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| Who is Kidsave? |
| Kidsave is a non-profit organization whose mission is to end harmful institutionalization of children living in orphanages and foster care and to give every child the opportunity to grow up in a permanent, loving family. Summer Miracles provides institutionalized children with a unique summer experience to share the love and life of a family, attend day camp, and enjoy educational and cultural activities in the United States. |
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| What is the Summer Miracles Program? |
| Summer Miracles is approximately a six-week hosting program that provides older orphaned children the opportunity to: |
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Experience life in a family |
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Attend a local summer day camp |
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Receive medical, dental, and/or psychological attention (as needed) |
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Cultivate a lifetime connection with an American family |
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| We have found that during the summer, miracles happen, and many children are adopted by American families they meet during the Summer Miracles program. Since 1999, more than 1,400 children have participated in the program and more than 90% of them have found permanent families as a result. Those few children who do not find a permanent family find mentors or organizations that will provide support to them after the camp program is over, giving each participant a chance to have a more secure future. Finally, the Summer Miracles program aims to build awareness of the plight of institutionalized children through introducing Americans to the faceless kids they often hear and read about. |
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| Who are the children that participate in the program? |
• Mostly children between the ages of 7-12
• Colombian
• Kazakh
• Russian
• Single children and sibling groups (up to 4)
• Children who may have emotional, medical, and educational needs |
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| How does Kidsave select the children who will participate in the Summer Miracles program? |
| The majority of the children that come for the Summer Miracles program are selected based on recommendations by orphanage directors/staff and facilitators from adoption agencies who work with orphanage staff. The children that are chosen for the program are believed to have the ability to benefit from the camp experience and also have the ability to successfully adapt to family living. We know from experience that once families meet these children, many will make the decision to adopt. Kidsave is not an adoption agency, and cannot guarantee that the children are legally available for adoption. Families who decide they would like to learn more about the possibility of adoption can obtain this information only from an adoption agency that is accredited or licensed to do work in the country the child is from. |
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| How does the Summer Miracles program work? |
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Children are identified in their countries and then assessed by Kidsave staff for program appropriateness |
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Prospective families attend an orientation meeting, and then send in a hosting application and $200 application fee |
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Families visit with a local social worker who approves their participation in the program |
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Children are matched with approved host families (usually in late spring). At this point in time, families must turn in all the required paperwork and pay the $800 travel fee |
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Approved families MUST attend Kidsave’s training before the children arrive for the summer |
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Children arrive in the United States (usually around the 4th of July) accompanied by an escort from their orphanage |
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Host families meet the children at the airport and then take them home to live as part of their family for the duration of the program |
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Children attend a local day camp with American kids, and also participate in events planned by Kidsave |
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Children and host families get to know one another in a relaxed, nurturing, home environment |
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Families advocate for their host child(ren) to find a permanent family during their stay by taking the child to planned Kidsave events and also by introducing the child to their circle of friends and others in the community |
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Then miracles happen! Many host families fall in love with their child and make the commitment to adopt. Other families may be inspired to become life-long advocates for orphaned childrenAll children return to their orphanage at the end of the six-week period accompanied by their escort. |
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| What will the children do while they are here? |
