Site search
sponsored by
Home
News
ENLARGE
The old adage "it's better to give than receive" comes full circle in Kimberly Morgan.
The longtime Fort Collins resident recently took over the Colorado office of Hand in Hand International Adoptions, a non-profit that was located in Estes Park until the adoption specialist resigned and Morgan picked up the reins.
It turns out relocating the Colorado headquarters to Fort Collins is a good fit for both Morgan and Hand in Hand.
Given the larger population and greater accessibility to the Front Range “there are more families interested in Fort Collins,” Morgan said.
Morgan and her husband Robert are also raising five children in the area, two of which they adopted from Guatemala in 2002 through Hand in Hand.
“I couldn’t imagine life without them,” Morgan said.
While new to Fort Collins, the agency has deep roots in the state. Hand in Hand established its first office in Colorado in 1974. Since then, it’s branched out substantially with offices in several states. Morgan said that Hand in Hand “works in various countries, including Haiti, Guatemala, Russia, the Philippines, and China” and is engaged in a unique adoption exchange with China called the United Hope Program. The organization is one of only two adoption agencies in the U.S. working on the program, which operates through the Nanjing Social Welfare Institute identifying special-needs children in China and placing them with families in the United States.
“It’s a really neat program. The wait is also a little shorter for our families," she said. "There’s normally a two- to three-year wait, and this program reduces that."
As a result, the children who are put through the program receive much-needed medical care sooner.
You could call that one of the perks of her job—but Morgan's work also encompasses many other facets of the adoption process. If a family decides to apply, Morgan is the one who processes the applications and legal documents.
“I help them with filing immigration paperwork and to meet the state, federal, and international requirements,” Morgan said.
Though it sounds taxing, she finds it all worth it when she’s able to “deliver the good news that a family has been matched with a child.”
One unique experience for families adopting through Hand in Hand is the opportunity for parents to fly personally to the country their child is from and accompany them back to the States. Morgan helps train the families to prepare to travel to their child’s homeland.
Once the parents have received their child, Hand in Hand remains deeply involved with the progress of the new family unit.
“The really neat thing about Hand in Hand is we like to keep in contact with our family. We host annual Christmas parties and summer picnics,” Morgan said.
Alongside helping the family adjust, they also work intimately with the adoptee as they grow older.
“Once the adoptee gets a bit older we have opportunities for homeland tours, which tend to be more personalized," Morgan said. "We make it possible for those children to go to the orphanage where they lived in China or the Philippines to make sure they get to see specifically the places that they came from."
One might think that international adoption agencies would have seen a sharp spike in business due to high-profile adoptions such as Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s. While Morgan found the thought amusing, she said it hasn’t affected the agency too much.
“I don’t think we’ve experienced that spike in interest due to celebrities. Part of that is just because countries and the U.S. are starting to really introduce more regulations, which are slowing down the process of some agencies becoming accredited," she said. "It’s good though, it ensures that the process is safer for everyone.”
The longtime Fort Collins resident recently took over the Colorado office of Hand in Hand International Adoptions, a non-profit that was located in Estes Park until the adoption specialist resigned and Morgan picked up the reins.
It turns out relocating the Colorado headquarters to Fort Collins is a good fit for both Morgan and Hand in Hand.
Given the larger population and greater accessibility to the Front Range “there are more families interested in Fort Collins,” Morgan said.
Morgan and her husband Robert are also raising five children in the area, two of which they adopted from Guatemala in 2002 through Hand in Hand.
“I couldn’t imagine life without them,” Morgan said.
While new to Fort Collins, the agency has deep roots in the state. Hand in Hand established its first office in Colorado in 1974. Since then, it’s branched out substantially with offices in several states. Morgan said that Hand in Hand “works in various countries, including Haiti, Guatemala, Russia, the Philippines, and China” and is engaged in a unique adoption exchange with China called the United Hope Program. The organization is one of only two adoption agencies in the U.S. working on the program, which operates through the Nanjing Social Welfare Institute identifying special-needs children in China and placing them with families in the United States.
“It’s a really neat program. The wait is also a little shorter for our families," she said. "There’s normally a two- to three-year wait, and this program reduces that."
As a result, the children who are put through the program receive much-needed medical care sooner.
You could call that one of the perks of her job—but Morgan's work also encompasses many other facets of the adoption process. If a family decides to apply, Morgan is the one who processes the applications and legal documents.
“I help them with filing immigration paperwork and to meet the state, federal, and international requirements,” Morgan said.
Though it sounds taxing, she finds it all worth it when she’s able to “deliver the good news that a family has been matched with a child.”
One unique experience for families adopting through Hand in Hand is the opportunity for parents to fly personally to the country their child is from and accompany them back to the States. Morgan helps train the families to prepare to travel to their child’s homeland.
Once the parents have received their child, Hand in Hand remains deeply involved with the progress of the new family unit.
“The really neat thing about Hand in Hand is we like to keep in contact with our family. We host annual Christmas parties and summer picnics,” Morgan said.
Alongside helping the family adjust, they also work intimately with the adoptee as they grow older.
“Once the adoptee gets a bit older we have opportunities for homeland tours, which tend to be more personalized," Morgan said. "We make it possible for those children to go to the orphanage where they lived in China or the Philippines to make sure they get to see specifically the places that they came from."
One might think that international adoption agencies would have seen a sharp spike in business due to high-profile adoptions such as Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s. While Morgan found the thought amusing, she said it hasn’t affected the agency too much.
“I don’t think we’ve experienced that spike in interest due to celebrities. Part of that is just because countries and the U.S. are starting to really introduce more regulations, which are slowing down the process of some agencies becoming accredited," she said. "It’s good though, it ensures that the process is safer for everyone.”
more info
Anyone who wants to learn about the process can attend informational meetings on the third Thursday of every month at First Presbyterian Church, 531 S. College Ave. For more information about Hand in Hand, visit www.hihiadopt.org, or call 226-8948.
|
