cathy loptson
TRANSCRIPT
Inside this issue:
From the Desk of our Administrator
1
The Meaning of Our Logo 2
Country Update– Haiti 2
The Frustration of Waiting 3
Agency Updates 4
A Licensed Adoption Agency
From The Desk of Our Administrator Dear Families, It seems appropriate that we are planning to launch our well-awaited newsletter during Adop-tion Month. I don’t know where the time has gone since our last newsletter. Needless to say, a lot has happened just in the last year. In May 2012 we said goodbye to our old West7th Office and began our long journey to our new (and current) location at #301-1638 East Broadway. We packed a lot of boxes and files and aside from some hiccups with our phones we managed to provide continuous service including making placements. A big thank you to all the families for your patience and understanding during these times. I am happy to say that we are finally set-tled in our new spacious offices. Our office, unlike the old West 7th office is fully accessible as we have an elevator! There is lots of free street parking. If you haven’t been to our office at East Broadway, please drop by if you are in the area or come and participate in the many ongoing groups that we have, like our Waiting Parents Group or our monthly Post-Adoption Playgroup.
The world of adoption continues to see many challenges especially in the areas of Intercountry Adoption. We are continuing to see longer wait times or additional requirements being implemented for families to complete their adoptions. More and more countries are looking towards being in compliance with the Hague Procedures on Adoption and with that, countries are needing to put additional infrastructures in place to comply with these additional requirements. In spite of this decline in the options for intercountry adoptions, we are still finding forever families for children from other countries and are continuing to welcome children from Honduras, China, India, Kenya, Thailand, the USA, Ethiopia, Philippines, Ukraine and of course British Columbia.
Another country that has recently opened is Haiti. Prior to Haiti’s Adoption Program re-opening, the central authority (IBESR) in Haiti requested that anyone working in Haiti would have to be licensed by them. Family Services of Greater Vancouver has been granted a license to work in Haiti and we are currently processing applications for this country. If you would like more information about this program please contact Andrea Flanderkova at [email protected]
Did you know...
Adoption regulations require your homestudy to be updated annually if no child has been placed with you.
Additional Criminal Record Checks and Prior Contact Checks if you have lived out-side of Canada or British Columbia. ( This is a new policy that has been imple-mented by the Ministry of Children and Families and applies to both Agencies and MCFD. If this is applicable to you, then we will be in contact to explain what is re-quired.)
Our Waiting Parents Group meets on a regular basis, watch for the dates on our web-site, www.fsgvadoptionagency.ca. The Waiting Parents Group is a great way to meet other waiting parents, hear guest speakers and discuss important topics.
You can update your “Dear Birth Parent” letter and photographs for your domestic profile anytime. Just call the office and speak to either Andrea or Shelley.
As your adoption agency we want you to feel supported throughout the process. We always welcome any suggestions that you might have about ways that we can improve our ser-vices to you and continue “creating brighter tomorrows”. Sincerely,
Cathy Loptson Cathy Loptson MSW, RSW Administrator – Program Manager
Since the Adoption Agency received its license in July 1997 we have joined over 600 children with
permanent loving families.
The Meaning of Our Logo
The following excerpt was taken from a speech given by Terri Nicholas, former CEO.
“Let me tell you about its meaning. From one perspective this icon represents the seeds of possibility that take root in those who come to us for help. From another perspective, it represents a journey. We’ve chosen to connect to the “I” in services, as the journey has to begin with the individual, with Family services central to helping launch the journey and guide the individual to many possible paths. It also depicts the many service options we provide. This symbol has been designed with an air of celebration, sending a message of hope and possibility.
Ultimately, our new logo represents why we be-lieve so strongly in what we do-we know that when we help one person, it strengthens their family, and eventually, the community at large. With a his-tory that spans nearly 83 years, we know that many people in our community are thriving today because they, their parents, or grandparents re-ceived the help they needed at a difficult period in their lives.”
“They had always dreamed of a large family but
have now realized that they would be equally
blessed to have even one child.” ― Jane Green, Another Piece of My Heart
HAITI
We are very excited to share with you that Family Services of Greater Vancouver (FSGV) Licensed Adoption Agency became officially one of the seven Canadian facilitators for adoptions in Haiti. At the moment we are working with several crèches (a public or pri-vate foster care and temporary childcare facil-ity) in Haiti who are looking for Christian fami-lies to adopt children under age six years old. Who Can Adopt?
Under Haitian law, the prospective adoptive parent must be 30 years or older, no older than 50 years old. Married couples must be married for five years and have no biological children These restrictions can be waived with the per-mission of the President of Haiti. While Presi-dential waivers of ineligibility are sometimes is-sued, they are difficult to obtain and require a lengthy period of time to process Please feel free to contact our office with your questions.
Country Update
Community News Updates
Amharic Classes: A registration to teach kids
and adults is now under-
way at Edmonds Commu-
nity Centre. The plan is to
teach kids and adults on
Saturdays
between 5pm and 5.30pm.
