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eNews
News
& Information
of
and for the HIC Ohana
January
2010
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15th Annual Lunar New Year Picnic - Saturday, February 20
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It is
that time of year and plans are well under way for the Annual Lunar New
Year Picnic. The event will be held on Saturday, February 20th, 2010,
from 10 am to 1 pm.
Save
the date to celebrate with family and friends. There will be baked goods,
games and prizes, crafts, balloons, tattoos and everyone's favorite-
something cold and sweet to eat!
Watch
for the Special Bulletin at the end of January for RSVP,
Volunteer, and T-shirt order forms!
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Program
Coordinator Changes
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Dear Ohana:
We are sad to announce that Ruthanne Chuck, longtime HIC employee,
client and supporter, will be leaving HIC at the end of January.
Ruthanne is looking forward to spending more time with her family,
specifically her school-aged daughter. While we will miss Ruthanne's
great energy and passion for adoption, we support her family-focused
decision. Look for Ruthanne at the upcoming HIC Lunar New Year event
where she will be happy to say hello to all her HIC Ohana friends.
Those wishing to be in touch with Ruthanne until January 30th should
contact her at her current email and phone number.
John Trowbridge will be taking over
the HIC China program effective immediately. Please contact him at HIC
extension #202 or via email at John@h-i-c.org.
John has been with HIC since October 2008 and is currently running the
HIC China Waiting Child, Taiwan,
Hong Kong and Philippines
programs. John holds a Ph.D. in Chinese Philosophy and is fluent in Taiwanese
and Mandarin. He looks forward to working with each of you and welcomes
your calls and questions.
Ruthanne will continue to work in the HIC Africa Adoption program until
January 30th. At that time HIC will announce her program successor.
Please do not hesitate
to be in touch if you have questions or concerns.
With aloha,
Kristine Altwies
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Open, Domestic Adoption Opportunity
for HIC Waiting Families
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We are currently accepting inquiries from married,
Christian couples, interested in particiapting
in an open adoption. The birth mother is seeking housing and an open
relationship with the adoptive family. The family must be willing and
able to either house the birth mother and her 8 year old daughter for
up to 7 months, or to cover the expenses of housing. The birth mother
is 27, Caucasian, and healthy. The gender of unborn child not known.
HIC would provide family counseling throughout the pregnancy for the
adoptive family and birth mother. The birth mother has previously given
a child for adoption. Please contact Clarie
at HIC at 589-2367 Ext 206 to put your name on the list. Families
will be considered in order of contact. Case work will not begin until
February 1,2010. Until then no further
information will be available. Total adoption costs are anticipated to
be $35,- $45,000.
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Volunteers and Helpers at HIC
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A Big Mahalo to the Oda family for
the delicious pizza lunch and the Mizunos for
the ono manapua!
The staff at HIC were even spoiled this month
with yummy cookies from the Yamamotos!
Two laptop computers are on their way to Africa thanks to the Tenney
and Castagnaro families. HIC truly appreciates all that our donors
and volunteers bring to our organization.
Out toaster is TOASTED! If you have a small toaster
oven in good working condition that is just sitting on a garage
shelf, consider donating it to HIC.
Are you handy with plumbing? HIC is looking for someone
with experience in working with dripping faucets. If you are
interested in lending your skills, please call Shannon
at (808) 497-9192 or email Shannon@h-i-c.org.
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The Importance of Re-Adoption
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The staff at Hawaii International
Child want to emphasize the importance of re-adoption or the
procedure to establish a foreign adoption. This is a procedure whereby
adoptive parents legally establish in the jurisdiction of their home
state the facts of their adoption abroad. The procedure varies from
state to state but allows the family the benefit of having continued
access to evidence of their child's adoption in English through their
state of residence without having to contact foreign government
officials if ever additional certified copies of the child's birth
certificate or adoption decree are needed. For Hawaii residents, please refer to
the Re-adoption Packet that was sent to you shortly after you arrived
home with your child. If you have misplaced your copy, please contact
your Program Director for another copy. We highly recommend that all
adoptive families complete the re-adoption paperwork as soon as
possible after the completion of the adoption as it sometimes gets
increasingly difficult to do so as time goes on. If you have not done
so already, please do it today. You will not regret it.
