CIS (Citizenship and Immigration Services) approval (via form I-171H) is valid for 18 months following approval of the I-600A ("Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition"). However, the fingerprints/FBI background checks you obtained as part of that process are only valid for 15 months from the date you were fingerprinted. So many families wonder when to obtain new fingerprints with CIS. If the wait time for the country you are adopting from is longer than 18-months, we recommend that you just let your fingerprints expire. We will be keeping track of your I-171H expiration and then will help you to re-file your I-600A, at which time you will be re-fingerprinted by the CIS. If the wait time is shorter (ex. Kazakhstan, Russia and Ethiopia), it is best to wait until you are certain that your prints will expire before having them taken again. Should you need to be re-fingerprinted, a $70 fee is required for each adult member of your household being re-fingerprinted. To schedule a fingerprinting, bring along your I-171H approval notice with you. You will then be provided with a referral letter/appointment notice with the date, time and location to appear for re-fingerprinting. It is not possible for a foreign-born orphan to legally immigrate to the United States without USCIS processing. Please see www.uscis.gov for more information and complete instructions on checking the status of your application or send an email to our office at childrenshopeohio@yahoo.com requesting specific information.

Apostille/Authentication Process

We know that the authentication process of your dossier can be confusing, and even challenging. The link below provides some helpful hints on the authentication process. If you are not working on your dossier yet, we will continue to post the link in upcoming newsletters. If you still have questions regarding the authentication process after reading the information in the link, then please contact the Ohio office at 877.408.4673. Authentication Process: http://www.childrenshopeint.org/ohio/Authentication/ohioauthentication.htm

BOOK OF THE MONTH

Talking with Young Children about Adoption

By Mary Watkins and Susan Fisher

How do young children make sense of the fact that they are adopted? What worries might they have? In this insightful and sympathetic book, a clinical psychologist and a psychiatrist, both adoptive mothers, prepare parents for conversations with their children about adoption. Accounts with twenty parents of conversations about adoption with their children, from ages two to ten, graphically convey what the process of sharing about adoption is like.

CHI OHIO NEWS

CHI Ohio welcomes a new member to our staff! Pamela Privitera comes to CHI with eight years of professional adoption experience, as well as the personal experience as mom to Millie, adopted from Maoming, China in December 1999. Pamela and her husband, Vince, have been married for fourteen years. The Privitera's enjoy bicycling, traveling and cultural events. Pamela will be working as an Adoption Consultant, focusing specifically on the China and Russia programs. Pamela is delighted to share her adoption experience and is ready to assist in any way throughout your adoption process.

A MESSAGE FROM KELLIE ZACCARDELLI

The first three months of 2007 have quickly flown by with April marking the one-year anniversary since the opening of the Ohio Regional Office of Children's Hope International! In just a year’s time, we are working with nearly 100 families in various stages of the adoption process. God is good! And, as you read earlier, we also welcomed a new member to the Ohio team. Our goal is to support you as best as possible throughout your adoption journey. With monthly newsletters, monthly (and sometimes multiple times per month) updates as to what is happening with your adoption program, and personal contact with you each month, we want you to know that we truly care about you and know how important it is that we are communicating with you throughout the process. Please know that we are here for you. We understand that the wait can be so difficult, and we want to support you through it as much as possible. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to contact me, Pamela, Anna or one of our social workers at 877.408.4673. May your month be blessed!

SUMMER GATHERING

CHI-Ohio is planning a Gathering of CHI families (whether you are just starting the process or already have your child home – all CHI families are welcome!)…but we need your help.

If you are interested in helping to plan the Gathering, please contact Lauren at childrenshopeohio@yahoo.com. We hope to hold the event in the Summer of 2007 and are thinking of holding the event in Cleveland, Ohio. Please let us know if you have suggestions or would like to help in any way!