| In addition to going to camp and participating in day-to-day family life, Kidsave volunteers and staff plan weekend and weekday events designed to bring the children and families together, and to give people who are interested in meeting the kids a chance to interact with them as well. As needed, children will receive medical, dental, and psychological attention. |
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| What kind of training and support will host families receive? |
| After a family has attended an orientation session and sent in the application to host with the application fee, the next step is to meet with a licensed social worker and undergo criminal and child abuse record checks. At the point in time that a family sends in the application and fee, they will be given a Host Family Handbook, which includes many useful documents such as “The Profile of the Older Post-Institutionalized Child”, “How to Talk to My Host Child About Adoption- Not!”, a Child Talk language guide, and a recommended reading list so that they can learn more about the issues a post-institutionalized child may face. Then, before the child arrives, the host parents are required to training sessions (up to 12 hours) where they can learn about the experiences of post-institutionalized children and the issues that they may face when hosting. Local professionals who work with post-institutionalized children and families who have hosted older children will also be in attendance and available to speak with host parents at the training sessions. While the children are here for the summer, families have the support of their local social worker and Kidsave’s Family Support Social worker should any issues arise. Additionally, families get access to a local network of health and psychological professionals familiar with issues confronting older institutionalized children. |
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| Aside from providing a home to a child for six weeks, what else will be expected of me? |
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Host families are expected to involve the children in an active, nurturing environment, and to provide them with their basic necessities while they are here. |
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Host families are responsible for getting their host child to and from camp at least 3 days a week |
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Families must attend weekend events that bring all host families, campers, and escorts together. Host families are expected to advocate for their host child(ren) at these events to find them a permanent family. |
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Each child will be covered by a major medical insurance policy during the stay, but minor medical care or visits to pediatricians will be the responsibility of the host family. This policy is for emergencies and accidents. It does not cover pre-existing conditions, and dental and vision care is not included. In some cities, health professionals will provide pro-bono medical services that are not covered by the emergency medical policy. |
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Families must complete the required paperwork, including a signed agreement saying they will send the child back to the orphanage at the end of the six-week period. All campers must return to the orphanage at the end of the camp program. |
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Host families will be required to pay a travel fee of $800 when they have been matched with a child or sibling set. This fee is used to offset some of the travel costs for the child incurred both internationally and domestically. Only one travel fee is due per family, no matter how many children are hosted. |
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Finally, host families are required to host an escort from the child’s orphanage for up to a week during the summer program. These escorts have power of attorney over the children. Their job is to make sure that the children have a safe visit and to get to know the families who may be applying to adopt them. Hosting an escort is a wonderful opportunity to get to know an adult from a different culture and create a friendship with someone who will have the ability to help the child when they return to the orphanage. |
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| What if a host family finds that they are not able to keep the child for the entire summer? |
| Kidsave’s goal is to keep a child in the same home for the duration of the summer program. However, sometimes unexpected things happen within a family that will prohibit them from continuing to host the child for the length of their stay. A poor match or a safety issue may necessitate a child’s removal from their original host home and subsequent placement into a safe house. |
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| Who selects the camps the children attend? |
| The community volunteer committee in charge of camps will identify camps and solicit scholarships and/or discounts. The volunteers will try to get all of the children to attend the same camp but this does not always happen. Families may also identify a camp near their home and try to obtain a scholarship or discount there. |
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| Do host families have to speak the child’s language? |
Surprisingly, the language barrier is not a critical problem. Families who have hosted children say they were able to overcome communication problems quickly. The children learn many English words from the other kids at camp, and they quickly pick up household words.