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China
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Dossier Processing
Through
the CCAA's on-line site for adoption
agencies, we received the following update regarding the review of
dossiers and placement of children:
The
CCAA has finished the placement of children for the families whose
adoption application documents were registered with our office through April 3, 2006.
Expedited cases have been placed through April 25, 2007.
The
CCAA has finished the review of the adoption application documents
registered with our office through February 29, 2008.
HIC
received one assignment of a 9 month old girl from Guangdong Province.
This family should be traveling in the beginning of March.
Travelling Families
Welcome
home and congratulations to the families of Haley Ray, Malia, Alyssa, Denali and Celia, who arrived home on December 19, 2009.
Our
next family will be traveling to Yunnan Province
on January 17th to pick up their daughter.
If you are interested in the China program, please
contact John at John@h-i-c.org
or by calling (808) 589-2367 ext 202.
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China
Waiting Child
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Travelling Families
Welcome
home and congratulations to the families of Bodhi,
who was adopted from Xinjiang Province, and Andrew, who was adopted from Yunnan Province.
A Note on 'Special Needs'
If
you haven't had a chance to view the video on adopting children with
special needs yet, it can be found at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xx-6t4vwDDA.
The following links are also excellent and informative resources that
may help to assuage your concerns regarding any special needs adoption
program:
www.thewaitingchild.org
www.nohandsbutours.com
HIC Waiting Child List
Now Available
Families currently in the regular HIC China Intercountry
Adoption Program can make an appointment with John to view the China
Waiting Child (special needs) list at the HIC offices. Clients
who are not located on the island
of O'ahu
can arrange alternative options. HIC clients who have a CCAA
log-in date and who identify and lock in a child on the CCAA Waiting
Child list must switch to the China Waiting Child Program. It is
therefore not possible for these clients to continue with their adoptions
through the standard China Intercountry Adoption Program. Any
family who has not yet submitted a dossier to the CCAA and who wishes
to apply to adopt a China Waiting Child, must first submit (log in)
their dossier to the CCAA prior to viewing children on the China
Waiting Child list. If you are interested in this program, please
contact John at (808) 589-2367 ext 202 or John@h-i-c.org
for more information.
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Hong Kong
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The HIC Hong Kong Program is not currently accepting
applications. We hope to resume accepting applications on a
space-available basis in the near future as we are currently building
this new program. Clients interested in adopting from Hong Kong should be able to adopt older and
special needs children. The wait time from the time of application
until the time of travel is estimated to be 14-17 months, with travel
time in Hong Kong lasting
approximately 5-14 days. This promises to be a terrific program
for any family interested in older and special needs children. If
you would like more information about this program, please contact
John at John@h-i-c.org or by calling (808) 589-2367 ext
202.
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Philippines
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HIC's
new Philippines Program is now accepting applications. The wait
time from the time of application until the time of travel is estimated
to be no more than 2 years, with travel time in the Philippines
lasting approximately 7-10 days. Children currently available are
over the age of 2, although it is anticipated that younger children may
be available in the future. If you are interested in this
program, please contact John at John@h-i-c.org
or by calling (808) 589-2367 ext 202.
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Taiwan
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Travelling Families
One family will be travelling to pick up their daughter
early next month. Another family is in the court process and is
matched with a sibling pair.
HIC's Taiwan Program is currently limited to Hawaii applicants only. All
non-Hawaii residents currently in the program will be able to complete
their adoptions. HIC is continuing to work with a number of
highly respected social welfare organizations in Taiwan.