Helping Families Adopt Act, H.R. 628

Children's Hope is requesting that each CHI family contact their U.S. Congressman to co-sponsor and support the Helping Families Adopt Act, H.R. 628. When contacting your U.S. Congressman, please include the information below:

Congress of the United States

Washington, DC 20515

HELP FAMILIES WITH INTERNATIONAL ADOPTION

Dear Colleague:

We have recently reintroduced the Helping Families Adopt Orphans Act, H.R. 628, which will help families who are adopting orphans from foreign countries by making the application process simpler and less burdensome on families. Please join us in supporting this legislation.

The legislation would extend the validity of the I-171H "Notice of Favorable Determination Concerning Application for Advanced Processing of Orphan Petition" form to at least two years. The I-171H form is issued by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service, an agency of the Department of Homeland Security. The form is currently valid for 18 months, although the time needed to complete the adoption process has significantly increased over the last few years. This is because of delays in the travel approval, visas for orphans and additional processing time to gain approval of orphan adoption by foreign governments.

The I-171H form has an application fee of $545, plus $70 per person for fingerprints. Several other forms are needed before receiving approval, including a home study to ensure the home is safe and stable, birth and marriage certificates, health and financial records, criminal background checks and other information. The entire cost of international adoption can be thousands of dollars. If the I-171H form expires before the adoption is complete, a family must reapply and re-submit all applicable forms, fees and evaluations. This can be prohibitively costly for many hopeful parents.

The Helping Family Adopt Orphans Act is one simple change we can make to build strong families. To cosponsor this legislation, please contact Jessica Friedman at 5-6316 in Rep. Wilson's office or Bradley Edgell at 5-6531 in Rep. Marshall's office.

Sincerely,

Heather Wilson (Member of Congress)

Jim Marshall (Member of Congress)

Dr. Tom Price (Member of Congress)

YOUR STORIES

Contact us if you'd like to share you story with other families! This month we are featuring one family who adopted from Russia. You could be next!

Please meet the Young family: parents, Scott and Marylin, with their daughters, Madison, Hannah & Gabrielle, adopted 2 boys

(Jack & Alex) from Russia. Hear their story below! We have included excerpts from the end of their 2nd trip (families take 2 trips to Russia) which shares a little about what the family's activities involved in-county. Enjoy!

Trip 2 – Day 7

Good news from the orphanage front. Some of you got to see the bathrooms that they had there. They were just awful, only 2 toilets and sinks, and were being used by all 50 kids in the orphanage. I saw today that they have gutted the bathroom and they are putting in two new toilets and sinks along with all new tile. It should be really nice (the nicest part of the orphanage). They said that they were able to purchase this because of the money that they got from our adoption. It made me feel good that a little bit of the money that we are spending is going back to the kids!

Trip 2 – Day 8

Today we went to the Tver circus. We weren't too sure what to expect, but boy did they put on a show. It was by far the best circus that I have ever been to. Unlike in the US, there are no OSHA safety rules so there are no nets or any safety devices. When they are flying through the air with the greatest of ease, there is nothing but the hard ground to fall down to. The acts were great. My favorite was the trained elephants. They danced, balanced on one leg, lifted people, and my favorite, kicked large beach balls into the crowd. We sat in the front row and they were literally 5 feet from us. Marylin liked all of the dancing and the acrobatic acts. The kids liked it all. It was their first time ever to the circus. The circus only cost about $8 per person for the best seats and it lasted more than 2 1/2 hours. What a travel bargain!

Trip 2 – Day 10

We also bought a soccer ball to play with in the park. The boys really enjoy playing the game and they seem to be pretty good at it. Maybe we can get them into a winter league at Heisley so that they can interact with some other boys their age.

