Adoption ARK - Azerbaijan

Adoption Tax Credit Form

noreply@blogger.com (Adoption Ark) — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 17:35:00 +0000

The Adoption Tax Credit can be confusing. Please visit
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQryETwRziA for more information on the
qualifications and filing instructions. You can also view the form at
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f8839.pdf

Adoption ARK's Report Card

noreply@blogger.com (Adoption Ark) — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 16:40:00 +0000

Adoption ARK is very excited to share with you our latest survey results. Our “Report Card” reflects our commitment to orphaned children and the clients that we serve. International Adoption is not just a job; it’s a calling. At Adoption ARK, we are honored to assist you in adopting a child and we thank you for choosing us as your international adoption agency. Thank you to all the clients that participated.

View Adoption ARK’s Report Card at http://www.adoptionark.org/upload/adoptionarkreportcard_87895.pdf

Sincerely,
The Team at Adoption ARK
(847) 215-2755

Follow Adoption ARK on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/adoptionark
Visit our YouTube page http://www.youtube.com/user/AdoptionArk

Adopting one child won't change the world; but for that child, the world will change.

Family Urgently Needed for Azerbaijan Program

noreply@blogger.com (Adoption Ark) — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 21:33:00 +0000

URGENT: A paper-ready family is needed for Adoption ARK's Azerbaijan Program. Interested families should contact their adoption consultant or, if you are not registered at Adoption ARK, follow the link below to request more information.

http://www.adoptionark.org/public/pag15.aspx

Exciting News About the Adoption Tax Credit

noreply@blogger.com (Adoption Ark) — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 15:41:00 +0000

Adoptive Parents and future adoptive parents can breathe a sigh of relief. The Adoption Tax Credit has been renewed, increased, and made refundable.

· Was extended until December, 2011

· The adoption tax credit increased from $12,170 to $13,170

· And, is now refundable instead of just being credited to the amount owed

This is great news for new adoptive parents and those parents planning to adopt in the near future. If you are considering adoption please give Adoption ARK a call! We would love to help you work on your budget and adoption plans.

USCIS Centralizes Processing of Orphan Adoptions Change will Streamline Processing

noreply@blogger.com (Adoption Ark) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 17:46:00 +0000

WASHINGTON - U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced
that on April 1, 2010, it is centralizing processing and adjudication of all
new orphan (Non-Hague) petitions with the agency's specialized adoptions
team in Missouri.
Prospective adoptive parents will continue to file their Petition to
Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative (Form I 600) and Application for
Advance Processing of Orphan Petition (Form I 600A) with USCIS' Dallas
Lockbox facility. The Lockbox will forward the case to the Orphan Unit at
USCIS' National Benefit Center (NBC) for processing and adjudication. The
applicant will receive a receipt notice with the NBC address and contact
information for follow-up correspondence.
While this takes place behind the scenes, adoptive parents will benefit
because it allows USCIS to:
* Process applications and petitions more efficiently,
* Streamline and standardize work processes, and
* Offer more consistent service.
Parents will also benefit from the specialized skills and experience of the
NBC Non-Hague Adoption Unit, based on the NBC's implementation of the USCIS
Hague Adoption Convention program in 2008.
USCIS has dedicated a toll-free NBC Adoption telephone line, 1-877-424-8374
and published an Orphan Home Study Tip sheet (Form M-760) to aid adoption
service providers and prospective adoptive parents.
Local USCIS field offices in the United States will continue to accept
requests for extensions and change of circumstances for approved Form I-600A
applications in accordance with the current filing instructions. Overseas
U.S. citizens may continue to file Form I-600 at a U.S. Embassy, consulate
or USCIS office abroad that has jurisdiction to accept the petition.
However, in order to file a Form I-600 petition abroad, the petitioner must
have an approved Form I-600A and be physically present in the adoptive
child's country.
Prospective parents who reside abroad may continue to file the Form I-600A
with an overseas USCIS office or the Dallas Lockbox facility.
For more information on orphan adoptions visit:
http://www.uscis.gov/adoptions.