We have completed four placements and two additional families are
formally matched with Taiwan
waiting children. In order to control the flow of cases, HIC and
its partner organizations maintain a quota and accept client
applications only if and when there are openings in the program.
Overall, HIC maintains an active Taiwan client load of three
(3) spaces in the 0-2 range, three (3) spaces in the 2-5 age range, and
six (6) spaces in the 5 and over age range. If all of the spaces
in any of these age ranges are filled, we are unable to accept clients
on a wait list for that age group on account of the uncertain timing of
this program. From time to time we will release information about
available spaces at which point active HIC clients or others may
apply. At this point, we have six (6) available spaces for
families requesting a child over the age of five (5). There are
some upcoming changes expected in the Taiwan Program. A new law
in Taiwan
will require that all children be more strongly considered by local
families before being considered for intercountry adoption. For
this reason, we should expect referrals for older children in the
future. As this law goes into effect, we will expect referrals
only for children over the age of 2 and referrals for children over the
age of 3 will likely become the norm. In addition, going forward,
families must be open to a child of either gender as there are more
boys than girls available for intercountry adoption from Taiwan.
If you are interested in this program, please contact John at John@h-i-c.org
or by calling (808) 589-2367 ext 202.
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To do------------Waiting Children
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We continue to have referrals for several children in
need of a home. Other than those listed below, we have referrals
for six (6) children (2 females, 4 male), ages 1-16, with
special needs such as: Down's syndrome, autism, epilepsy, and Myelomeningocele.
Parent Requirements for these children: Parents must be at least 25
years old for the adoption of an unrelated child, and at least 21 years
old for the adoption of a related child; be married for at least three
(3) years; have at least 12 years of formal education; and be in at
least reasonably good health and free from infectious diseases. If
you are interested in any of these children please contact John@h-i-c.org.
Note about available children: Clients who are interested in
available children must have a completed, valid and approved home study
in order to receive child information. If you would like to receive
waiting child information, please complete the Intent to Review Child Information
agreement and email it to John@h-i-c.org. Please be sure to list the names of
all the children whose files you wish to view. In the interest of
fairness, HIC will release the child information to the first client
who submits the agreement and only to one client at a time. Clients
will have five working days to inform HIC of a decision. At that time
the child will be released to the next waiting family, or will be
tentatively assigned.
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Qi & Yu
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 Child:
Siblings, Qi (girl DOB January 2000) and Yu
(girl, DOB October 2001). Qi is
sensitive, detail-oriented, observant, and shy. She loves sports,
reading, drawing, and watching TV. Other than a proneness to nose
bleeds, the child is healthy. Yu is a lively, interactive, and
adaptable child who gets along well with others. She has been
diagnosed with hyperactivity and has had some difficulties with her
school work and expressing her own views. She has also been
diagnosed with serious sinusitis.
Parent Requirements: Parents must be: between 25
and 55 years old, be in good physical and mental health; be married for
over two (2) years; be reasonably educated; and have no more than three
(3) children.
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Sing
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Child:
Sing
(boy, DOB July 2003) is a gentle boy who likes to sculpt with clay,
play house, and ride a bicycle and takes good care of his siblings.
He has a surgically repaired cleft lip and flat feet, and has been
diagnosed with moderate developmental and mental delays, although has
shown much improvement.
Parent Requirements: Parents must be: between 25
and 55 years old, be in good physical and mental health; be married for
over two (2) years; be reasonably educated; and have no more than three
(3) children.
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Jheng
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 Child: Jheng (boy, DOB June 2003) is a lively and cheerful
boy who enjoys playing with blocks, clay, and jigsaw puzzles. He
also likes playing basketball, Frisbee, running, and biking and is
helpful with household chores. His favorite subjects in school
are life science, art, and physical education. He has recovered
from a history of serious physical abuse, and currently has a minor
problem with speech articulation. He also takes medication to
regulate his hyperactivity.
