A Great Day at the APC Conference!
Last Sunday Leta and I spent the day at the 37th annual APC adoption conference in NYC (www.adoptiveparents.org). The conference was great (as it always is) – but each year I like it for a different reason. This year my top 3 reasons for loving the conference were:
1. I got to meet a wonderful USCIS supervisor, Terri Karafin, and thank her in person! Terri is a supervisor overseeing the processing of 1-800s and I-600s (among many other things). She is a smart and compassionate professional whose supervisory attention has helped with the processing of some of our difficult cases.
2. I attended a workshop with a mom, Roseanne, who I helped adopt from Russia 15 years ago. Her son is now attending college – he may be 2.5 feet taller, but he still has the same cute smile – and as I told Roseanne, I felt really proud of her son…I can only imagine how she must feel.
3. I talked with a new family working with Gladney to adopt from China who stopped by our exhibitors table to say hi! They were excited to be at the conference and had just attended Gladney’s Pathways Training earlier in Texas. They have a move to Chicago planned – but in the meantime, we will make the most out of our work together in NYC over the next few months.
Seeing people face to face makes such a difference – it reminds us of the shared community we are in – but also of the very individual connections we have that make up our lives. I hope everyone has the chance to attend adoption events in their local area to celebrate and learn from each other.
Wendy Stanley
Director, Asia program Social Services
Director, Asia program Social Services
