Hearing cancelled for couple charged with killing their adopted son Wednesday, August 31, 2005 By MICHAEL P. BUFFER The Express-Times FLEMINGTON -- A hearing on pretrial motions was cancelled last week in the criminal case against Robert and Brenda Matthey, a Union Township couple facing manslaughter charges for the October 2000 death of their adopted Russian son. Prosecutors and defense attorneys in the case instead met last week with state Superior Court Judge Roger F. Mahon behind closed doors. Hunterdon County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Harvey B. Lester declined comment on the meeting and said another conference is scheduled for Sept. 28. Lester said he didn't know if that conference would be open or closed to the public. [more...] AFOA Launches Letter-Writing Campaign to Congress, Appealing for Help to Address Proposed Moratorium of Russian Adoptions 8/29/2005 5:43:00 PM ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ To: National and International desks Contact: Eileen Kadletz of AFOA, 631-957-0897 NEW YORK, Aug. 29 /U.S. Newswire/ -- American Foundation for Orphans Abroad (AFOA) has launched a letter-writing campaign to the members of Congress to address through diplomatic channels the pending moratorium of Russian international adoptions; to bring to light the suffering and injustices the children endure on a daily basis in the Russian orphanage system; and to request their help to be a voice for adoptive families and the orphaned and abandoned children of Russia. As reported on July 19, 2005, in USA Today, Yekaterina Lakhova, chairwoman of the Motherhood, Children's & Family Issues Committee of the Russian Duma, the committee that oversees adoption legislation, made the following statement at a news conference: "When 13 children die in one country . [more...] Homespun...Prayers were answered Monday, August 29, 2005 Opinion -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Jim Langham Monday, August 29, 2005 4:09 PM CDT When Decatur resident Linda Cauble wanted to pour her love out on Cathy Busick and her husband Shaun, the former Bellmont basketball coach, she decided to make a special quilt. Her original purpose was to comfort Cathy, a dear friend, who along with Shaun had just returned from a disappointing trip to Russia, where their hopes of adopting a child had been dashed. Through the encouragement of church friends, the Busicks had connected with a pastor and wife who facilitated adoptions in Russia. The decision to fly to Russia to arrange an adoption came after years of futile attempts to have children. [more...] 'Gotcha' for good August 29, 2005 BY SANDRA PESMEN They reach out empty arms. Children from another land move into them, and people who waited months or even years for these moments think, "Gotcha!" That memory inspires many of these parents to informally celebrate "Gotcha Day" -- the anniversary of their child's arrival, celebrated much like a second birthday. [more...] Russian orphans try out U.S. American hosts are likely to adopt 30 young visitors August 28, 2005 BY TERRY LEE GOODRICH FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM Luda, a 9-year-old Russian orphan, has been in the United States for less than two weeks. But already she knows what "cool" means and can say "thank you" and "good-bye" in English. In the Russian orphanage, she sleeps in a small room with four other children. But during her visit this month with prospective parents in Colleyville, Texas, she is delighted to have a room to herself, Luda said through a translator. [more...] Special Needs Orphans Get Help Project Raises Funds For Children's Operations August 29, 2005 By REGINE LABOSSIERE, Courant Staff Writer The Redentis had three sons and wanted one more. Mary Jean Redenti gave birth to the two older boys and she and her husband adopted their third son, who has a developmental disability, from Russia. For the fourth child, Redenti knew what she wanted. "This time we wanted to have someone with a physical disability. ... We specifically said no arm, no leg," Redenti said, referring to her and her husband, Andrew's, choice to adopt again. "We just wanted to give a child a home who normally wouldn't have a home." The Redentis contacted Lutheran Community Services of Southern New England, a Massachusetts-based adoption agency with a satellite office in Rocky Hill. In May 2004, they brought Jonah from China to their North Haven home. Jonah was born with one hand [more...] LITTLE GIRL FROM ACROSS THE GLOBE COMES HOME TO BELMONT with love Posted on Sun, Aug. 28, 2005 JOE DEPRIEST It's a Saturday and the kinfolk, 30 or more, are around a big dinner table at a Clover, S.C., farmhouse. Irene Rogers, 79, has cooked the usual weekend spread: fried chicken, beef tips and rice, ham biscuits, fried okra and green beans. As everybody digs in, they check out a stranger -- little Sara, the year-old girl Jeff and Dana Plyler recently adopted in Russia. Nobody looks more intently than Rogers. It's the first time she's met her 18th great-grandchild. I wish I'd been there for the grandmother's reaction to the newest member of a traditional Carolina family. The Plylers had driven over to Clover from Belmont, where they live down the street from my wife and me. We didn't really know the couple, but we wanted to. We just hadn't gotten around to it. A friend told us the Plylers were just back from Russia with an adopted child. Not long