The Dallas Post Dallas, PA Wednesday, July 19, 2000 -3 Russian orphan children visit Back Mountain with hope for finding adoptive parents a (continued from page 1) their own children. Gina, a former Miss Pennsylvania, runs a per- forming arts center for children who want to dance, sing, perform and act. Bill just loves all the kids. After four years of marriage and no children, Gina called The Dallas Post to inquire about an ad placed by Lutheran Services, an agency which was holding an in- formational meeting about adop- tion for prospective parents. “I think that was the beginning,” says Gina. They also fell in love with “little Sarah,” a Chinese girl adopted by a couple from Hunts- ville Christian Church, who sat in front of them every Sunday. “So we were thinking about a little Chinese baby.” Then last August Gina called a host family in Pennsylvania to arrange to meet two Russian or- phan girls who were visiting through the kidsave program. The host family had three children of their own. A meeting at Knoebel's never happened because the host family decided to adopt the chil- dren. The woman called Gina in tears and explained she could not let the children go. Disappointed, Gina composed herself and wrote the woman a thank you letter. “We thought these were not the right children for us,” she said. But says Gina, “This was com- pletely God-led, in the stars, and when one door closed I waited for another door to open.” Two days later the woman called again in tears to tell Gina and Bill that she was pregnant again and could not adopt the girls. The Ackermans started the formal adoption process to adopt the girls through an agency in Scranton called Worldlinks, run by a Russian woman, Tatiana Suslin. Worldlinks provides all the necessary documents, arranges a trip to Russia to meet the children and provides interpreters to couples while in Russia. “There is more and more interest to adopt Russian orphans every day,” Suslin said. All ready to go to Russia, Gina and Bill were handed a another setback on April 25th when new Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that all adoptions were on hold until he could relicense foreign adoption agencies. Again, Gina and Bill reeled but were not undaunted. Gina reread the translated version of Putin's an- nouncement and decided that it did not preclude individual couples from proceeding with their adoption plans. She and Bill re- wrote all their papers and docu- ments, with the help of Suslin, and then wondered how they would get a Russian visa to see the two little girls they wanted to adopt. Bill, a frequent business traveler, on a long-shot called the Marriott Travel Club, which was able to arrange tourist visas for him and Gina. They left for Russia the sec- ond week in May to attempt to see the orphan girls. They found the orphans well cared for and healthy, and were allowed to stay in the orphanage for five days. When they arrived the girls ran to Gina and called her “mother.” They also introduced her to their little brother. “We were expecting to adopt two little girls, we would not have chosen three children,” Gina says. “We knew the girls had a half brother but were told that they were not close, but as we stayed there we realized that this was a family.” The Russian government takes children from their natural par- ents in cases of abuse and ne- glect, both of which are aggra- vated by the country’s rampant alcoholism problem. Says Gina, “We did not see much poverty; people had very few things but their relationships with each other were very important.” The department of education in each state is responsible for orphanages since they are con- sidered boarding schools. The Russian government is very con- cerned that adopted Russian chil- dren are not abused, sold into prostitution, or adopted for their organs, explains Gina. “They are somewhat mistrustful and that translates into a stricter adoption process.” According to Kidsave there are 950,000 institutionalized children in central and eastern Europe. After graduation from the orphan- ages many of these children be- come “street people.” One in five become participants in crime, and Back Mountain families who are hosting Russian orphan children gathered at Hillside Farms recently. From left, Wendy Garrety, Marina, Brian Suder and Vera. POST PHOTOS/CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK During a recent visit to Hillside Farms, Wendy and Dave Garrety of Harveys Lake watched as Marina fed some hay to a hungry milk cow. one in 10 commit suicide. Brian and Brenda Suder of Harveys Lake are sure their guest orphan girl is perfect for their family. “The boys were totally against the idea to start but we prayed about it and then Chris cancelled his summer camp to be with Marina,” said Brian. “She’s teaching us some things too. She takes away the dishes after the meals.” The Suders have two natural children, teenaged Chris, and Alex, who is younger. Marina, a 10-year-old Russian girl, will fitin well with