Helping adopted kids navigate school projects
Chicago Tribune, September 7, 2008
For families formed through adoption or foster care, or for children being raised by a non-parent relative, the challenges often go well beyond where to sit in the lunchroom ...
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Family Picnic with The Cradle and Holt International
Celebrate adoption at the Greater-Chicago Adoption Celebration, hosted by The Cradle, Holt International, and Lutheran Social Services. There will be a special meet-and-greet session for new and prospective adoptive families to talk with Holt staff about international adoption. There will also be fun children's activities and special programming for all ages. Bring a friend, a main dish or side dish to share with everyone, family photos, and be prepared for a day of fun, food, friends all in the spirit of celebrating adoption.

Description:

When: Saturday, August 16th
City: Westmont, Illinois
Location: Veterans Memorial Park
Address: East Richmond Street and Linden Avenue
Time: 11:00 - 3:00PM
Cost: Free
Who's it for: Adoptive families, adoptees, parents in process and prospective adoptive parents

More US firms help workers adopt
CNN - USA, June 20, 2008
Nearly half of 1000 major US firms offer adoption aid -- up from 12 percent in 1990, says a consultant. "Never once do you feel like you're in a separate ...
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Online radio show on Transracial Adoption
July 2nd, 11 AM - Noon Central Time
www.creatingafamily.com
"Creating a Family: Talk about Adoption and Infertility" is a radio show/podcast designed as an educational resource for people interested in adoption or infertility. The show is hosted by Dawn Davenport, the author of The Complete Book of International Adoption. Her guests for the July 2 show on Transracial Adoption are Judy Stigger and Susan Soon-Keum Cox. Judy is The Cradle's Director of International Adoption and content expert for the Adoption Learning Partners' course Conspicuous Families. Susan is the Vice President of Public Policy and Advocacy at Holt International as well as an adopted person from Korea. The show will cover the issues raised by transracial adoption and what parents can do to help their transracially/transculturally adopted children.

The show is live Wednesday, July 2nd from 11-12 Central Time and can be heard at the radio page on www.creatingafamily.com . Listeners can call into the show or email questions in advance to dawn@creatingafamily.com.
Listen Here >

Colorblind Adoption
The Takeaway Radio Show
Is colorblind adoption short-sighted?
Download MP3 Sound Byte >

Adoption study tackles race
chicagotribune.com, May 27, 2008
Child-welfare groups embrace findings that legislation requiring 'colorblind' placement of minority youngsters should be changed. Like most parents, Sharon Stone has had to have some frank discussions with her teenage son about everything from drinking to sex.
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Survey says trans-racially adopting parents should have training
ABC7Chicago.com, May 27, 2008
Survey says trans-racially adopting parents should have training There's a call to change the way federal laws address the issue of race-related issues in adoptions.
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Color-blind rules hurt transracial adoptees
Sun-Times, May 30, 2008
"You must be such wonderful people." "How much did you pay for him?" "Is that one of those crack babies?" Such are the kinds of questions white parents who adopt minority kids sometimes get, says Judy Stigger...
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The Cradle adoption agency doesn't just change lives - it creates new ones
North by Northwestern, April 23 , 2008
Nine-year-old Grayson King dangles a plastic camera over the railing of the stairs as he swings the toy around from the first landing. His dancing, downy-blond head can barely be seen below. The toy belongs to his two-and-a-half-year-old sister, Samantha...
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The Cradle is Hague Accredited!
February 29, 2008
We are delighted to announce that The Cradle is amongst the first agenies awarded full accreditation status from the Council On Accreditation with respect to the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption.

The Hague Convention is an international treaty created to protect children, birth parents, and prospective adoptive parents by putting into place agreed upon standards of practice. In the US, The Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoptions is expected to enter into force on April 1, 2008.

Please refer to http://www.travel.state.gov/family/adoption/convention/convention_462.html to learn more.

