Blog Posts

Great Wall China Adoption Blog: January 9, 2013

Happy New Year GWCA Families,

GWCA wishes everyone a happy and healthy New Year!  I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season.  Today, I wanted to share some great adoption news:

**Adoption Tax Credit Update: we are still waiting for final details, but the bill permanently extends the adoption tax credit, set at $10,000. After being scaled for inflation, it may come close to the 2012 amount of $12,650. Families with incomes under $150,000 will get the full credit, and it will slowly phase out for higher incomes. The American Taxpayer Relief Act is available to read here.

Additionally in 2012, GWCA/CAN has matched 228 children from all over the world with their forever families.  We have also had 224 orphaned children come home to their forever families!

If you want to find out more about our China adoption program, you can do so here. We want to find homes for even more children in 2013!

Sincerely,

Lizzie Kovach

Adoption Consultant/Outreach and Promotions Manager

Great Wall China Adoption Blog: December 19, 2012

Happy Holidays GWCA Families,

I love helping families at the beginning of their adoption journey in China.  There are many prospective adoptive parents who have done extensive research before calling (which is wonderful!), but it is always good to know current information on China adoption.  Sometimes, families have found adoption myths in their research, and I’d like to discuss some of those adoption myths for you:

MYTH #1: China is closing to international adoption.

–This is not true!  China’s wait for the Healthy Track has continued to get longer, but this does not mean China is closing for international adoption.  In fact, China’s waiting child program is growing and becoming a wonderful, positive program for children and families!  China even continues to make huge investments in international adoption and visits the U.S. to foster relationships abroad and see their adopted children thriving!

MYTH #2: China has plenty of healthy children waiting in orphanages.

–Many young, healthy children in China are now being placed with families in China.

MYTH #3: Only girls are available in China.

–This might be true for the healthy child track, but virtually just as many boys are available as girls through the waiting child program.

MYTH #4: Large families cannot adopt.

–What a myth! Large families have adopted with our agency before.  We have had many families that have more than 5 children get waivers from China to adopt…and our agency is happy to support your family through the adoption process.

MYTH #5: We are too old to adopt.

–So many families think they are not eligible to adopt after the age of 50.  This is not true! China does set an age restriction on the age of the child you can adopt for the healthy child track, but there are possibilities for you to adopt through a waiting child
program.

If you ever have questions about adoption myths you may have heard, feel free to contact me anytime at Elizabeth@childrenofallnations.comor 512-323-9595 x3091

Sincerely,

Lizzie Kovach

Adoption Consultant/Outreach and Promotions Manager

Great Wall China Adoption Blog: December 12, 2012

Hello GWCA Families,

With the holidays (quickly) approaching, I wanted to share a couple of Christmas traditions and craft ideas from our Pinterest page!

Have you ever thought about incorporating food from China in your Christmas dinner?  What about making Christmas ornaments that are China-themed?  You can put little framed pictures from your little one on “Gotcha Day” on the tree or even a glass ornament with a cut-out of China in it.  The sky is the limit on creating Chinese crafts for Christmas!

Speaking of Christmas, have you thought about a gift for Dad?!  There are so many wonderful gift ideas out there, especially for a daddy who has adopted!  A nicely framed family picture is always great for his desk at work…and don’t forget to set out those cookies for Santa!  😉

Happy Holidays,

Lizzie Kovach

Adoption Consultant/Outreach and Promotions Manager

Great Wall China Adoption Blog: December 5, 2012

Happy Wednesday Families,

The holidays are just around the corner, and GWCA loves hearing about your family’s holiday stories. Do you remember what your first holiday was like with your little one?  Are you anxious to learn about the adoption process and have your first holiday as a complete family?!

One of our families recently sent us a video of their adoption story.  They have adopted two times already and are currently adopting again from China!  I can truly see the happiness adoption has brought to this family, and I wish all of our families so much joy this time of year!

Here is a link to this family’s adoption video! You can also learn more about the China Waiting Child Program, right here.

Sincerely,

Lizzie Kovach

Adoption Consultant/Outreach and Promotions Manager

Great Wall China Adoption Blog: November 28, 2012

Hello GWCA Families,

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  I know I ate way too much, but I did enjoy spending time with my family. Did anyone have new additions or traditions this year?

GWCA has some new additions that we are truly excited to share.  Every month, we have new webinars for families researching adoption and for those families currently in process!  Everyone can benefit from attending and learning just a little more about China adoption.  GWCA has an agency webinar at the beginning of each month, and we will also have webinars on topics like: What is Hague, Adoption Myths and FAQs, Financial Assistance for Adoptions.  We hope to inform and educate families as much
as possible throughout their adoption journey!