To provide additional support to our host families, Kidsave provides a glossary of familiar terms in Russian, Kazakh and Spanish. Volunteer translators will be available at events and will be on-call to interpret and help families communicate with their kids. Finally, in most cities, if language support is not available in the summer camp, a translator will attend camp for the first few days to facilitate communication. |
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| What happens to the kids at the end of the Summer Miracles program? |
| After the six-week visit, all the children must return home to their orphanages with their escorts. Kidsave’s relationship with the children does not stop, as the organization continues to advocate for the children so that each child can become connected to a caring adult. Where permitted, Kidsave will help secure educational tutoring, counseling, and/or job training for these children to enable them to live successful independent lives. |
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| What if a family decides to adopt? |
| If a family decides they would like to adopt a child they have met through Summer Miracles, the family must inform their community coordinator of their decision. Since Kidsave is not an adoption agency, we will then refer the family to an adoption agency that is accredited/licensed/registered to work in the child's region. Only an accredited/licensed/registered adoption agency can verify the legal availability of the child for adoption. |
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| What does Kidsave as a national organization do? |
| Kidsave manages the Summer Miracles program at a national level and helps raise money to bring the children here. Kidsave works with national and regional governments in Russia, Kazakhstan and Colombia to obtain permission for the children to travel, obtains necessary background and medical information, and arranges for passports, visas and travel for the children and their escorts. Here in the US, Kidsave works with local volunteers to find host families, provides host family training and support materials, publicizes the Summer Miracles Program and creates a network of local resources for host families. Kidsave also provides assistance to volunteers in raising money at the local level. |
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| What kinds of volunteers are needed for Summer Miracles? |
| Volunteers are needed in many areas. These include: |
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Community Coordinators: This person is the main contact for the community. They will oversee all the below committees, will be the main point of contact for interested host families and local volunteers, and will be the main liaison between the local community and the national Kidsave office. It is ideal to have up to four (4) coordinators per community so that responsibility can be shared. |
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Fundraisers: Volunteers who will plan fundraising events and will solicit monetary, merchandise, or service donations from churches, civic groups, museums, day camps, etc., |
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Communications/Recruiters: Volunteers in the community to get the word out – from putting flyers in grocery stores to speaking to community groups to soliciting support from local media (TV, radio, newspaper.) The goal is to find host families and donors and to build awareness about the program. |
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Summer Event Coordinators: Volunteers to plan and coordinate weekly summer events, including those that will give these children exposure to the maximum number of families.
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Translators: People who speak Russian and/or Spanish and can provide language assistance at camp and events and can be on-call for host families. It is ideal to have a translator coordinator who can communicate with all translators and can coordinate their attendance at events, etc. |
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Escort Coordinator: A person who is responsible for the care and safely of the escort during their stay to ensure they are able to meet their obligations to the children, are able to visit the summer camps, are able to see the local sights, and have a good time while they are in the US. Additionally, this person can act as a liaison between the host families and the escort. Ideally, the escort coordinator will speak the language of the escort coming to the community (Russian or Spanish). |
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Hospitality: People who are in-charge of coordinating the arrival and departure of the children at the airport. That may include securing a room from an airline, getting snacks, and communicating the plan to all families and volunteers. Additionally, many Summer Miracles children and escorts pass through local airports and need assistance to make sure they make their connections. An emergency hospitality team is needed to be ready with transportation and housing for children when they have overnights or flights don’t go as planned. |
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Camp Solicitors: People who will research local day camps and will approach those camps to ask for discounts or scholarships for Summer Miracles children. Camp solicitors will need to work with host families to identify conveniently located camps, as well as age-appropriate camps. |
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Health Professionals Recruiters: People to work in partnership with Kidsave to identify, contact, and secure local health professionals to provide pro-bono medical, psychological, dental, vision, and developmental screenings and services. |
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Buddies: Volunteers who understand the challenges these children face as they transition from institutional life are needed to be host family “buddies”, who will be available to answer questions and provide support to host families and host children. These volunteers tend to be former host families or adoptive families. |
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Miracle Makers Committee: The purpose of the Miracles Makers Committee is to work in partnership with Kidsave and the coordinator of the local Summer Miracles program to recruit young people and assist them in providing community service |
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Administrative Aides/Interns: Volunteers to assist with administration of the programs, either at the Kidsave offices in LA and DC or at the local level. |
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Art Teachers: Volunteers to help develop materials and events that will get the campers’ artistic juices flowing and give them an outlet in which to create. |
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Host Families: Volunteers who will host a child or children in their home for the six-week program and advocate for them. |
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| How can I start a Summer Miracles camp program in my city? |
To start a Summer Miracles camp in your city, you need at least seven families who want to host children, a dedicated organizing committee and a committed core of volunteers to help coordinate local efforts and raise funds. If you are interested in starting a program, contact Julia, the Summer Miracles Program Manager, at Julia@kidsave.org or by calling 888-KIDSAVE. |
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