Blog Posts

From the Desk of Lizzie: August 17, 2012

It’s Friday! I hope everyone had a wonderful week. Any fun plans for the weekend? CAN has something fun to share, and we know our families will love this news!

Children of All Nations (CAN) is excited to accept applications and continue the adoption process in Haiti. CAN’s work in Haiti has always been successful, and we hope to safely continue uniting families and children. CAN advises all families considering an adoption from Haiti to proceed with caution as we continue to investigate Haiti’s implementation of the Hague Convention and what it might mean for future adoptions from Haiti for U.S. Citizens. Families must be accepting of the risks of pursuing an adoption from Haiti. We further advise families to check the Department of State’s adoption notices for current information on adoption from Haiti. If you have any questions, please contact me at 512.323.9595 x 3091!

We already have many families in our Haiti program and would love you to learn how Haiti could be the perfect adoption option! I can’t wait to begin speaking with families about Haiti again. What a great country for international adoption. Have a nice weekend!

Sincerely,

Lizzie Kovach
Adoption Consultant

From the Desk of Lizzie: August 15, 2012

Happy Wednesday!

The best part about my role at Great Wall China Adoption/Children of All Nations is learning the beginning of each family’s adoption story and helping them start their journey! I really wish I could follow all of them as they continue their adoption. I would love to hear how they feel as they get their referral and prepare for travel. Wait…I can!

GWCA/CAN has started a Family Tree! This is a place where our past and present families can blog all about their adoption journey. Your friends, family, potential adopting families, community members…can all follow your adoption story on Family Tree!

What is really great about Family Tree? When you start your blog, our agency donates $25 to one of our charities in your family’s name! This is such a positive way to stay connected with other families, learn about the adoption process, and become even closer to the GWCA/CAN family!

I hope to read about your family’s adoption journey soon! If you’re a Children of All Nations family, you can sign up for your FREE Family Tree here. If you’re a Great Wall China Adoption Family, you can request yours here!

Sincerely,

Lizzie Kovach
CAN/GWCA Adoption Consultant

From the Desk of Lizzie: August 13, 2012

Happy Monday Families!

I really love talking to all of my families about starting their adoption journey, but I only get to chat with them through phone or email (and occasionally when they pop in our office for a visit–best days)! I decided to start a blog, so I can always keep you informed about the exciting things happening at GWCA/CAN. I hope you all enjoy it!

So, what am I really excited about this week? CAN just launched our brand new Honduras program! I have already answered a ton of families asking for more details on children available (healthy kiddos beginning at 6 months of age, sibling groups, and special needs children). I have also answered families asking about program fees and eligibility. It is a great feeling to begin connecting families and children in Honduras. I can’t wait for our first family to sign up, but I really can’t wait for our first child to come home! One amazing thing about this program: the estimated wait time is only 1-2 years! We hope to unite families very soon.

If you ever want to learn more about Honduras (or any other country), you can also chat with me online…live! Our GWCA/CAN websites have a live chat feature, and it is really easy to connect with me and get your questions answered right away. I’m actually chatting with someone about China right now! 

Some of you may not have my contact information. Feel free to reach out to me anytime:

512-323-9595 x3091 or Elizabeth@childrenofallnations.com

Sincerely,

Lizzie Kovach
CAN/GWCA Adoption Consultant

The Stork has Landed at Great Wall China Adoption: July 2012

Great news today–the stork has landed at Great Wall!

On Monday we received 4 referrals for families whose dossiers were logged in on September 18, 2006. This referral group included 4 girls whose ages ranged from 5 1/2 to 8 1/2 months old. Children in this referral group were from the Jiangxi province. Congratulations to these families! So happy for each of them!

Exciting China Adoption Project!

Great Wall China Adoption is excited to participate in a unique international adoption project this summer called The Sino-US Adoption Culture and Research Program, and we need our wonderful families’ help!

A group of six college students, accompanied by a professional researcher from China, will be visiting various areas of the United States. Their purpose is to:

• Get to know adoptive families and gather information on how well the children have adjusted to America
• Meet and talk with families who have adopted from various provinces in China, through either healthy or waiting child tracks
• Improve the Chinese public’s perception of US adoption from China

These efforts are extremely important to the ongoing success of the international adoption program in China, and we sincerely hope that you will be able to participate in this unique opportunity!

The research group will be in Texas July 20-July 26, 2012 and will be in Austin from July 20 through July 23. GWCA will be hosting a Meet & Greet at our headquarters on Saturday, July 21 for families who live in Austin and the surrounding areas! If you’re interested in meeting them at our headquarters, let us know! We would love to have our office filled with families so they can meet you and see firsthand how well your children are doing! If you would like to participate, please let us know and we will keep you updated on the set schedule when we finalize it!