after that, I sat in their living room with Sara playing at my feet, listening to how she got to Belmont. She's a lucky girl. One problem after another confronted the Plylers in the adoption process. But they'd do it all again. [more...] Ukrainian orphans visit city to meet couples, have fun Sunday, August 28, 2005 GREG GARRISON News staff writer Valerie Hall has a house full of Russian-speaking children. A group of 24 orphans from Ukraine has been visiting Birmingham the past week, meeting couples who could end up being their new parents. "People come by and interact with the kids, fall in love with them, and are seeking more information on pursuing adoption," said Valerie Hall, who four years ago adopted a pair of Ukrainian sisters and blended them in with the three children she gave birth to. Hall helped start a group called Hope for Orphans of the World, and in 2003 brought a group of Ukrainian orphans for a visit to Birmingham. Four of those children have been adopted. Last year, another group came, and three of those are in the process of being adopted. [more...] A desperate mother's loving gift to Angelina August 27, 2005 LONDON: When Angelina Jolie adopted her Ethiopian baby girl earlier this year she thought it was an orphan. Now it has emerged Zahara has a mother, who has revealed the baby was the product of a rape. Teenager Mentewab Dawit agonisingly gave her baby up after realising she was dying from malnutrition. Tracked down by London's Sun newspaper to a ramshackle, fly-infested mud hut, Mentewab thanked the Hollywood star for saving her daughter's life. "I am so grateful to this lady for giving my daughter a better life," she said. "I want them both to know I love them very much. And I want to say thank you to Angelina for giving my baby this wonderful, loving family." [more...] Angelina Jolie's recent adoption raises awareness People News Aug 27, 2005, 12:19 GMT Angelina Jolie's adoption of an Ethiopian orphan has given hope to thousands more parentless children, because her example has sparked a huge interest in adoption. Agencies in Ethiopia have been flooded with calls because hopeful parents in America are now considering giving homes to other children from the African nation. Earlier this summer (05), Jolie adopted Zahara Marley, giving her four-year-old Cambodian son Maddox a sibling [more...] JOLIE'S LATEST ADOPTION INCREASES ETHIOPIA INTEREST August 26, 2005 ANGELINA JOLIE's adoption of an Ethiopian orphan has given hope to thousands more parentless children, because her example has sparked a huge interest in adoption. Agencies in Ethiopia have been flooded with calls because hopeful parents in America are now considering giving homes to other children from the African nation. Earlier this summer (05), Jolie adopted ZAHARA MARLEY, giving her four-year-old Cambodian son MADDOX a sibling. And since setting up home with the little girl in the US, interest in adoption rates in Ethiopia have surged among the four US agencies that arrange adoptions in the poverty-stricken country. [more...] Castro Valley couple create a special family Pair adopt daughter in Greece and then find her little sister there, too By Michelle Beaver, STAFF WRITER Article Last Updated: 08/24/2005 02:46:03 AM She had only seen one picture of the little girl who later became her daughter. Even so, Donna Fitzwater of Castro Valley immediately picked her out of a chaotic orphanage dining hall full of children who Fitzwater had also never met. From the second she saw her, Fitzwater knew it was the little girl in the picture. "I felt like I was in a dream," Fitzwater said. "There she was in person. Finally. She looked so healthy." Fitzwater's voice fills with even more cheer than usual when she reminisces about the Ethiopian toddler she adopted 15 years ago. [more...] Potential families link in joyous adoption meeting BY SUE PATTERSON CONTRIBUTOR Aug 25, 2005 Masha, a Russian-born girl with red hair resembling Pippi Longstocking's, had just left the swimming pool at the Holiday Inn Chicago-Skokie Conference Center on Touhy Avenue. Her prospective adoptive father Neil Quam of Oak Park offered her a quarter to play one of the arcades in the hotel. Masha smiled broadly and started to run, but then stopped in her tracks, turned and said, "Thank you!" [more...] Slavery and Belarus By Anna Volk 08/23/2005 Decree N3 doesn't benefit orphans either. "Twelve thousand Belarusian orphans have been deprived of the chance to be adopted by foreigners," says Natalja Pospelova, the director of the Belarusian Adopting Center. Last year, foreign families adopted 596 children. Now, according to the decree, one can adopt a child only with the consent of the minister of education, who is personally responsible for the fate of all adoptions he approves. Will he personally meet with all 600 foster parents? Not likely. Nor is the minister likely to risk his chair for the sake of some foreigners or an orphan. "refused" is much more likely to be stamped on every adoption request from here on out. [more...] FIRST-PERSON: Russia’s orphans & the Father of the fatherless Aug 22, 2005By Russell D. MooreBaptist Press LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP)--Somewhere in the Kremlin right now, officials are weighing whether to cut off the adoption of Russian children to Americans and other foreigners. As I type this, two former Russian orphans, my sons Benjamin and Timothy, are running