Parent Requirements: Parents must be: between 25
and 55 years old, be in good physical and mental health; be married for
over two (2) years; be reasonably educated; and have no more than three
(3) children.
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Zheng
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 Child: Zheng (boy, DOB October 2001) is an active and
imaginative boy who likes acting, telling stories, camping, playing
with remote control airplanes, reading comics, and watching TV.
He has a mildly thoracic scoliosis and anemia and is a victim of abuse,
but is otherwise healthy.
Parent Requirements: Parents must be: between 25
and 55 years old, be in good physical and mental health; be married for
over two (2) years; be reasonably educated; and have no more than three
(3) children.
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Pin
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 Child: Pin
(boy, DOB June 2001) is an open-minded boy who likes physical
education, art, singing, dancing, and laughing out loud. A victim
of neglect, he is otherwise quite healthy.
Parent Requirements: Parents must be: between 25
and 55 years old, be in good physical and mental health; be married for
over two (2) years; be reasonably educated; and have no more than three
(3) children.
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An
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Child:
An (boy, DOB October 2006) a 3 year old boy who is active and a little
shy but enjoys being pampered by his caregivers. He is
developmentally normal but has Hepatitis C.
Parent Requirements: Parents must be: between 25
and 55 years old, be in good physical and mental health; be married for
over two (2) years; be reasonably educated; and have no more than three
(3) children.
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Min
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 Child: Min
(boy, DOB August 2003) is an agile boy who likes physical activities
such as running, jumping, and playing ball. He has been diagnosed
with dental caries and was a victim of abuse.
Parent Requirements: Parents must be: between 25
and 55 years old, be in good physical and mental health; be married for
over two (2) years; be reasonably educated; and have no more than three
(3) children.
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Han
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 Child: Han
(boy, DOB May 2002) is a boy who likes playing with toy cars and riding
a bicycle. He has been diagnosed with asthma and has mild
cognitive delay.
Parent Requirements: Parents must be: between 25
and 55 years old, be in good physical and mental health; be married for
over two (2) years; be reasonably educated; and have no more than three
(3) children.
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Jia
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 Child: Jia (boy, DOB May 2001) is a physically healthy boy
who is kind and loving. He has a good appetite and enjoys playing
games. Because he has been under-stimulated and has not received
a pre-school education, his cognition, verbal expression, and
self-confidence are somewhat delayed. He is often sad and has
conflicts with his classmates, but is adjusting well to his placement
in a foster family.
Parent Requirements: Parents must be: between 25
and 55 years old, be in good physical and mental health; be married for
over two (2) years; be reasonably educated; and have no more than three
(3) children.
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Chun
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 Child: Chun
(girl, DOB December 2000) is an outgoing and optimistic girl who likes listening
to music, stringing beads, playing with puzzles, and building with
blocks. She has been diagnosed with ADHD and mild cognitive
delay.
Parent Requirements: Parents must be: between 25
and 55 years old, be in good physical and mental health; be married for
over two (2) years; be reasonably educated; and have no more than three
(3) children.
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En
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 Child: En
(boy, DOB August 2000) is an older child who likes watching cartoons,
works well with other children, and responds happily to praise.
He was a victim of physical abuse.
Parent Requirements: Parents must be: between 25
and 55 years old, be in good physical and mental health; be married for
over two (2) years; be reasonably educated; and have no more than three
(3) children.
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Zih
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 Child: Zih (boy, DOB January 2004) is a curious and
energetic boy who likes outdoor activities. He was a victim of
physical abuse and has some minor cognitive delay.
Parent Requirements: Parents must be: between 25
and 55 years old, be in good physical and mental health; be married for
over two (2) years; be reasonably educated; and have no more than three
(3) children.
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Kai
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 Child: Kai
(boy, DOB March 1997) is an older healthy child who likes physical
education, basketball, and computers.