Open adoption ... all grown up
Chicago Tribune, November 18, 2007
With the secrecy long gone, adoptees are now old enough to reflect on their unique family bonds
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Cross-cultural parenting
Sun-Times, August 24, 2007
When Judy Stigger's daughter Kathy was 8, Stigger took out all the congratulatory cards she'd received when she adopted her. She wanted Kathy to get a sense of the outpouring of love there'd been.
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Where do babies come from?
Sun-Times, August 10, 2007
When Chicago lawyer Catherine Nelson adopted her daughter, Grace, from an orphanage in Vietnam, she considered herself very lucky. Nelson was single, and many countries refuse to allow single parents to adopt.
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Mother and Son Offer Transracial Adoption Insights
National Public Radio, July 23, 2007
Judy Stigger, an adoptive mom as well as The Cradle's Director of International Adoption and Russia Program, speaks about transracial adoption on National Public Radio's Morning Edition.
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Russia open to adoption again
Chicago Tribune, July 13, 2007
Lucy Vanaria was in the condiment aisle at Target when her husband, Nick, called with the news that their long wait to adopt in Russia might soon be over.
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Russia renews adoption agencies' licenses
USA Today, July 10, 2007
Russia has reopened its doors to Americans who want to adopt children, re-accrediting seven adoption agencies based in the USA.
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Russia Re-opens to US Adoptions
July 5, 2007
Evanston, Illinois – In a ceremony on July 4th at the Ministry of Education in Moscow, the Russian government issued an official renewal of accreditation to The Cradle’s Russia adoption program. The much-anticipated move to issue re-accreditations effectively re-opens Russia to US families looking to adopt.

“The Cradle is honored to be among the first agencies to receive re-accreditation from Russia,” says Judy Stigger, Director of International Adoption at The Cradle. “It means that we can now focus on what we do best – helping orphaned children find permanent, loving homes. Families from across the US who are waiting to welcome these children home will be celebrating today.”

Russia had allowed all international adoption agency accreditations to lapse, as they worked to overhaul their internal process for issuing approvals. The last of the US agency accreditations expired in April of 2007. The newly issued accreditations, while being reviewed annually, do not have a set expiration date. This is a welcome change from the past, when accreditations needed to be re-issued every year.

A total of 8 accreditations were issued on July 4th; 7 to US agencies, and the French national adoption authority. The Cradle is the only Illinois-based agency now accredited by the Russian government.

Russia has been one of the most popular countries for international adoption for years. The number of Russian children being adopted into American families hit an all time high of 5,865 in 2004. In 2006, as US agency accreditations began to lapse, this number dipped to 3,706.

The Cradle is one of the oldest and largest adoption agencies in the United States, having placed more than 14,000 children from here and around the globe since 1923. For more information about Russian, international or domestic adoption, please call Joan Jaeger at (847) 733-3207 or log onto www.cradle.org.

The Cradle Rocks!
Chicago Tribune , March 27, 2007
A wad of "found money" landed on me a few weeks ago, not a lot but "found just the same in that it wasn't already slotted in the kinds of things we all have to deal with. It wasn't a fortune, just enough for a couple of really good restaurant meals.
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China to Raise Bar on Adoption
Chicago Tribune, December 22, 2006
Citing respect for China's cultural preferences, U.S. adoption agencies said Wednesday they would accept--with some sadness--proposed rules that would prevent most adults who are single, obese or older than 49 from adopting Chinese children.
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The Cradle Associates Recognize Companies Committed to Supporting Adoption
Five Chicago-area companies have been selected as the 2006 recipients of The Silver Cradle: Recognizing Corporate Commitment to Building Families. The Silver Cradle award is given annually to companies that demonstrate outstanding support of employees’ efforts to create families through adoption.  Honorees are selected by The Cradle Associates based on a review of the companies’ adoption benefits programs, including financial assistance, paid leave, counseling services, educational programs, and referral networks.

The Cradle Associates is pleased to recognize the 2006 honorees:
Equity Office Properties
McDonald’s Corporation
Baxter International Inc.
AT&T
Shure Incorporated
Tribune Company

From Foreign to Family
ABC7 News, November 26, 2006
View the recent ABC7 News story featuring two Cradle adoptive families, as they share their journeys to adopt children internationally, and learn about the requirements and paperwork that are a part of the adoption process. View video >

Adoption Lessons
November, 18, 2006, Chicago Tribune, Voice of the People
Cradle adoptive mom Catherine Nelson thanks the Tribune for coverage about the need for adoption-friendly classrooms in our schools. She promotes The Cradle's efforts to assist teachers in creating awareness for adoption in the classroom through in-services and educational brochures.