around my chair singing songs. At issue are a series of horrible abuse cases in which American families have harmed, or even killed, their children. These cases have given impetus to a nativist Russian nationalism that hates the idea of their children becoming, of all things, Americans [more...] Will Russia ban foreign adoptions? Russian Information Agency Novosti Mon, 22 Aug 2005 3:57 AM PDTMOSCOW. (RIA Novosti commentator Olga Sobolevskaya.) Valentina Petrenko, head of the social policy committee of the Federation Council (the upper house of parliament), has proposed that foreigners be banned from adopting Russian orphans. [more ...] Couple go through process to bring a new addition to their family from RussiaBY Danielle Purifoy : The Herald-Sunabc@heraldsun.comAug 21, 2005 : 9:11 pm ET Stepping into the Rhodes' Chapel Hill home, one finds memories of Russia everywhere. A hand-stitched tea cozy depicting the lucky troika, a Russian carriage pulled by three horses abreast, sits on the living room shelves, along with more than 13 matryoshka ("little mother") dolls, all with different faces, and all telling different stories. [more...] Program offers way for families to meet children By JEFF KLEIN, The Herald Press08/21/2005MIDDLETOWN -- A picnic Saturday gave people considering adoption a unique opportunity to meet and interact with orphans. The picnic was held at the home of Glenn Russo, executive director and founder of International Orphans Foundation, which finds loving parents for orphans who are legally available for adoption. The picnic was part of a three-week program that brought orphans from Ukraine to the United States. [more...] Red tape toughens plans to adopt Russian kids By Mary K. Reinhart, Tribune August 21, 2005 It didn’t take long for Russian sisters Tatiana and Ekatarina to settle into the routine at Amy Aubry’s Gilbert home. That’s part of what makes saying goodbye so much harder. The orphans are among a group of 18 Russian children staying with East Valley host families this month while they attend an action-packed day camp and learn about American culture through Family Hope, a program of International Family Services. They return to Russia on Wednesday. [more...] Kidsave offers couple a look at adoptions By Sharon A. Heilbrunn UNION-TRIBUNE COMMUNITY NEWS WRITER August 20, 2005 DEL MAR – John and Susan Miller can feel their biological clocks ticking. They're both in their 40s. Yet they don't plan on having children of their own. Instead, they are considering adoption. They found their answer an ocean away. The Millers are hosting two sisters from Kazakhstan, a former Soviet Republic in Central Asia, for six weeks as part of the Kidsave International Summer Miracles Program. The effort enables older orphanage children from Russia, Kazakhstan and Colombia to travel to the United States and live with host families. [more....] Couple adopts Ukrainian kids August 19, 2005 By Shelly Ingram - Staff Writer8/19/05Winston Churchill once called Russia a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. But for Victoria and Richard Reynolds, Russia has provided answers instead of riddles and mystery. The parents of three grown children, the couple missed the challenges and rewards of parenthood. They had been considering adoption for several years when Victoria read an article about Russian orphans who find themselves in dire circumstances after being released from state care at age 16. [more...] Revisiting the OrphanageMoscow Times, Thursday, August 18, 2005. Issue 3233. Revisiting the Orphanage By Martha Randolph Carr Jamie Foxx, Oprah Winfrey, Maya Angelou, Angelina Jolie. These are just a few of the famous faces who have gotten involved in the world crisis of how to help raise the many children who find themselves without homes. What is in the best interests of the child is once again a hot topic in the United States and, finally, with a twist. Orphanages are becoming part of the discussion again, but in a modern-day form. Mention the word "orphanage" in a conversation and people draw back with the expected flinch. Odds are, someone will add a line from the popular musical "Annie" or a grim 19th-century novel like Charles Dickens' "Oliver Twist." "Please sir, could I have some more?" [more...] For local family, life and love from Russia draws nearPosted on Thu, Aug. 18, 2005By BOB REDDY Special to the Times LeaderLittle boy finds a new permanent family, thanks to a summer program.PLAINS TWP. – Dmitry Sonnikov is only a few days from returning to an orphanage in Russia, but his stay there will be brief because his host family has decided to adopt the 11-year-old. “It is something which feels so right,” said Bill Perry, who, with his wife Judy, has hosted the boy for five weeks as part of a Wilkes-Barre Chapter of the Volunteers of America Summer Dream program that brings children to Northeastern Pennsylvania [more...] From Russia with love Melanie Cummings, Special to the BeaverAug 17, 2005 Until last Saturday, Oksana and Anatoliy Brewhanov hadn't realized the heartfelt expanse of their hospitality. The Russian couple work for an international adoption agency in Krasnoyarsk, a city of about one million people in western Siberia. Since 1996 they have been the first point of contact for countless Canadians embarking on parenthood. [more...] ET RUNNING: Fund-raising run Saturday in MarshallBy GLENN EVANSTuesday, August 16, 2005A fund-raising run