On July 24, 2012, the delegates will be driving to Houston, Texas, and hope to meet with families who have adopted from China on July 25 and 26! If you’re in the Houston area and would like to meet with them, just let us know! A more detailed schedule is to follow for families who would like to participate.

Thank you for helping Great Wall China Adoption continue our positive relationship with orphanages and with the placement of more children!

Please email Diedra at diedra@gwca.org if you’re interested in participating, if you’d like to meet with them in Austin or Houston, and provide updated phone numbers or any other email addresses you feel we should have on file for you! We look forward to hearing from you!

GWCA & CAN Family Reunion is BACK!

Our Family Reunion is back by popular demand! Be sure and join us September 29, 2012 at Moody Gardens in Galveston, Texas (just outside Houston).

When: September 29, 2012 from 10:00 am-2:00 pm

Where: Floral Hall A2, Moody Gardens on Galveston Island, Texas

Registration fees: $15 per adult, $11 per child (ages 4 to 11 years). Registration fee includes lunch and beverages. Registration fee does not include Moody Gardens passes.

To register to attend the 2012 GWCA & CAN Family Reunion, please click here.

Adults can mix and mingle with other Great Wall China Adoption and Children of All Nations families! All families attending will have the opportunity to meet Mr. Su Yao Xing, Director of Zhongshan Children’s Welfare Institute in Guangdong Province. Prospective adoptive families are welcome to attend!

The kids will be able to enjoy fun crafts & cultural activities!

The first five families to register to attend the Reunion are eligible to receive a discounted hotel room rate if you plan to stay at Moody Gardens. Please contact April Wareham, at 512.323.9595 x 3032 or send her an email, for more information on booking!

About Moody Gardens

Moody Gardens is the perfect island escape for work or fun! Moody Gardens is an education destination that utilizes nature in the advancement of rehabilitation, conservation, recreation, and research.

Things to do at Moody Gardens:

• Experience the Rainforest Pyramid
• Explore the Penguin Pyramid
• Visit exhibits at the Discovery Museum
• Enjoy a paddlewheel boat ride on the Colonel Paddlewheel Boat (pictured above)
• Relax in the lazy river at Palm Beach
• Schlitterbahn Waterpark close by!

To buy tickets or learn more about the attractions at Moody Gardens, please visit their site here.

The stork has landed at Great Wall: June 25, 2012

The stork has landed at Great Wall! Today, we received 5 referrals for families whose dossiers were logged in on September 14, 2006. This referral group included 4 girls whose ages ranged from 7 months to 14 months; and one older girl age 9 (as requested by the family). Children in this referral group were from the Jiangxi & Guangdong provinces. Congratulations to these families!

April Gifts of Love Donations!

Below are photos of the Gifts of Love donations made in April. For more information on what Gifts of Love is, please visit this page!

The Stork has Landed at Great Wall!

Yesterday we received 6 referrals for families whose dossiers were logged in on August 29, 2006. This referral group included 6 girls whose ages ranged from 8 months to 20 months. Children in this referral group were from the Fujian and Jiangxi provinces. Congratulations to all of these families!

We Need You to Advocate for the Adoption Tax Credit!

What is the adoption tax credit?

The adoption tax credit, which can be claimed for eligible adoption-related expenses, has helped thousands of American families offset the high cost of adoption since the credit was established in 1997. It has made adoption a financially viable option for many parents who might not otherwise have been able to afford adoption, allowing them to provide children with loving, permanent families. With over 100,000 children in the U.S. foster care system currently eligible for adoption, and an ever increasing number of orphaned and abandoned children worldwide languishing in institutions, the continuation of the adoption tax credit is vital to providing love, safety, and permanency through adoption to as many children as possible.

History of the Adoption Tax Credit

• The adoption tax credit has historically been a non-partisan issue, and is supported by the current administration as well as a majority of members of Congress.
• Although several different bills have been introduced to establish the adoption tax credit and make it a permanent part of the U.S. tax code, Congress has never passed legislation specific to the credit itself. Instead, the adoption tax credit has been extended every year since its initial passage as part of the Small Business Job Protection Act of 1996.
• In December 2010, the Tax Relief Act extended the adoption tax credit through tax year 2012; for this year, the credit is once again nonrefundable.
• The current adoption tax credit is set to sunset on December 31, 2012. If it is allowed to expire, after tax year 2012 the adoption tax credit will revert back to a maximum tax credit of $6,000 for parents adopting children with special needs, and there will be no adoption tax credit available for all other adoptive parents beginning in tax year 2013.

For the full Adoption Tax Credit Advocacy Kit, click here.