year, Kaydan (7) and Kyrstyn (6) were placed with us. Kaydan is blind, yet she 'sees' things many of us miss. It has been gratifying to watch all her siblings learn ways to help her in positive ways which foster independence. Six months later, Kaydan and Krystyn's baby sister, Kyler (2), joined the family. We're hoping to finalize their adoption before the end of the school year.

The Haskins family adopted through AAI's Ethiopia and WA Foster/Adopt programs as well as from Guatemala.

I came to AAI because I was touched by being asked to join this compassionate, dedicated, professional group of people striving to help build a better world, one adoption at a time. AAI is now beginning its 31st year. Over that time, we have become an extended family that has shared joys, anxieties, sorrows, and successes.

My primary focus as an Interim Director this holiday season is to help raise awareness that funds are necessary to keep your dedicated staff undeterred and undistracted from their primary task of placing children in permanent, loving homes, extending our AAI family. We also need ongoing funds for committed orphanage donations and humanitarian projects. Please give what you can this holiday season. Your tax deductible gift is vitally needed and will be humbly and gratefully appreciated.

Tidings of Good Cheer,

Brad Collins

Interim Executive Director

Last year charitable giving in the United States rose to $316 billion dollars, a telling indicator of our people's generosity, commitment, and ability to offer help to others. This year, individual donations are expected to grow, spurred by changes in tax laws, the improving economy, and donor-friendly IRA rules. Here is a brief overview of some reasons why 2013 is a great year to give:

• boy age 2 from WA Foster/Adopt
• girl age 7 from WA Foster/Adopt
• boy age 5 from WA Foster/Adopt
• boy age 4 from WA Foster/Adopt
• boy age 12 from WA Foster/Adopt
• boy age 6 from Ethiopia
• girl age 11 mo. from Ethiopia
• boy age 2 from Ethiopia
• girl age 10 from Ethiopia
• girl age 12 from Ethiopia
• boy age 2 from Ethiopia
• girl age 5 from Thailand