Spread the Word About a Ukrainian Orphan
A special notice to RR readers, and to website owners and bloggers: I am personally offering a $1,000 reward to any RR reader who successfully adopts the specific girl mentioned below through Advocate for Orphans International. Additionally, I am offering a $500 reward to any website that referred that successful adopter here. Rules are at the bottom of the page.
At the end of October 2007, we were very fortunate to have been visited by a 13-year-old Ukrainian orphan named Anna (pronounced “ahn-yuh”). She was here in the United States for almost two weeks through the efforts of a local hosting agency, Advocate for Orphans International. Abandoned by her parents about five years ago, she currently lives in an orphanage just outside the suburbs of Kiev, and seeks a new family.
A family in Southern California has been interested in adopting Anna, but due to a number of unknown issues they unfortunately seem unable to commit to bringing Anna into their family. Since we hosted Anna during most of her two-week visit, the agency asked us to each write up a paragraph or so about her to include in a special newsletter to be sent out, specifically to raise interest in helping her out.
We jumped at the chance, our thoughts reproduced here in the hopes that an RR reader will be interested in adopting this sweet girl. Surf on over to Advocate for Orphans International if you want information on adopting Anna. [Please be aware that there is nothing about Anna or any other potential adoptee on their website. You must contact them and ask specifically about Anna in order to receive information.]
A View from Richard (Dad)
“Anna is quiet and somewhat shy, but has a great laugh and smile, and a funny, warm personality that peaks out when she lets her guard down. Agewise, Anna fell right between our 8- and 18-year-old children, but she still related well to both. She played board games, colored pictures, and made crafts with our younger son, and watched movies, played card games, and did “normal teenage girl stuff” with our older daughter. I think it was much easier for her to just be herself with our kids than with us during most of her short visit, but by the end of the two weeks she seemed to feel right at home.
Anna is smart, and eager to learn and experience new things. I was surprised to discover that she appeared to have been well schooled, as she was able to solve a few problems with the same degree of skill as our first-year college girl. Her prior exposure to American pop culture was equally surprising: Disney Channel stars, pop music, the standard pretty-boy heartthrobs. She was polite and very helpful; she was even excited to help me make pumpkin pancakes on her first morning with us, despite the natural impediments of jet lag and a very short, unsettled first night’s sleep. Had Fate dealt our cards differently, Anna would have been a welcome addition to our family.”
A View from Sterling (8-Year-Old Son)
“Anna is really nice. She played with me a lot, and she likes playing Nintendo with me. I’m really good at Mario and I’ve been practicing, but when she lost, she was like “OK” and we played again.
She listens to me and knows what I am saying. I thought she wouldn’t know what I’m saying because she doesn’t speak English very well. She is very playful. She likes Hummers.”
A View from Kim (Mom)
“I was both excited and nervous about having Anna stay with us, mostly because I didn’t know what to expect. From the first day, Anna was well behaved and she listened well, seeming to understand more than we thought she would. She always did what she was asked, even when it was clear she didn’t want to. It was hard for us to gauge what she was thinking and feeling sometimes because of the difficulties of communication.
Engaging her in outdoor activity was often difficult, mainly because the daily routine at the orphanage involves a lot of television. As a result, Anna has a passion for watching movies, Disney films being some of her favorites. She also loves the Simpsons, likes a variety of popular music, and enjoys playing computer games.
Going shopping with her was fun; she had her own established sense of style when it came to clothing, signs of her own self-assurance and identity. She was unselfish and giving with our children, without seeming to expect anything in return. Having Anna here was a very cool experience! I just wish we’d had more time with her to get to know her true self even better.”
A View from Cortney (18-Year-Old Daughter)
“Anna is very friendly. She liked to talk and try to get to know me, although getting past the different languages was hard. Even so, she seemed to understand more than we thought. She likes to try new things, but not necessarily new things from the menu. It was sometimes hard finding things she’d eat!
We had a lot of fun, though! I have been a cheerleader for a long time; when she saw my pompoms she snatched them up and totally started playing with them right away. She definitely has her goofy moments. In that way, she’s just like any typical teenage girl. It was fun to have her with us!”
If you have any questions, feel free to contact Advocate for Orphans International. I will also gladly answer any questions I can that you leave here in comments.
The Rules
If you are seriously interested in adopting Anna, leave a comment saying so on this page. No comment, no reward. If you read about Anna from a link on another website, include their website URL in your comment. If you do not leave a URL, I will attempt to determine the referrer by examining my own server logs, but no referring reward is guaranteed with that option. Only the first URL in your comment will be considered. Only your first comment will be considered. Once a comment is left, the referrer can not be changed for any reason. The comment must be left before your initial contact with AFOI. Make sure you provide your real email address, which I will pass on to AFOI. The adoption must be coordinated through AFOI. Once I have confirmed with AFOI that Anna has been adopted by you, I will contact you via email to arrange sending the $1,000. I will then verify the existence of the link on the referring website. If present, I will attempt to contact that web page author to arrange sending them their $500. Only one reward of each type will be awarded, and a single person, address, or household can not claim both rewards. Obviously, if I add the link to here on another website myself (through placing an ad or comment), that doesn’t count to earn the reward. Reward winners must respond to my email within 30 days. Anything I perceive as cheating or not within the spirit of the incentive will void any reward. I reserve the right to clarify these rules further in any way at any time. I am in no way associated with Advocate for Orphans International or any adoption agency. I am offering this reward/incentive in order to create widespread interest, with the ultimate goal of making Anna’s life significantly better. Website owners and bloggers, use this permalink for referrals, everyone else just use this one. Thank you!
At the time I wrote (October 3), David Avilla and Advocate for Orphans were NOT licensed.
The licensure is VERY recent. Avilla seems to have put off licensure for quite some time, meaning that during that time, he WAS, in fact, operating illegally.
In the past, his websites HAVE had photos of children; this is prohibited by California law.