Contact Zewdu (Abyssinia
Restaurant) at
778-862-9711 for
registration.
Introducing Your Story, Your way
We would like to
invite adoptive
parents to
contribute stories to your
newsletter. In order to
gain
perspective and a fuller
understanding of the indi-
vidual journeys adoptive
families take, these stories
will be told over a period
of time in the form of a
three part series. If you
are interested, please
contact:
Shelley Brownell,
Andrea Flanderkova
aflanderkova@
fsgv.ca
United At Last!
If you would like to have
your family highlighted in
our “Recent Arrivals!”
section, please contact:
Shelley Brownell,
Andrea Flanderkova
aflanderkova@
fsgv.ca
The Frustration of Waiting By Misli Alan
Our daughter is currently 7 years old. She’s a firecracker! Adopted from Ethiopia back in 2008 when she was 22 months old, I relive the moment of our union with perfect clarity. I cannot remember breakfast this morning, I forgot to pick up milk again and I am trying to recall why I went into my home office a minute ago…you get the picture. But that time, 5 years ago, I will never, ever forget. And I know it is seared in my memory so there is no danger in forget-ting 20, 30 years from now.
There is so much I want to tell you about her; how she’s excelling in figure skating, how she’s learning 3 languages,
how she loves hot water bottles on cool nights but seconds later, kicks all the covers off. Our days are filled with awe,
joy, belly laughs but also angry frustrations, parental challenges and the third time out of the hour; in other words day
to day living.
But what is really prevalent in our family at this time is the request, no not a request, a DEMAND for a brother or sis-
ter.
Explanations used to be accepted and the subject would rest for another few months or so, but it is clear that as she
grows, like every other child, the desire for a sibling has increased. She’s always been a natural caregiver. She will
make a wonderful mother herself one day.
We would love to have adopted more children; if money were no object, if we were younger, if we had the emotional
capacity to deal with the journey once again, despite the fact that our road to parenthood, barring the 15 years of
infertility hell, was relatively smooth. Once we decided on adoption, from start to finish, we became a family in 18
months. A luxury by today’s horrendous waits; a fact not lost on us and for one which we are infinitely grateful.
While I will never forget the moment I took my child in my arms I also will never forget the yearning; staring at the
referral picture on my bedside table, answering the constant stream of questions by well meaning family and friends
with an endless, “Not yet”, and feeling like some kind of maternal fraud. For me the best and worst time was just
after we had “passed court” and our daughter was legally ours. We didn’t know at the time but it would be another 4
grueling months before we got the go ahead to, well, go get her. Sitting in a restaurant one night, untouched food on
our plates, I looked up at my partner and said, “This is ridiculous. She should be here with us. She is ours. She needs
to be here. She needs to be here right now!” We both pushed our plates away.
This is why adoptive parents understand about the agony of waiting and the dreadful times that current waiting par-
ents have to endure. Ethiopian adoptions are particularly trying at the present time. Not only was there the break-
down of Imagine Adoption Agency (they were our facilitators also) but now the closing of Hope Adoption Agency. So
some waiting parents, stuck on this frenzied roller coaster have had to contend with not only the usual suspects of
waiting, yearning, praying but all the endless red tape due to circumstances beyond their control.
One adoptive parent, hoping for “number two” having currently been in the process for 2 years already says, “I want a
sibling for my son; it’s that straight forward. This is what gives me the will to stay the course.”
Another parent, also hoping to have added to their family, regrettably bowed out. “It was a very, very difficult deci-
sion but there were too many obstacles, too long a wait. We couldn’t, as much as we tried, see a light at the end if
this particular tunnel.”
It shouldn’t be this hard. I would go as far as to liken it to cruel and unusual punishment.
But for what it is worth, your child is there and he/she is waiting for you too. The stars WILL align and you will be join-
ing the rest of us in playing chauffeur for our kids, endless birthday parties and lecturing on the wonders of math.
The dark days are temporary; they will be replaced by beautiful memories of complete happiness (and parental fa-
tigue!!)
We are all rooting for you. Please hang in there!
Our adoptive families Pumpkin Patch field trip to Richmond was
a fun filled day. We enjoyed hay rides, singing and dancing!! As
well as this annual Fall activity we also host a summer picnic and
Saturday morning bowling. Join us. We’ll look forward to seeing
you next time…
Agency Updates
We are pleased to announce that now have a separate
website for our agency that we are very excited about!
Please check us out at www.fsgvadoptionagency.ca
We are adding new information regularly and
would welcome any feedback that you have. We are also on Twitter @FSGVAdoptions
and Facebook so please check us out the next time
you are online.
Our New Website! www.fsgvadoptionagency.ca
From Left to Right:
Beth Rees, Vice President, Family Services Adoption Agency
Shelley Brownell, Social Worker Robbyn Dalin, Administrative Services Manager
Cathy Loptson, Program Manager Andrea Flanderkova, Social Worker
Denise McGowan, Administrative Assistant
Meet our Team!