Summer 2007

Family News...

Welcome Home Anna Leila!

Miles and Miles of Paperwork

Two Journeys to Russia and back

One Beautiful child

We call our own

Anna Leila Boblitz

She is finally here!

"After a very long trip home, we are so thrilled to have Anna Leila as part of our family. She is adjusting well to life here in Colorado. Big sister is helping with the adjustment in her own special way! Anna is walking, climbing, babbling, and eating very well. In many ways, she is right on track for her age. She can even hold her own up against her big sister." 

~ The Boblitz Family

Ethiopia's First Referral!

Children’s Hope's first referral in Ethiopia will certainly do great work in the hearts of parents Stacie and Kevin as they travel to meet their adoptive son and bring him home to Missouri.

When they applied in January, the couple waited patiently for Children’s Hope to become licensed in country. Once licensed, the family received their referral for their beautiful healthy boy just one month after submitting their dossier. Now this pioneer family is set to travel in approximately two months to Addis Ababa’s Hope for Abandoned Children and Orphan Care Association, where the three-month-old infant will first be united with his family.

Children's Hope looks forward to sharing pictures of this happy referral day when the adoption is finalized by the courts of Ethiopia prior to the family's travel. A big congratulations to the happy couple!

Development Aid Programs...

Jacob's family has decided to adopt a child from Kazakhstan. Jacob (age 8) was shocked and saddened to learn about all the children without parents and homes. And then he realized that these children probably didn't have very many toys of their own either. Jacob decided to do something about that. He came up with the idea of a Teddy Bear drive at his school in Loveland, Colorado.  He asked his 3rd grade friends to bring stuffed animals so the children in Kazakhstan could have a "best buddy" of their own to love.

Jacob states, " I thought by giving the orphans teddy bears, they would know somebody loves and cares for them."

Jacob's mom, Kim, shares that she has "always tried to instill the spirit of giving and caring for others in my children. To do as Jesus would do. If you can make one person's day or life better for even an instant, you can make a difference."

Jacob is now part of Children's Hope Junior Ambassador club. To learn how your child or a young person in your life can be part of this club, click here.

USCIS Changes Effective July 30, 2007

USCIS fees will change on July 30, 2007. The new fee schedule applies if you file on or after July 30, 2007. Effective July 30: New CIS fees for all CIS offices:

If you have not filed the I600A yet, you may want to do it before July 30^th to take advantage of the lower fees. Please note the new fees (effective July 30, 2007) for the I600A Advanced processing for Orphan Petition - $750 (filing + biometric) for you + $80 biometric fee for each person 18 or older living with you.  (Previously, the cost was $545 plus $70 for each person to be fingerprinted.)

USCIS link: http://www.uscis.gov/files/nativedocuments/FinalUSCISFeeSchedule052907.pdf

If you already have an approved I-600A (I-171H/I-797C) that is about to expire, and have not yet filed your I-600 petition, you can receive one free extension of your I-600A by filing a new I-600A after July 30th without fees before the first I-171H/I-797C expires.  The request for the extension must be made in writing before the expiration date of the first I-171H/ I-797C. 

When filing or re-filing you will need to submit a updated home study report not over 6 months old, copy(s) of birth certificates, copy of marriage certificate, copy of divorce decree if applicable, certified copy of court disposition(s) for any past arrest along with a letter of explanation from family, and fees if filing and no fees if re-filing if you qualify for the free extension. If you are re-filing you will need to also submit a cover letter requesting the free extension of the I-600A, a copy of your first home study and a copy of your first I-171H/I-797C.  If you switch countries you will still need to file the I-824 and pay the fees for this form.  Children’s Hope suggests that you check with your local USCIS office before you re-file to make sure you are following their guidelines.

Journey to me

We are thrilled to announce our new partnership with blog site Journey to Me (www.journeytome.com).  This is our first official partnership here at Children's Hope and we are anxious to introduce the opportunities.

Bren Wolfe created Journey to Me in October 2004. Bren, an adoptive mother, left her previous career as a successful salesperson to make a greater difference for children.   With that in mind, she designed Journey to Me to be much more than a blog.  It’s considered to be an “Adoption Gathering Place.”  Here families can learn more about adoption, share and read adoption stories, obtain educational information from experts and receive celebration gifts at no cost.

Families who sign up with Journey to Me will receive:

• Free online journal/blog with the capability to purchase a keepsake version in print or on CD

• Similac adoption diaper bag

• Discount on Adoption Today magazine

• Educational information from attachment and bonding expert Dr. Bryan Post

Journey to Me is one of the most popular blog sites for adoptive families and has subscribers from many different agencies.  However, Bren has requested to partner with Children's Hope because of our outstanding reputation and diverse programs.  She will also be featuring Children's Hope’s sponsorship and development aid programs throughout her site to help more of those children left behind.  Journey to Me has filed for their non profit, 501(c)(3), status and should receive it by the end of 2007.

If you haven’t already, please take a few minutes to visit the Journey to Me website to see the many benefits. 

Stay Connected...

Join the Children' Hope Chat groups. You can join in discussions with families just like you! Talk about everything from "What should I bring to travel?" to "What are ways to pass the time while I wait for my referral?" If you are an approved Children's Hope family and are interested in joining your country's yahoo chat group, please send an email to Ann.Tollefson@ChildrensHope.net  Provide her your name, country of adoption and where you are in the process (just applied, working on Dossier, etc.) Ann will then send an invitation to join the Yahoo group(s) that is best for you. Please note that you will need to be registered with Yahoo before accessing the Children's Hope Yahoo groups.