Preserving Cultural Identity in an Internationally Adopted Child

noreply@blogger.com (Adoption Ark) — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 18:37:00 +0000

March 21 is the holiday Navruz. Navruz is the Persian New Year celebrated in countries such as Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

My daughter, adopted from Uzbekistan two years ago, is now 5 years old. This week she was running a list of pending holidays - St. Patrick's Day, Navruz, Easter, her birthday. She came home from school on St. Patricks Day and announced that she hates Navruz. She could not give a concrete answer to why however she still maintains that she hates Navruz. My husband and I assumed that maybe she mentioned this holiday at school and her friends did not know what she was talking about so she got embarrassed and felt different. Additionally, this holiday is from Uzbekistan which reminds her of her life that was less than desirable so she often rejects anything to do with Uzbekistan. My husband and I told her that although everyone in the United States does not celebrate Navruz, we celebrate Navruz in our family. This morning when I was taking to her to school , we had a discussion about what we were looking forward to at school or work today. I told her that I was looking forward to writing the Friday Newsletter and that I got to share with the families about Navruz. She said, "Oh, you can be creative and write about it. You can tell the families about Navruz so they know how to celebrate with their kids when they get to come to their homes. That is great for them to know but I still hate Navruz."

This really has been a strange experience for me - trying to figure out how to balance that promise I made to honor & cultivate her cultural identity and at the same time not bring up such painful memories all the time. I called a friend who is a long time adoptive parent of two children from other countries and questioned her about this subject. She told me that a counselor said to keep celebrating and honoring the culture even if the child is not really into it right now. Also, to try and bring humorous and fun stories of the child 's past life from their country - try to remember any cute stories you were told about the child or just anything funny that happened while you were in country with your child. This helps to bring positive feelings to the situation. The child eventually will have a time when self-identification is going to become a major developmental milestone - and cultural heritage will be a part of the process - so it is important to have always honored the cultural in a positive way for that time. So, we will celebrate Navruz on Sunday and the days following it -embracing a wonderful holiday and providing a positive experience from our daughter's birth place.

~ Ally Griffith

Mom to McKenna - adopted from Uzbekistan 2008

Free Seminar "Parenting Children from Haiti and Other Hard Places"

noreply@blogger.com (Adoption Ark) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 18:07:00 +0000

Adoption Learning Partners is pleased to bring you this webinar in cooperation with The Evan B. Donaldson Institute and the Joint Council on International Children's Services.

Dr. Karyn Purvis will spend one hour answering parents' questions on parenting their children from Haiti, and other "hard places" (which she will define). Feel free to ask questions about attachment, sleep issues, behavior challenges, family dynamics, or any other challenge you are facing.

Questions should be submitted in advance by completing the form below (please include your child's age). They will be read to Dr. Purvis by our moderator. We'll get to as many questions as time allows.

Dr. Purvis is co-author of the book "The Connected Child," and the Director of the Institute of Child Development at TCU. Her focus is on research based interventions for vulnerable children. She travels extensively, providing training and consultation for families and professionals working with at risk children.

Please register at http://www.bluestreakwebinars.com/AccountManager/RegEv.aspx?PIID=ED50DD8985

noreply@blogger.com (Adoption Ark) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:53:00 +0000

Sandra Bullock won the Oscar for Best Actress last night for her role in the movie ‘The Blind Side.’ If you haven’t seen the movie yet, it is about Michael Oher, a homeless, traumatized boy who became an All American football player and first round NFL draft pick after being taken in by a caring woman and her family. In her acceptance speech Sandra said, “what this film was about for me, which are the moms that take care of the babies and the children no matter where they come from." Adoption ARK couldn’t agree more! Today, on International Women’s Day, Adoption ARK would like to say thank you to all the mom’s that have loving cared for adopted children. Please remember…Adopting one child will not change the world; but for that child the world will change. The world changed for Michael Oher and countless other the day their moms took them in their arms and began a life-long pursuit of loving them unconditionally.

New Dossier Requirement

noreply@blogger.com (Adoption Ark) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 23:38:00 +0000

Azerbaijan is requiring that adoptive parents submit criminal background
checks for each state where the adoptive parent has resided. Although this
seems like a lot, would you expect anything less of a country entrusting you
with a child?

Great Story Written from an Adoptee Perspective

noreply@blogger.com (Adoption Ark) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 22:53:00 +0000

The article, The Case for International Adoption, is a wonderfully written, very informative example of why International Adoption is such an important aspect of our society. Written by Jeneen Interlandi, an adoptee from Columbia, the article tackles the issue of adoptees being able to develope a cultural identity within a family of a different ethnic background. In the end Jeneen concludes , what matters most is not where a child is from, but whether or not that child is well loved and well cared for by a responsible family—regardless of race or nationality.

Click here to read The Case for International Adoption by Jeneen Interlandi