the family. “We saw the press release in The Dallas Post in April asking for host families. My wife and I talked about it and contacted Barbara Kryger,” Brian said. Wendy and Dave Garrety, of Harveys Lake, are also hosting a Russian orphan named Vera. “We're having a wonderful experi- ence this week,” says Wendy Garrety, with a twinkle in her eye, as she glances over to her hus- band, who is yet undecided about the outcome of the visit. Couples interested in hosting orphans are not committed to adopting them, but have first pri- ority if they do decide to adopt a child. In order to become a host family, or stand-by host family, a home visit and interview is re- quired. Couples intent on adopt- ing are required to file the neces- sary immigration and naturaliza- tion papers, and must make at least one visit to the orphanage in Russia to meet the child. “This is not convenient,” says Gina Ackerman. “It takes a lot of time, paperwork, and emotion. If you wanted a child out of conve- nience you would never do this.” All the children, whether adopted or not, must return to Russia after their visit here. Bill and Gina's Russian family are now off the national waiting list for orphans. Orphans are re- quired to be on the waiting list for six months . The Russian govern- ment has given them a tentative “thumbs up” on their adoption. They are at the end of the process and, according to Tatiana Suslin, could be called to collect their new family as soon as the end of this month. Sasha still needs an adoptive home here in the U.S. Anyone interested in meeting him should call Barbara or Brunon Kryger in Kingston at 714-4722. “He's a great boy,” says Judy Harvey of Trucksville, a mother of three and a former Red Cross swim teacher. “Excellent at adapt- ing to all environments and oh my, what an incredible athlete. He learned to swim in just two days.” Chris Suder talked over the finer points of cows with Vera. If you'd like to help Anyone interested in learning more about hosting or adopting Russian children can contact these resources: World Links Inc. is li- censed by the PA Dept. of Public Welfare to provide domestic and international adoptions. World Links is the sponsoring agency for Kidsave International's Sum- mer Miracles Program, which brings children ages 5-11 from Russian orphanages to live with American families for five weeks each summer. The goal of the program is to find permanent adoptive families for the children. Host families are under no obliga- tion to adopt. Contacts: Barbara and Brunon Kryger: Program coordina- tors who find host families, set up activities and plan transportation. Phone: 714-4722 e-mail: Russianchildren@aol.com World Links Inc.: Selects and brings children from Russia, coordinates host families and couples inter- ested in adoption. Phone: 383-8229 e-mail: wl_adopt@teisprint.com Kidsave International: Program to bring children from around the world to find adoptive families. Help with travel and medical ex- penses. Web site: www.kidsaveinternational.org Cara Nygren to attend Univ. of Tennessee Cara L. Nygren, a recent gradu- ate of Wilkes University with a degree in Chem- istry, will be at- tending the Uni- versity of Tennes- see, Knoxville, for graduate studies to. pursue her Masters degreein Physical Chemis- try. - She is a graduate of Lake-Lehman High School, and the daughter of Dale | and Brenda Nygren of Sweet Val- ley. Eric Nygren named to Syracuse dean's list Eric A. Nygren, Sweet Valley, was recently named to the dean's list at Syracuse University, Syra- cuse, NY., for the spring of 2000 semester. Heis a juniorattheL.C. Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science. He is a gradu- ate of Lake-Lehman High School, and the son of Dale and Brenda Nygren, Sweet Valley. Spencer earns USAF ROTC scholarship Mary Jane Spencer, the daughter of Dave and Dolores Spencer of Lehman has been awarded an Air Force ROTC scholar- ship to the Uni- versity of Hawaii. Mary Jane will be majoring in Pre-Med. Mary Jane is an honors graduate of Wall High School, Wall, NJ. g rand- Area graduates from Mansfield U A total of 279 degrees were awarded during Mansfield University's 136th commence- ment ceremonies in May. A graduating class of 252 re- ceived bachelor's degrees, 11 re- ceived associate's degrees and 16 master's degrees were awarded. Graduates from the Back Mountain were: Amory J. Fetko, Dallas, BS Criminal Justice Ad- ministration; Michael L. Kittle, Sweet Valley, BS Criminal Justice Administration; John R. Romano, Dallas, BA Liberal Studies. Dallas Class of 1990 planning reunion Dallas Senior High School, Class of 1990, is planning a re- union. Any interested classmates should contact either Peter Solinsky at Putskil@mindspring.com or (215) 508-0676, Erica Bullock- Mahoney at 333-5323, or Brenda Olsen at 675-2073. The tentative date for the reunion is set for September 2, 2000. Send or bring your sports reports to The Dallas Post 607 Main Rd. 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