Tonight we went to the store to get some snacks. We picked up some chips, cookies, cereal, dried calamari, and dried fish. Yes, Jack and Alex wanted dried calamari and dried fish. The dried calamari came in a small plastic bag and tastes like beef jerky except with a fishy taste. The fish was just a dried and salted fish. Marylin could not believe it when Alex took the fish and took of the head and the skin and then just ate the meat off of it. Cultures are surely different and so are the snacks! The grandfathers would have been pleased with their love of eating fish that goes along with their love of catching them.

Trip 2 – Day 11

Today we went to the local museum of Tver history. It was a really nice museum (by Russian standards) and had a lot of unique items from the Tver region starting about 900 BC. One interesting thing of note is that one of the first Russians in space was from Tver and they had the actual reentry capsule in the museum. It was also interesting that they had caviar as one of the staple foods when they were in space. I don't think our astronauts had any caviar on the mission.

We then went and picked up the passports for Jack and Alex. This means that we are all set to leave for Moscow tomorrow morning. We will be picked up at 8:00 am (about midnight your time) and we will be driven to a hospital in Moscow to get the boys checked out. Then we will head to the hotel there.

We said a sad goodbye to Alexi and Olga today. They were very good to us and we became quite close to them. As you know from my prior emails, Alexi really liked Pink Floyd. I asked him last week if he had all of the CD's and he said all but one. I found the one missing CD for him in a shop here in Tver and gave it to him today. He was very happy. We also gave both he and Olga money for them to take their significant others out to dinner. We will really miss them...

Trip 2 – Day 12

We are enjoying the boys very much. Getting used to the world of boys is a challenge for me. I am used to girls talking all the time and fighting VERBALLY over clothes and use of the computer. Here the boys are always wrestling and playing video games. We are very thankful for Jimmy Brown's game boy he lent us as that is preventing days and days of fighting over THIS computer. (I just LOVE that Jimmy Brown!)

I want to thank each and every one of you for your love and support during these long 18 months of adoption stuff. It has been a long and emotional journey, but our friends and family have surely made it bearable. We have so many people to thank...thanks to Mareda and CHI for their help with this long process....

Trip 2 – Day 13

I know that you have all heard the ups and downs of the adoption process through our experiences. If anyone you know is interested in adoption, we would be more than happy to help them with the process. Our process was much longer than usual because the boys were older and had not been placed on the Russian database. The normal process is much smaller and less painful. The Summer Miracles program was a blessing to us as it introduced us to our boys....so check them out and Children's Hope International on the web. We met many people here that are adopting and have adopted in the past and are here again for more children. They are so happy and so blessed. Please feel free to spread the word about this amazing opportunity. It may not be for you, but there is someone you know that may just need that extra push to think about it.

From Russia with Love....

Scott, Marylin, Madison, Hannah, Gabrielle, Jack, and Alex (wow that is a lot of names!)

STAY CONNECTED
Stay connected with the CHI family at www.CHIfamily.net and by joining a CHI Yahoo Group. If you are interested in joining a CHI Yahoo group, please email Ann.Tollefson@ChildrensHope.net.

Please provide Ann with the following:

1) Full Names;

2) Notify Ann of the country of adoption; and

3) 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. If you have any questions, please email us at childrenshopeohio@yahoo.com

ADOPTION EDUCATION

Adoption Classes at Local Hospitals

Please note: these classes are not associated with CHI; we are simply making you aware of opportunities in your area. Keep in mind that all adoptive families must have completed 10 hours of adoption training. For families who applied after January 1, 2007, the DVD training as well as the quiz related to that DVD course are required prior to submission of your dossier. Please let us know if you have any questions about this.

AKRON CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL: Oak Adoptive Center

Oak Adoptive Health Center at Akron Children’s Hospital is sponsoring a one day class aimed at educating parents about the fundamentals of caring for their newly adopted son or daughter. The Class, Baby Basics for Adoptive Parents, is taught by experienced Akron Children's Hospital staff, the one-day session gives you information you need to care for your adopted child, while also addressing the challenges of adopting domestically or internationally. In addition to basic baby and toddler care, the class will teach you about nutritional and dietary concerns, immunizations, growth and development, and infant/toddler safety including CPR and child proofing your home.

