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DOES THE PROGRAM WORK?
Since its inception, the Bridge of Hope program has been directly responsible
for the adoption of more than 400, or over 90%, of the older Russian children who
participated in our summer programs. We continue placement efforts for children
who have not yet found their "forever family.” In 1997, the first Bridge of Hope
program brought 13 Russian orphans to the mid-Hudson region
of New York. In 1998, 34 of 36 BOH children staying in New York and the
Washington DC area were adopted. In 1999, 36 of 43 children participating
in our DC Metro, Long Island, and mid-Hudson programs found adoptive families.
For BOH 2000, host families in Virginia, Maryland, Connecticut, New Jersey, and
New York hosted 49 children, and 43 were adopted. In 2001, 38 of the 43
children who participated in the program were adopted. In BOH 2002, host
families from Long Island, Connecticut, New Jersey and the DC metro area adopted
36 of 38 participating children. In 2003, 64 children participated in our
Bridge of Hope program on the east coast and in California; 53 were adopted.
In 2004, 60 out of 64 BOH children were adopted. Sixty-nine of 71 children
who participated in BOH 2005 found adoptive families, and 29 out of 30 BOH 2006
children are now in the process of being adopted through hosting areas in
Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Kansas,
Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
Our success in finding homes for these older children is directly attributable
to the Bridge of Hope program, which enables families and children to spend time
together before making life-long commitments.
PROGRAM AREAS
Bridge of Hope 2007 plans to bring children to stay with
families in Connecticut, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Mid-Hudson and
Long Island, New York, Maryland, Virginia and the Washington, D.C., the Midwest,
and neighboring areas within a three-hour drive of BOH regions.. We are committed to keeping the children in touch with each other during
the summer, and we cannot supervise individual children all over the country.
Therefore, we require that our host families live near a program region and
commit themselves to participate in BOH activities, which include orientation,
arrival and departure meetings and at least two weekend events.
We are often asked about expanding Bridge of Hope to other geographic areas. For
this to happen, a dedicated group of volunteers would have to meet the expansion
guidelines set out on our website, which include fundraising, recruitment of
host families, day camp scholarships, translators, and much more. Please
contact us if you're interested in helping to start a new BOH region in your
area.
ABOUT THE CHILDREN
The Russian children participating in Bridge of Hope will be between the
ages of 6 and 11 years old and will be selected by their orphanage directors as
healthy, socially well adjusted, and able to handle the demands of this type of
program. In late spring, selected host families will receive a brief medical
report and picture of the child or children they will host.
All BOH children are legally available for adoption. Most participants will be
individual children, however some will be sibling groups of two. The children do
not speak English, and this may be the child’s first experience in a family
setting. All of the children must return to Russia at the program’s conclusion.
Neither Russian nor U.S. authorities will permit them to remain in the United
States even if you decide to adopt.
It must be noted that children born to intact functional families generally do
not end up in orphanages. Most children in orphanages were born to poor families
or single mothers, or they have been abandoned or were taken from birth parents
due to neglect or abuse. All children are impacted by life in an institution.
They will have developmental delays that may affect their speech, motor skills,
cognitive functioning, and physical growth. Children may also exhibit
institutional behavior such as rocking or other self-stimulating activities.
However, BOH children are reported to have a good prognosis for a healthy future
if provided with the love, support, and treatment they will need to overcome the
challenges they faced prior to adoption.
WHAT BRIDGE OF HOPE PROVIDES
Through the generosity of many donors and volunteers, Bridge of Hope offers our
summer campers an unforgettable visit to the United States to attend local
summer day camps and experience life in a family setting. Russian adult escorts
accompany the children to and from the U.S. We provide health insurance to cover
the cost of emergency health care needs (major medical problems such as accident
or sudden illness requiring hospitalization) for each child and escort during
the program. We assist host families to solicit scholarships for day camps in
their vicinity. Our staff provides training, education, and support to families
and children throughout the program.
FUNDRAISING, DONATIONS & VOLUNTEERS
Bridge of Hope 2006 must raise a minimum of $4,500 per child to cover all
program expenses. Fundraising efforts and
generous donations of individuals, organizations, corporations and foundations
and host families will assist in this effort. BOH staff and families have raised
funds through church drives, candy sales, special events, employer donations and
direct solicitations.
All funds raised go directly to cover the expenses of the Bridge of Hope
program. We have a sponsorship program for individuals, groups or corporations
interested in funding the cost for one or more orphans to participate in the
program. Donations of any amount are always welcome.
Host families pay a non-refundable $500 application fee at the time they submit
their BOH application. This fee will be used to cover some of the program's
expenses, including staff time, travel, translation services, postage, long
distance calls, copies and faxes. Host families will also be required to pay a
$1,500 - $2,000 program fee, to help cover costs associated with bringing the
children to the U.S.
In addition, host families will be responsible for expenses associated with
meeting the child's needs during the visit, including food, clothing, personal
care items, medical or dental costs not covered by insurance and day camp
tuition if they are unable to obtain a partial or full scholarship. Note: The
BOH application fee and program fee are applied toward the expenses of the
Bridge of Hope program, are non-refundable and are not applied toward any
subsequent adoption fees.
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