Nihao Sunny Ridge-China Families, Happy New Year to all of you from the staff here at Sunny Ridge Family Center! New Families Home
We are pleased to report that one family in our special needs program is traveling in China now for the placement of their child! An additional family in our special needs program will be traveling to China this month for their placement. Both families are in our thoughts and prayers as they meet their children and proceed with the adoption process. Referrals
We are very thankful to have received referrals in December for our dossier group logged in on December 16, 2005!! These nine families waited two years for their referrals. Ten referrals arrived, as one family will soon welcome twins. Two families will be traveling to Shaanxi province and seven families will be traveling to Hunan Province. Please keep these families in your thoughts and prayers as they wait for travel approval and plan for their trip! Concurrent Adoptions
Longer wait times have led some of our families to inquire about concurrent adoptions. We are currently working on guidelines for families considering a concurrent adoption in our domestic program. Watch for future editions of this newsletter for more information. We know you are anxious to explore all adoption options and we ask for patience as we prepare to implement this change. CCAA’s Website Change
Some of you may have noticed the change in CCAA’s website. CCAA is no longer including any information on their website regarding the review room and log-in-date referral timelines. CCAA had stated in December 2006 that they would eventually be moving this information onto an agency-only website and this change has officially gone into affect this week. Sunny Ridge does have access to this website and will be able to pass on this information to you as it is updated via the tracking section of our website. As of today, the website states CCAA has finished the review of the adoption application documents registered before October 31, 2006 and has issued referrals of children for the families whose adoption application documents were registered before December 19, 2005. American Consulate Letter
Many families have informed us about a letter they have received from the American Consulate in Guangzhou. The letter states USCIS has notified the consulate that the family has been approved for an international adoption and lists a series of documents that the family needs to ensure are completed. This letter appears to be a new procedure that the American Consulate has instituted, but rest assured there is nothing you have to do at this point. Sunny Ridge Family Center will ensure each family has the required visa documents when they travel. You do not need to fill out any of the forms until you are instructed by us to do so. Rumors
We are aware that rumors are a part of any adoption process. We are also aware that right now, there are many rumors flying around regarding the adoption process in China, most and maybe all of them are inaccurate and false and most are based simply on speculation. Our professional organization, Joint Council on International Children’s Services (JCICS) is investigating the validity of these rumors for the member agencies. Sunny Ridge has always made it a policy not to spread rumors but to share factual information as we receive it directly from CCAA, JCICS or from our representative in China (Li Jianzhong) who speaks with CCAA on our behalf on a regular basis. As we receive true and accurate information from any of those resources, we will pass this on to all of you. Looking Ahead
We eagerly anticipate our Annual Chinese New Year Celebration, welcoming in the Year of the Rat on Sunday, February 10, 2008. You are all welcome to attend and we hope to see you there! Sincerely, Jessica Augsburger, MSW/LSW
Intercountry Adoption Social Worker You can see all China adoption group tracking activity here. | 
