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LIFELINK ACQUIRES FLORIDA ADOPTION AGENCY
Effective August 1, 2007, Lifelink International Adoption acquired the operations of the Intercountry Adoption Center, Inc. of Bradenton, Florida (IAC) and thus acquired IAC's direct placement program with the country of Guatemala. Like many other mid- to smaller- adoption agencies, IAC has chosen to merge with another agency rather than undertake the expense and prohibitive work required for accreditation under the new international Hague Convention. Former IAC Director Michelle A. Ripp has now joined the Lifelink International Adoption staff as the Latin America Program Coordinator.
As such, Michelle's responsibilities will include not only managing the Guatemala program, but also helping Lifelink develop additional adoption partnerships with other Latin American countries. Michelle Ripp states, "I look forward to continuing my relationship with Lifelink families and to strengthening the delivery of programs and services to adoptive parents." Michelle Ripp co-founded IAC in 1998 and has directed for the last seven years, placing more than 190 children from the country of Guatemala since 2000.
Highlights of the Lifelink Program: Through Michelle Ripp, Lifelink is able to offer a special "Watch Care" program where children are visited in-country every two months by Lifelink staff. Parents are provided with videotape footage of their child at least a dozen pictures every two months while their file is undergoing approval by the Guatemalan authorities. The Watch Care program provides another set of eyes to monitor the health, safety and welfare of a Lifelink child between referral and homecoming.
Lifelink Focus Is To Serve Children in Need: When asked why Lifelink places children from Guatemala despite allegations of troubles in their nation, Lifelink IA Vice President Michelle Saddler responds, "A critical part of Lifelink International Adoption's mission is to serve children in need - wherever they may be. Lifelink conducts extensive due diligence on all foreign partners, and we emphasize integrity and procedural safeguards for children at all levels. Lifelink's mode of operations is to help children through adoptive placement, through advocacy and activism, and also through new
partnerships in humanitarian assistance.I have traveled to Guatemala three times, and I have personally focused on assessing the quality of the facilities and individuals who will be working with us."
Risks of the Guatemala Program: There is a possibility that adoptions from Guatemala could cease at the end of the year unless they can somehow become Hague compliant. There is still a tremendous amount of speculation about what will happen there. The United States government has stated that families who have filed their I-600A will be grandfathered in once the U.S. ratifies The Hague, which is expected to be early in 2008. Unfortunately, the Guatemalan government has not been so decisive. The feeling, however, is that if a family has accepted the referral of a child and their power of attorney has been registered with the Foreign Ministry in Guatemala, they will be allowed to complete their adoption process. We are monitoring the situation closely (as are all agencies with programs in that country), but for the time being are continuing to refer children.
Recent Events: Recent events in Guatemala have also led to more intense scrutiny by our government prior to issuing visas for children coming into the U.S. from Guatemala. This has increased the process time, and Lifelink's Program Coordinator Michelle Ripp currently reports to families that from the time their documents go to the country, it will likely be 8-10 months for the process to complete.
Michelle A. Ripp with Guatemalan Child
Michelle Saddler, Vice-President of Lifelink International Adoption on recent trip to Guatemala
