Here are a few personal recommendations that I found helpful in our adoption journey.
Gladney Center for Adoption - I LOVE Gladney! They have been so good to me every step of the way. They are professional but totally engage with me personally. I can tell that both of my case workers (my first one was general to our adoption- helping with all the pre-dossier paperwork, my second one was specific to their Rwanda program and took over after I was "accepted" into that program) cared about me and my family as people, not just another "case". They both always returned my emails or phone calls within 24 hours and never seemed to mind my inquires. They spent as much time with me as I needed- so great! Thanks Gladney for the journey so far :)
KBS Dossiers - International Adoption Document Preparation Service Gladney had recommend Kate as resource to help put our dossier together. You don't need a service, you can totally do it on your own, but if you can afford to use her, it is so worth every cent! I asked around about her before deciding to use her and everyone else I talked to said the same thing. She can either help you put together the whole thing, generating all your necessary document and authenticating them or just authenticating (at county, state and federal levels). She will provide you with a CD copy (in addition to a hard copy) perfect for taking with you when you travel.
Jeff Doyle - He was our courier to take our dossier to the state department for authentication. He also took it to the Rwanda Embassy and picked it back up and mailed it back to us with all the proper stamps and such. He is a nice guy- easy to work with, reliable and knows what he is doing. If you don't live in/near Washington DC and need someone to do this stuff for you, give him a call or email. You can email him at documentman@earthlink.net or call him at (703) 298-2382.
Empowered to Connect - Here you can find a free copy of Created to Connect: A Christian's Guide to The Connected Child. You can subscribe to their feed and receive great information based on Dr. Purvis's book. There is also lots of articles, audios and videos. Good stuff!
Saddleback Church's Orphan Care Ministry This is my church's website for Orphan Care. There is lots of good information if you are curious about adopting, have adopted, want to get connected or looking to start your own Orphan Care Ministry at your church. I've been getting more involved with this ministry and would love to help you if you are wanting to get something going at your church- no matter what the size of your congregation! It's not just about caring for orphans in less developed countries but we also have a great foster care aspect to the ministry.
TCU Institute of Child Development - strives to help children suffering the effects of early trauma, abuse or neglect. We conduct research to deepen understanding about the complex needs of these children and how and why these harmful experiences can impair development and lead to social, behavioral and emotional problems. We design and promote research-based models for practical interventions that anyone can use to help children heal and reach their highest potential.
