Yes, all 'round!

Good news! We spent the morning in Kitchener, to attend the creditors' meeting where the final vote was held on the agency restructuring. There were 248 votes in favour of restructuring, and 20 against, so looks like things will be up and running in no time. There is a court date next Tuesday (September 29) for official approval, and the hoped-for start date for the agency is October 1. I spoke to a Guelph reporter for 570 News - microphone and everything, so will check later to see if I'm on the air. And a great couple we are getting to know, also with Ghana, did an on-camera interview with CH TV (Niagara, Halton, Hamilton, etc.). So tune in!

www.570news.com

www.chtv.com

Come Together

Yesterday we attended the creditors meeting facilitated by the trustee handling our agency's bankruptcy. It was a really positive experience - something so devastating has the potential to be a very exciting time of united action, hope, and restoration. There was completely unanimous agreement in the room to work together to restructure the agency so that all clients can continue their adoptions. There is a great deal of energy and a strong sense of collaboration in this group. The trustee was excellent, and enthusiastic, and there was a display of cooperation and negotiation amongst those willing to represent all creditors as an "inspector" (a committee of 5 people who will now work with the trustee to oversee primarily financial decisions moving forward). I had a real sense that everyone wants to make this work, is willing to collaborate to do it, and that there are some very skilled people with lots of wisdom playing key roles in all of this. It was worth making a spectacle of myself in my reclining lawn chair, pressure relief cushion, and back roll to be there! Oh, and I did answer a few questions from a reporter afterward - also exciting. I just can't remember his name and haven't found any quotes by me in the new articles I've been reading :) Ghana families met for lunch afterward to chat about our unique situation and action plan to see if there is a way our Ghana adoptions can continue...but that's a long story, so we'll leave it at that for now and see what unfolds!

Press Conference

Imagine clients speaking live to the media - pretty much sums everything up:

http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20090724/imagine_adoption_090724/20090724?hub=Toronto

Imagine Family Website & Blog

Keep up with news, plans, and other information related to efforts to find solutions for families of Imagine Adoption! Thank you SO much to everyone who is putting time and energy into this effort. We believe exciting things will come of all this.

familieswithhope.org

unitedfamiliesofimagine.blogspot.com

Encouraging Efforts & Support

Here is some public information that I wanted to paste here for quick reference, showing some of the efforts and support for Imagine Adoption clients so far (there are more examples, including official government statements, but these are quite lovely):

1. This an excerpt from a notice by Imagine's bankruptcy trustee, which is particularly pertinent to folks in our situation - there may still be hope that families without referrals will also have support to complete their adoptions along with those who have already been matched (and please remember to include these families in any letters, phone calls, etc.):

BDO Dunwoody is continuing discussions with the licensing government office, stakeholders, individuals and other organizations regarding continuity of services that were provided by the previous organization. If successful, and fully compliant with regulatory requirements, the unmatched files would continue to be managed. This objective is not typical for a bankruptcy of this nature; however, the sensitivity of this priority is recognized. We will continue to communicate the status of this option for the unmatched families between now and the creditor meeting on July 30th.

See http://www.bdo.ca/extranets/imagineadoption/index.cfm for more information

2. Here is a link to a blog post by a London MP for the Liberal Party, sharing his experience at our London area meeting last Sunday:

glenpearson.wordpress.com/2009/07/19/adopting-a-new-attitude/

3. Also, many, many thanks to Yamana Gold (www.yamanagold.com), who have so generously donated to keep Imagine's transition house in Ethiopia running - BDO states that Yamana's contribution will keep the home open until the children there are able to return home with their families. Beautiful.

Options?

As I continue to follow the news and plans in regard to Imagine's bankruptcy and its implications for families in the program, a couple of issues have captured my attention.

1. Can existing adoption programs in Ontario support Imagine's clients to pursue adoption if we are forced to look elsewhere?
2. If the government builds even short-term supports to help Imagine clients see their adoptions through to completion, will this include clients who did not have referrals, and those who were not with the Ethiopia program?

I believe that we need to continue advocating for Imagine clients to have their files processed through to completion of their adoptions, in light of a concern that the Ontario adoption system likely cannot handle the influx of families who may be exploring other programs. I have realized that there simply may not be options for all of us if the existing adoption system is overwhelmed with new applicants. I have concerns for all families, but particularly those who did not have referrals and who were not with Ethiopia. I am following online discussions and posting around these issues, to see if any action has been taken to give voice in this regard.

News Stories

For those interested in following our agency's story in the news, just google:

"imagine adoption" bankrupt

Using that search, you will find stories from CBC, CTV, various local news agencies and papers (including the London Free Press), the Globe & Mail, etc. New articles keep coming out, so I won't try to keep up by posting links here. There is some hope that the Ministry of Children & Youth Services in Ontario may work to provide some assistance, at least for families with referrals, to continue with their adoptions, but nothing is certain yet.

The story has also been featured in some local television news, and will be on Canada AM tomorrow (Wednesday, July 15) morning.

Here Goes...

Well folks, we seem to be making haste toward Ghana. It is so difficult to make these decisions, but it seemed clear after talking with our agency and seeing some of the connections with Ghana emerge in talking with people we know, that this is the direction for us. We hope to have our file off to Ghana in early January, once our homestudy and Ontario approval are complete.

The Ghana process is similar to the Ethiopia process, in that we don't travel until after court AND until after the permanent resident visas are issued. This does mean a little longer wait before we meet our children than it would in the Zambia program, but also means that there is little uncertainty about our length of stay in-country (unlike Zambia, where length of stay would have depended on the unpredictable time between court and visa issuance). Travel to Ghana only needs to be 7-10 days or so, but we would like to aim for about 3 weeks to experience the country a little better.

We have been so thankful the way things have come together to point us toward Ghana - it is reassuring having that sense of heading in the right direction.

A Reflection...on Adoption & Otherwise...

The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet

Frederick Buechner

New Details

Looks like the Zambia program is getting closer to being up and running, now that the suspension has been lifted & the process is being clarified there...

Africa Adoption Options

So, our agency is currently working with Ethiopia and Zambia for adoptions, although they are always looking at new opportunities as well. It's such a difficult decision, because so many factors are important. Zambia is appealing because time from referral to travel is likely going to be shorter than Ethiopia - since we would attend court on our own behalf, we would travel 90 days after referral for the court process and wait in Zambia for the children's permanent resident visas to be issued. In Ethiopia, a representative attends court for us, and we wouldn't travel until court was done AND the visas issued. But that's not the only consideration by far...we really want to feel a connection to our children's country of origin, and with Zambia we know so many people in our city who work with Zambian programs and are familiar with the people and culture. As well, our World Vision sponsor child lives in Zambia, and it would be a wonderful experience to meet him in person! The Ethiopia program has been running smoothly for a long time now, and so the longer wait for a referral may be a trade-off for a more predictable process. There has been news, though, regarding Zambia: since last summer/fall, adoption has been suspended in Zambia while they review adoption practices to ensure that all children are adopted in a completely legal manner. This has meant that so far, no one (even in Zambia) has been able to accept referrals for children. The following link will take you to the news report:

http://www.times.co.zm/news/viewnews.cgi?category=6&id=1210233923

However, the suspension has been lifted, which is very exciting for families who are simply waiting for referrals at this point, and since there are children already living in our agency's transition home in Zambia, we expect to hear about child referrals any day now for those whose files are already waiting in Zambia!