Schedule for Baby Basics for Adoptive Parents:
(All classes meet 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. at Akron Children's Hospital)

· July 14, 2007

· November 17, 2007

Cost: $40 per person or $60 per couple

To register: Call Children's Hospital at 330-543-2000 or 1-800-358-KIDS (5437)
The class is sponsored by Akron Children's Hospital's Oak Adoptive Health Center.

The Adoption Academy at Akron Children’s Hospital

The Adoption Academy at Akron Children's Hospital is offering prospective adoptive parents educational programs to help them become informed about adoption related choices and issues.

The Academy has three tracks:
~ Core track which examines issues all prospective parents need to address
~ Domestic track for those interested in adopting children in the United States
~ International track for those interested in adopting abroad
The International track classes begin May 2, 2007 and continue for 4 consecutive Wednesday Evenings (7-9 pm) through May 23.

**The cost for each track is $20 for one person and $15 for each additional person.

CINCINNATI CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL MEDICAL CENTER: The International Adoption Center

The International Adoption Center (IAC) at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) is pleased to announce the following upcoming seminar series:
~ Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About International Adoption . . . Now You Can Ask!
~ Health Concerns And International Adoption: What You Should Know

Please see the attached link for more information or to sign up: http://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/svc/alpha/i/int-adopt/default.htm

COLUMBUS CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL: The Adoption Academy

The Adoption Academy at Columbus Children's Hospital is offering prospective adoptive parents educational programs to help them become informed about adoption related choices and issues.

The Academy has three tracks:
~Core track which examines issues all prospective parents need to address
~Domestic track for those interested in adopting children in the United States
~International track for those interested in adopting abroad
The International track classes begin May 2, 2007 and continue for 4 consecutive Wednesday evenings (7-9 pm) through May 23.

**The cost for each track is $20 for one person and $15 for each additional person.

For more information and to register, please call 614-722-4949 or follow this link: http://www.columbuschildrens.com/gd/applications/controller.cfm?type=1&catid=1&page=277

DVD/Book TrainingChildren's Hope is pleased to offer this Adoption Parent Education opportunity to ourfamilies - "Heart of the Matter Seminars - Because They Waited" DVD set (10 hours of Hague Compliant Adoption Training) (on line testing required to obtain proof of completion of 10 hours of training) as well as the brand new book "Adoption Parenting: Creating a Toolbox, Building Connections." We think that these resources will provide you with informative pre and post adoption education that you can view and reference before and after your adoption journey. The cost of this set for CHI families is $100, which includes shipping and handling. The set will be mailed book rate, so please allow 2 to 3 weeks mailing time. To order the DVD/book set, go directly to the form athttp://www.childrenshopeint.org/Parent%20Education.pdf (please submit a check for $100 to CHI-Ohio). For more information about Heart of the Matter Seminars, please visit http://www.heartofthematterseminars.com/ For more information about EMK Press and the Adoption Parenting book, please visit http://www.emkpress.com/ If you have any questions, we are happy to answer them.

If you wish to share your thoughts, experiences or stories about your adoption, email us at childrenshopeohio@yahoo.com

Please email childrenshopeohio@yahoo.com with any questions, comments or suggestions for future Newsletters.

If you would like to be removed from this list, please email childrenshopeohio@yahoo.com

FAQ'S

STAY CONNECTED Stay connected with the CHI family at www.CHIfamily.net and by joining a CHI Yahoo Group. If you are interested in joining a CHI Yahoo group, please email Ann.Tollefson@ChildrensHope.net.

Please provide Ann with the following:

STAY CONNECTED
Stay connected with the CHI family at www.CHIfamily.net and by joining a CHI Yahoo Group. If you are interested in joining a CHI Yahoo group, please email Ann.Tollefson@ChildrensHope.net.