in Marshall Saturday could take participants all the way to Russia. The third annual Hope Run not only raises money that missionary Sally Allred gives to orphanages in Russia, India and Thailand during a six-month mission beginning in October. It also has the potential to raise up more missionaries and put potential adopting parents on track to welcome an orphan into their lives. [more...] Russian children to spend three weeks in Houston area Summer program part of Tomball church's Family Hope camp By KIM HUGHES Chronicle Correspondent RESOURCES More than 20 families in the North Houston area are hosting 34 orphans from Russia this summer, as part of the North Oaks Baptist Church Family Hope camp, 18411 Stuebner Airline in Tomball. Jyl Cashion, Family Hope coordinator, said the camp is a chance for Russian children to experience American culture and a wholesome family environment. [more...] Kidsave offers couple a chance to try out adoption August 17, 2005 DEL MAR – John and Susan Miller can feel their biological clocks ticking. DEL MAR – John and Susan Miller can feel their biological clocks ticking. They're both in their 40s. Yet they don't plan on having children of their own. Instead, they are considering adoption. They found their answer an ocean away. The Millers are hosting two sisters from Kazakhstan, a former Soviet Republic in Central Asia, for six weeks as part of the Kidsave International Summer Miracles Program. The effort enables older orphanage children from Russia, Kazakhstan and Colombia to travel to the United States and live with host families. [more....] Parliament committee proposes banning foreign adoptions 16:08 | 17/ 08/ 2005 MOSCOW, August 17 (RIA Novosti) - The social policy committee of the Federation Council, parliament's upper chamber, has proposed prohibiting foreigners from adopting Russian children, committee chairperson Valentina Petrenko said Wednesday. The committee has already asked the Prosecutor General's Office to ban foreign adoptions, she said. "Many murders of children in adoptive families, mainly in the United States, caused our decision," Petrenko said. [more....] Poll says government must tackle homeless children plight 18:01 | 18/ 08/ 2005 MOSCOW, August 18 (RIA Novosti) - Most Russians (72%) believe it is the government's responsibility to deal with the plight of homeless children, a recent poll conducted by the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM) found. Half of the respondents placed responsibility on families of the homeless, while 10% of respondents said the problem is of local concern and could be solved by municipal authorities. [more....] Plenty of American kids await adoption Thursday, August 18, 2005American couples seeking to adopt children, but often unable to find the kind of children they want here, have been adopting children from overseas. They open their homes to thousands of children, mostly from developing countries, who otherwise might languish in crowded orphanages. The number of international adoptions has gradually increased over the years -- to 23,000 last year -- as adoption agencies develop networks with other nations. [more....] A world of difference: Ailing Russian orphan becomes thriving young American By Carrie Simmons / Daily News Staff Thursday, August 18, 2005WALTHAM -- Ten years ago when Jim and Andrea Baron met 2 1/2-year-old Michaela at an orphanage in Moldova, she was the size of an 18-month-old infant and could not eat solid foods, talk or even crawl. They had no doubts that she would need leg braces to walk or that she would be held back in school, but the Barons were drawn in by Michaela's baby blue eyes and quickly fell in love with the Valentine's Day baby. [more...] "Other" moms hauntArticle Last Updated: 08/16/2005 10:19:46 AM By Jenny Deam Denver Post Staff Writer Rattling down a dirt road on a September night in 2001, pushing deeper into the rural Siberian countryside, Candace Johnston had never felt so far from home. She and five others had poured into an aging Russian- made subcompact optimistically built for four. She hung from an open window each time they passed a woman of a certain age. "Is it her? Is it her?" Johnston had been here before. Four years earlier, she, her husband, Ed Hoagland, and their eldest daughter, McKinsey, had traveled from Denver to the Siberian city of Tyumen to adopt a girl. It was there in a baby house, or orphanage, they found their second daughter, whom they named Morgan. She was 9 months old and had been abandoned at birth. [more...] A family embraceTuesday, August 16, 2005By Melissa Flores Gilroy - It took a trip around the world to complete Tina Malone’s family. The single mother of three teens added a toddler to the family this summer - a small, young girl with wispy, light brown hair and bright eyes born in Russia nearly three years ago. [more...]
Russian children to spend three weeks in Houston area Summer program part of Tomball church's Family Hope camp By KIM HUGHES Chronicle Correspondent RESOURCES More than 20 families in the North Houston area are hosting 34 orphans from Russia this summer, as part of the North Oaks Baptist Church Family Hope camp, 18411 Stuebner Airline in Tomball. Jyl Cashion, Family Hope coordinator, said the camp is a chance for Russian children to experience American culture and a wholesome family environment. [more...]
Hearing cancelled for couple charged with killing their adopted son
