Happy New Year from all of the staff at Sunrise. We hope you had a wonderful holiday season.
2010 was a busy year for us at Sunrise. One hundred and twenty-three children found permanent homes with Sunrise families (Sunrise reported 18 Domestic and 105 Intercountry adoptions to MCFD for 2010). These children came primarily from Asia, Africa and the USA.
After helping in the formation of over a thousand families over the past 13 years, Doug Chalke retired from Sunrise. I want to again thank Doug for his vision and leadership. With such a firm foundation on which to build, I am pleased to report that the transition to new management has been very smooth.
Sunrise continued to develop new programs in 2010. One important new program is our HIV Adoption Program, started as a result of several countries asking if we could find parents for children who are HIV positive. I look forward to building this inspiring program in the years to come.
While adoption agencies and adopting parents around the world continue to face increasing challenges, we are looking forward to the year 2011. We will be exploring the potential for more programs during the year. One such new program has recently been launched. Effective January 1, 2011, Sunrise has a China Special Needs Adoption Program. Other new programs will be available over the coming months. In the Spring our staff will return to Africa to meet with government officials, visit orphanages and look at new programs.
Representatives from other countries also visited Sunrise over the year and made presentations to our families. These included government officials from China, Hague Accredited staff from Bulgaria and representatives from Korea. Meetings were held with families and their adopted children, as well as with prospective adoptive parents.
Our annual Birth Mother's Day Picnic in May, Sunrise Families Picnic in September, and Tree Decorating Party in December were all great events and well attended. It is always a highlight of the year for Sunrise staff to again connect with families as the children grow. Our parenting series continues to be a great opportunity for waiting parents to meet other families and learn some new strategies. The Birth Mother Support Group is ongoing and provides lasting support to birth mothers from both our staff and from each other.
From a global perspective, the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption is meeting intended goals. Eighty-five countries have now joined the Convention, and in some countries that have not joined the Convention many of the principles of Hague have been incorporated into practice. As a result of the Hague Convention, adoptions are increasingly carried out through Government-to-Government programs via Accredited Bodies.
The staff of Sunrise and I look forward to continuing our work on behalf of adopting parents, birth parents and children in the year ahead. All the best to you and your family for a happy and healthy 2011.
Natasha Chalke
Executive Director
Sunrise Family Services Society
Vancouver, January 7, 2011
www.sunriseadoption.com