FEBRUARY 2009 CHINA PROGRAM UPDATE

I hope this note finds you well! Here is the China program update for February…

Mrs. Li’s visit to the U.S.
We are delighted that Mrs. Li, our liaison in China, will be coming to the U.S. in March! She will be participating in family gatherings with current and past Welcome House families, as well as information meeting for families considering adoption. I sent an email around earlier today with specific information about the family gatherings. If you didn’t get it, let me know and I’d be glad to forward it to you. These family gatherings are open to both families that have already adopted and those that are waiting to adopt. Even if you have just started your application you’re welcome to come meet Li! It’s always nice to have a sense of who will be greeting you when you get off the plane in Beijing!

Contact and support from Welcome House during the wait

I’ve received several questions from families recently about why they haven’t gotten a phone call from their Adoption Coordinator in a while and thought it might be good to mention it here. Your Adoption Coordinator is your primary contact from the time your application is opened to when your home study is completed and then again from the time you get your referral through the post-placement visits. In that time between your home study being completed and receiving a referral, the staff here at the office in Perkasie will be your primary contact for information and updates. The monthly email updates and the “Welcome News” newsletter are two ways to get information out to you. However, I know that with the long wait it’s sometimes nice to hear a live voice on the phone. If you’re ever feeling like you’d like to talk with someone about what’s going on with the China program, to ask questions, or just to talk with a real, live person, please don’t hesitate to call us at 215-249-0100 or 1-800-220-2825. I can be reached at extension 136. If I’m not available, leave me a message and I’ll give you a call back as quickly as I can. However, if you’d rather talk with someone right away you can also push “0” and ask the receptionist to transfer you to any Welcome House staff that may be available.

Timeframes

I’ve also been hearing from families recently who are wondering if there is any more specific information about the time frame between dossier registration and referral. As was mentioned in the November program update, the CCAA is indicating that it’s too difficult to predict a waiting time for families applying now. Based on other conversations our CEO, Janet Mintzer, had during her trip in October, we remain optimistic that the wait will not go up to 4 years and that we will start to see a decline in wait times now that the Olympics are over. We’re hoping that we’ll start seeing this decline in wait times in summer, 2009, although it’s difficult to say for sure. At this point we’re expecting that the wait for a referral will be at least 3 years. We continue to talk with other agencies and with the CCAA about the length of the wait. If more information becomes available, we’ll definitely share it in a program update. If you have any questions about this, please don’t hesitate to contact your Adoption Coordinator or Welcome House.

Update on Waiting Children

We have been told that there will be good news coming soon regarding the waiting child program. As soon as we get word from CCAA we’ll be sure to send out an update. Stay tuned!

“The Good Earth” manuscript to be displayed for the first time in over 40 years!
In June, 2007 Pearl Buck’s manuscript for “The Good Earth” was found after having been missing for over 40 years. Starting on March 3rd and going through November 15th the manuscript will be on display at the Pearl S. Buck House as part of the current House exhibit, “The Art and Sculpture of Green Hills Farm.” “The Good Earth” is the book that earned Pearl S. Buck the Pulitzer Prize for literature. Our website, www.pearlsbuck.org, has more information about the display and tour times.

As always, if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact your Adoption Coordinator or me.

Sincerely,
Heather