Brightest stars can overshadow charities
October 22, 2006, Metromix
When charity and celebrity collide, as they did with Madonna's recent adoption of a little boy from Malawi, the cause at hand is often overlooked. People aren't focused on the needs of little David Banda and the reported 1 million orphans in the impoverished southern African nation. Cradle President Julie Tye works to bring attention back to the needs of children in need of homes around the world.

A Personal Story of Transracial Adoption
August, 23, 2006, NPR News & Notes with Ed Gordon
Sarah and Dan Giloth are white. Their 9-month-old adopted daughter, Shelby, is black. The were matched together by The Cradle. The Giloths offer personal observations on transracial adoption -- the joys of parenthood and the challenges of forming a mixed-race family. Click here to listen >

Breaking Through Adoption's Racial Barriers
August 17, 2006, New York Times Article
Click here to download a copy of the Times article featuring two of our Sayers Center families, as well as discussing the training we provide to families through our classes and Adoption Learning Partners.

NEW! Online General Information Meeting
We now offer an online version of our general information meeting that families can view when and where it is most convenient for them. This online presentation introduces all of our adoption programs and allows families to start their journey to adopt today! View our online presentation.

Connections Online Adoption Community Center
In June 2006, we launched our first foray into online message boards. The Connections Community Center is space for birthparents, adoptive parents, prospective adoptive parents and adopted persons to share their adoption experiences, and create connections to other Cradle friends and families. View the forum

Click here to watch The Cradle's new TV commercial.

The Cradle Featured on NPR Discussion of Gay Adoption Bans
Talk of the Nation, March 2, 2006 - The battle over the role of gays and lesbians in society may be moving from marriage to the homefront as a number of states are gearing up to oppose gay adoption. The Cradle's Executive Director of Adoption Services, Linda Hagemen speaks for The Cradle in support of same-gender adoption.
Click here to listen to the story.

The Cradle and Gay Adoption Featured in the Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune, March 20, 2006 - "Are gay adoptions shaping up as nation's next culture clash?"
Click here to read the story

The "A is for Adoption" Educator Brochure
The Cradle Associates have created a simple brochure for teachers and educators to raise awareness about adoption sensitive issues in the classroom. Click here to download the brochure, or email Maureen Kelly at mkelly@cradle.org, if you would like to request copies of the brochure.

The Cradle's Sayers Center featured in Ebony
The November 2005 issue of Ebony magazine features an article highlighting The Sayers Center. Click here to download the article.

Adoption Reform Act Featured in Chicago Parent
Cradle President Julie Tye's op-ed outlining the importance of the Illinois Adoption Reform Act for child welfare practice is featured in the November issue of Chicago Parent. Click here to read the article.

Cradle Russia Program Reaccredited!
The Cradle's re-accreditation to work in Russia was granted on September 15, 2005! We will be contacting families already in our Russia program with the good news, and next steps for travel or referral. We welcome new prospective families interested in adopting from Russia.

Share your family's adoption story with us!
One of the most rewarding parts of working at The Cradle is hearing the adoption success stories from our families, and sharing in their joy. If you would like to share your adoption story and family pictures with The Cradle, please email them to Jenn Sutherland; please include written permission for use of your story & photos. Or you may mail your story, pictures and written consent for use to Jenn at: The Cradle: 2049 Ridge Ave., Evanston, IL 60201. We will add the collected stories to our website, and consider them for use in other printed materials.

Send us your photos!
We are looking for some beautiful baby (and family) pictures! We are always in need of pictures to use in our newsletters, brochures and letters to our Cradle friends and families. If you have some great photos of your children and family that you would like to share with our extended Cradle family, please contact Jenn Sutherland at 847-733-3224 or cradle@cradle.org. Or simply download our release form, and send it in with your photos. Thank you!