We are primarily recruiting host families who are interested in adopting. A host family can be a married couple with or without children or a single person over 35 years of age who is able and willing to provide a warm and stable home environment for one or more Russian orphans. There should be no more than 45 years’ difference between the ages of the child and the prospective mother. The family must live in a Bridge of Hope program area and be available to host a child in their home for approximately four to five weeks from late June through early August 2002. They must also be in good physical and mental health.

Host families are required to complete a criminal record check as well as a state child abuse clearance. Families will have a home visit and safety check by a BOH representative. In some areas, host families may be required by state law to have a completed homestudy prior to the arrival of the children.

Host families provide BOH participants with room and board and transportation to and from a local day camp. If parents in the family work outside the home, it will be necessary to arrange a reliable back-up plan for coverage if the summer camper becomes sick or cannot attend camp for any reason. In addition, host families assist in locating a day camp in their area and in obtaining a full or partial scholarship for their camper. If a scholarship is not available, host families are expected to meet the cost of day camp.

Prior to the arrival of the children, host families are required to attend a day-long orientation meeting and parent workshop. During the children’s visit, there will be at least two mandatory social events for all members of the host family and the Russian child.

Russian language ability is a valuable asset to families but not required. Since most host families are not Russian-speaking, translation support is a critical element of a successful BOH experience. Assistance from a Russian-speaking individual is especially recommended for the child’s first days in the home and first days of camp, as well as to help with behavioral issues or cultural differences that may arise. Some families have also found that teen translators are helpful during the summer.

We expect the children will arrive in the U.S. in late June or early July 2002. They will need some time in your home to recover from jet lag, to get acclimated to living in a family, and to adjust to their non-Russian speaking environment. They will begin day camp shortly thereafter and will participate in day camp until just before their return to Russia.

Mid-way through the summer program, you will need to inform us about your interest in adopting. If you decide not to adopt or are unsure of your decision at that time, you will be required to provide other interested families the opportunity to meet the child or children you are hosting. It is critical that as many families as possible meet the children during the time they are in the U.S. Host families will have priority in adopting the child or children in their home, but the final decision as to which family adopts which child is made by our staff.

Our paramount concern is the welfare of the Russian children participating in Bridge of Hope. Our staff is always available to assist you and the child to have a positive summer experience. There are circumstances under which we might decide to remove the child from your home. This would occur if we believe the child is suffering abuse or neglect, including any physical discipline, if the child and the host family are not a good match, or if the host family has decided that they will not adopt the child. We will, at all times, consider what is best for the child, and reserve the right to move the child to another family at any time for any reason.

All of the children must return to Russia at the program’s conclusion in early August. Neither the Russian nor the U.S. authorities will permit the children to remain in the United States at the end of the program.

All Bridge of Hope adoptions will be handled by Cradle of Hope Adoption Center, Inc. (CHAC) located in Silver Spring, Maryland. Cradle of Hope is a highly respected and reputable nonprofit international adoption agency with more than ten years’ experience assisting Russian orphans and more than 1700 adoptions of children from Russia, Eastern Europe, China, and Latin America.

In order to adopt internationally, there are three different governmental authorities whose rules and regulations must be satisfied. First, you must meet the requirements of your state, which requires a homestudy report recommending you to be adoptive parents. For the Bridge of Hope program, homestudy services must be provided by a licensed nonprofit adoption agency in your state, rather than by an individual social worker. Second, you must meet the requirements of the U.S. federal government, by receiving permission from the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) to bring a foreign child into the U.S. Finally, you must comply with all of Russia’s adoption requirements. Cradle of Hope will help you with each and every step of the process. We estimate that it will take most families three to four months to complete all of the paperwork needed for a Russian adoption. Once your “dossier” is received in Russia, a court date will be scheduled in approximately three months in most regions. We encourage families who are committed to adopting to begin their paperwork as soon as possible to minimize the child’s wait to return to the U.S.

Some things you should know about Russia’s laws on adoption:

	Both adoptive parents are required to travel to Russia to process and complete the final adoption through the Russian court system. You will be overseas for approximately two weeks, although adoption trips are longer or shorter in some regions. Usually, one parent can return home after a week or families can make two short trips.
	Russian law gives Russian citizens priority in adopting orphans. Therefore, at any time in the process, a Russian family could adopt the child you hosted. This is a somewhat rare occurrence, but it is possible.
	It is also possible that Russia will require families to make two trips to Russia in order to complete an adoption. We will do everything possible to keep your travel to just one trip, but things change in Russia and we are not in control of their laws or requirements.
	It should also be noted that some Russian courts will not permit single parent adoptions and that, in most cases, there should be no more than 45 years’ age difference between the child and the mother.

III.  NEXT STEPS

If you are interested in participating in the Bridge of Hope 2002 Summer Camp Program, please complete the attached application form. We appreciate your interest and look forward to hearing from you soon. You can make a difference in a child’s life and in your own life not only for this summer but forever!

If you have questions, please call 301-587-4400 or e-mail info@bridgeofhope.cc.