Parent Requirements: Parents must be: between 25
and 55 years old, be in good physical and mental health; be married for
over two (2) years; be reasonably educated; and have no more than three
(3) children.
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Shu
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 Child: Shu (boy, DOB January 2001) is very active.
He has been diagnosed with ADHD, and can follow rules well. Shu, age 8, is happy when he has free time to play,
when he receives praise, and when he gets his allowance.
Parent Requirements: Parents must be: between 25
and 55 years old, be in good physical and mental health; be married for
over two (2) years; be reasonably educated; and have no more than three
(3) children.
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Yi-cheng
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 Child: Yi-cheng (boy, DOB November 1995) likes drawing and
listening to music. Although his development is unimpaired, his
academic performance is poor compared to others his age.
Parent Requirements: Parents must be: between 25
and 55 years old, be in good physical and mental health; be married for
over two (2) years; be reasonably educated; and have no more than three
(3) children.
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Shih
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 Child: Shih
(boy, DOB August 2004) loves to meet new people and is curious about
his environment. He has some mild to moderate delay in speech,
cognition, and fine motor skills.
Parent Requirements: Parents must be: between 25
and 55 years old, be in good physical and mental health; be married for
over two (2) years; be reasonably educated; and have no more than three
(3) children.
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Jian & Ming
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Children: Siblings, Jian (boy, DOB
December 2003) and Ming (boy, DOB May 2005). Jian
and Ming are both developmentally delayed and are probably victims of
sexual abuse.
Parent Requirements: Parents must be: between 25
and 55 years old, be in good physical and mental health; be married for
over two (2) years; be reasonably educated; and have no more than three
(3) children.
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Yi
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 Child: Yi
(boy, DOB December 1997) likes reading, drawing, swimming, and
sports. With a history of ADHD and domestic abuse, Yi, age 11,
now lives in a foster home.
Parent Requirements: Parents must be: between 25
and 55 years old, be in good physical and mental health; be married for
over two (2) years; be reasonably educated; and have no more than three
(3) children.
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Yun, Jin, Cheng & Hong
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Children: (4 out of 6) siblings, Yun
(boy, DOB August, 1996), Jin (girl, DOB: July, 2000), Cheng (boy, DOB
December, 2001), and Hong (boy, DOB December, 2002). Yun, age 12, is a sweet and creative boy who likes
reading, sports (especially basketball), and art. He was a victim
of domestic abuse and neglect. Jin, age 8, is an active girl who
enjoys playing with Barbie, swimming, and other outdoor activities. She
has Hepatitis B and is also a victim of abuse. Cheng, age 7, is
friendly and enjoys running and drawing. His cognition, speech,
and motor skills are delayed, and he has been diagnosed with
ADHD. Hong, age 6, is a gentle and focused boy. He is a victim of
abuse and neglect but otherwise seems healthy. The children can either
be adopted together or individually, but Cheng hopes to be adopted
together with a fifth sibling not listed here.
Parent Requirements: Parents must be: between 25
and 55 years old, be in good physical and mental health; be married for
over two (2) years; be reasonably educated; and have no more than three
(3) children.
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Yong
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 Child: Yong
(boy, DOB January 2003) always smiles at people. He loves small animals
and interacts well with peers. With some cognitive delay and a history
of domestic abuse, Yong, age 6, was born with an extra thumb on his
right hand that has been surgically removed.
Parent Requirements: Parents must be: between 25
and 55 years old, be in good physical and mental health; be married for
over two (2) years; be reasonably educated; and have no more than three
(3) children.
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Sheng
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 Child: Sheng (boy, DOB January 2001) likes to play and
build with blocks. He is agile and curious about new things. Sheng, age 8, has been diagnosed with ADHD and his
cognitive development is mildly delayed. He was also a victim of
abuse and neglect.
Parent Requirements: Parents must be: between 25
and 55 years old, be in good physical and mental health; be married for
over two (2) years; be reasonably educated; and have no more than three
(3) children.