Have you attended a webinar?  What are you waiting for?  View our webinar schedule here.

Also, learn how to connect with GWCA through Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest right now! There are always exciting posts, updates, and families to interact with!

Sincerely,

Lizzie Kovach

Adoption Consultant/Outreach and Promotions Consultant

Great Wall China Adoption Blog: November 21, 2012

Happy Thanksgiving!

There is so much to be thankful for, especially in the world of adoption!!  Many of our families are beginning to sign up for Legacy Journey, which allows families to take their child back to China and tour their homeland…possibly even visit their orphanage!  I know this will be such a memorable experience for them.  What memories and traditions are you making with your kiddos?  If you want information about Legacy Journey you can learn more here.

I also wanted to share that Great Wall China Adoption has started a page on Pinterest!  To view our Pinterest page and see all things trending in the adoption world (even ideas for Thanksgiving crafts), you can follow us here!

Sincerely,

Lizzie Kovach

Adoption Consultant/Outreach and Promotions Manager

Great Wall China Adoption Blog: November 14, 2012

Hello GWCA Families,

It is definitely beginning to feel like Fall here in Texas, and I am extremely excited for Thanksgiving next week!  I’m sure you are all looking forward to having the kiddos home for a few days. Have you started to prepare your Thanksgiving menu?

Many families inquiring about adoption ask me what they can do to make the transition easier.  I think Thanksgiving is a great time to incorporate your child’s Chinese culture with their American culture!  Make it a tradition to serve a few Chinese dishes with your standard turkey and stuffing!   Need a few ideas?  Share them on our Facebook page here!

Sincerely,

Lizzie Kovach

Adoption Consultant/Outreach and Promotions Manager

From the Desk of Lizzie: November 7, 2012

Happy Adoption Month!

November is Adoption Month. There are so many exciting things for our families to be thankful for and continue learning. I’d love to share a few Adoption Month events and ideas with you all:

1) Adoption Day is November 17th, and there are events all over the country to celebrate. You can find an event in your area right here!

2) Do you have a Family Tree with GWCA or CAN? Family Tree is a wonderful way to keep your family and friends informed of your adoption journey…especially during Adoption Month! GWCA and CAN families can start their own Family Tree blog here.

3) I think there are some amazing adoption stories and inspirational quotes. Do you have any adoption stories or special quotes to share? Check out our Facebook page and continue sharing all month!

Sincerely,

Lizzie Kovach

Adoption Consultant/Outreach and Promotions Manager

From the Desk of Lizzie: October 31, 2012

Happy Halloween!

I would love to see all the costumes today!  What is your kiddo dressed as?  Other than Halloween, today is also exciting for another reason…

CAN has launched our new Bulgaria Waiting Child Program!  This program offers families the opportunity to adopt a child with special needs. Often, these children are the most vulnerable and need your love, support, and healing. Children of All Nation’s receives files of children available every 3 months from the Bulgarian government. We have the privilege to advocate for these special children and search for their forever family.

Children available through the Bulgaria Waiting Child Program range in age from 1-16 and have a broad range of special needs.  Healthy children and sibling groups may also be available. The number of files available and the age range, gender and special needs of the children will vary per with each distribution.  We are happy to announce the addition several children in need of finding their forever family. To access our Children of All Nations Waiting Child List, please complete a Waiting Child Profile.  This will provide you with your unique password to access the site.  For additional information on the Bulgaria Program, please visit our Children of All Nations website.

When thinking about adoption and waiting children, this quote comes to my mind: “To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.” – Heather Cortez

Sincerely,

Lizzie Kovach

Adoption Consultant/Outreach and Promotions Manager

From the Desk of Lizzie: October 24, 2012

Hello GWCA/CAN Families,

Great Wall and Children of All Nations had the honor of hosting a delegation of 22 CCCWA members yesterday at our headquarters in Austin, Texas. The delegation toured the Capitol and met with State Representative Mark Strama where Ms. Gan Weiwei, who led the delegation, was presented with a Texas flag as a gift. The delegation also participated in informational presentations by Texas Department of Family and Protective Services staff regarding licensing for adoption agencies, and by GWCA/CAN staff regarding our successful waiting child program in China. They enjoyed a tour of our office where they were able to meet the GWCA/CAN staff and learn more about our agency’s adoption programs. GWCA/CAN thanks CCCWA for their visit and for all they do to help the children of China.

If you want to see pictures of the visit, check out our Facebook page here.

Sincerely,

Lizzie Kovach

Adoption Consultant/Outreach and Promotions Manager