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Tian
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 Child: Tian
(boy, DOB December 1999) likes to play with cars and balls. He
enjoys nature class at school because he likes to do experiments.
Tian, age 9, has been diagnosed with ADHD and emotional problems,
and his cognitive development is mildly delayed. However, his condition
has stabilized with medication.
Parent Requirements: Parents must be: between 25
and 55 years old, be in good physical and mental health; be married for
over two (2) years; be reasonably educated; and have no more than three
(3) children.
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Wun
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 Child: Wun
(girl, DOB September 1997) is a sweet, energetic, and healthy child who
was neglected and possibly abused. The palm of her right hand was badly
burned so that her fingers could not be fully extended. Wun, age 11, has had plastic surgery, but a further
surgery is planned to restore the function of her hand.
Parent Requirements: Parents must be: between 25
and 55 years old, be in good physical and mental health; be married for
over two (2) years; be reasonably educated; and have no more than three
(3) children.
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You
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 Child: You (boy, DOB
July 2003) is energetic, open-minded, and
active. You, age 6, has been diagnosed with ADHD and his
cognitive development and verbal acuity are somewhat delayed, but he
takes good care of himself and his hygiene is good.
Parent Requirements: Parents must be: between 25
and 55 years old, be in good physical and mental health; be married for
over two (2) years; be reasonably educated; and have no more than three
(3) children.
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請大家上夏威夷國際兒童的國語課!
2010 Mandarin Chinese Classes
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Instructor: John Trowbridge
(Qiáo Zhōngzhé
喬中哲)*
There are a few spaces available for Hawaii International Child's 4:00pm 2010 Mandarin Chinese
classes. Classes are open to children ages 3 and above**, and take
place on Sunday afternoons. The current session continues
through March 21, 2010. The class is an hour long and
emphasizes basic conversational Chinese through songs, games, and fun
written exercises. Although the emphasis will be on spoken and
conversational Chinese and the Mandarin tonal system, students will be
taught to read and write traditional characters for the basic words,
phrases, and sentences that they learn.
Please contact Shannon at (808)
589-2367 Ext 207 or email Shannon@h-i-c.org
if you would like more information.
* Instructor's background: John
Trowbridge, currently the Asia Program Director at
HIC, has studied Chinese for nearly twenty years. He majored in
Asian studies and philosophy at Washington University in St. Louis,
before earning M.A. degrees in Chinese language and philosophy from The
Ohio State University and a Ph.D. in Chinese and comparative philosophy
from the University of Hawai'i. He spent a year in Taiwan at the Mandarin Training
Center. As
a father of four children under the age of 12, he is capable of
teaching Chinese language and culture to a younger audience.
** Please note that we have recently received a number of inquiries for
teen and adult Chinese classes. If you are interested, please let
us know. We hope to be able to offer a Chinese class for these
age groups later in the year if there is sufficient interest.
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Infant and Child CPR Classes- Registration Now Open!
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 In an
emergency, infants and children have a much better chance of survival
if CPR is performed immediately. HIC sponsors a free (non-certifying)
class taught by the Honolulu Fire Department. (Many thank to Capt.
Takizawa for his patient and humorous teaching style!)
Reservations are required and enrollment is limited. The
next class is on Saturday, March 6, 2010 from 9:00 am - 12:00 pm. Call HIC now to reserve your
space.
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Personalized Information Sessions
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Personalized
Information Sessions
In order to provide better service to prospective adoptive families,
effective immediately, HIC will be offering personalized information
sessions for Oahu families interested in learning more about our
international adoption programs (currently: Africa, China Waiting
Child, and Taiwan).
You may contact Shannon at (808)
589-2367 or shannon@h-i-c.org to find
out which programs you might qualify for, and to schedule an information
session with one of our program managers.
Please note that these
personalized information sessions will be replacing HIC's monthly
general information sessions.
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