Carried in Our Hearts

Creating Families Across Continents

by Dr. Jane Aronson

featuring an essay by Ellora DeCarlo about her journey adopting 3 children  from Guatemala and those of the Guatemala 900 left behind

Get Inspired & Inspire Change

“My mommy didn’t carry me in her tummy, she carried me in her heart.” Bailey, a 5-years old who was adopted from China. Her story is included in this book.

According to People magazine, parents from all over the country seek adoption expert and Worldwide Orphans Foundation founder Dr. Jane Aronson’s help “as if consulting a master detective.” Angelina Jolie praised Dr. Aronson’s “drive and ambition to help children dream” (Elle). Indeed, over the course of the past three decades, Dr. Aronson has touched the lives of thousands of adopted children from around the world and in this inspiring book she presents moving first-person testimonies from parents (and a few children themselves) whose lives have been blessed by adoption.

Click here to read an excerpt from the book.

Click here to Pre-order:  Barnes & Noble Amazon
Books-a-Million Indiebound Apple iBookstore

Praise For Carried in Our Hearts…

“There is a wealth of information—and hope—here for people looking at possibilities for international adoption, and there is certainly no better advocate on the long journey than the upbeat, passionate Aronson.”
-Publishers Weekly

“When I first heard Dr. Jane Aronson speak, she said ‘Orphans are all our children…all our responsibility.’ No one I have ever met takes that responsibility more seriously than Jane. I feel blessed to call her a friend and Carried In Our Hearts is an amazing account of the journey that she and countless families have taken toward shepherding children through the process of finding permanent and loving homes.”
-Hugh Jackman

“Mother’s Day gift alert!—it’s an unbelievable expression of love that will expand your idea of what a family is. Go buy it!”
-Amy Poehler

“Dr Jane Aronson is a force of nature and one of the world’s fiercest and most passionate defenders for the protection, well-being and human potential of orphaned children. For more than twenty years she has worked tirelessly to shine a light on the physical, intellectual and emotional needs of the millions of vulnerable children living in our world today, without parents or proper care, starved of love and hope, showing us that each and every one of these children’s lives can be transformed when given the opportunity. Her wisdom, humanity and understanding are evidenced in the life affirming personal stories of unconditional love she has gathered in her extraordinary new book, Carried in Our Hearts.”
-Susan Bissell, Chief of Child Protection, UNICEF

“Her angle is incredibly pure and direct. It’s her heart to as many hearts as she can possibly touch.”
-Andrew Garfield, star of The Amazing Spider-Man

“Jane Aronson is remarkable. Smart, committed, determined, her concern for children has taken her all over the world, and her understanding of their needs is unparalleled.”
-Anderson Cooper

“To adopt a child is a divine act and Jane Aronson is a true angel. With passion and lightness she has lead an amazing life changing the destinies of so many children. This book is a testimony of her generosity and her life’s work!”
-Diane von Furstenberg

Excerpt

I was six and the day was warm.  My mother had chosen to wear her most beautiful white shirt embroidered with lace detailing at the collar.  I was clad in black pants, my favorite pair of turquoise sandals, and a red shirt.  At the time, I didn’t fully understand the extent to which her decision would impact me.  I was saddened at her lack of reasoning as to why she was giving me up to the orphanage. Mostly I was frightened at the thought of losing my mother and being disconnected from my family. As I was released from her embrace, all that stood between us was the metal gate of the orphanage.  She walked away and I succumbed to tears.  In that moment, I hoped that she would visit me.  She never did.

Visiting the orphanage where I was adopted was an emotionally difficult and complicated experience, filled with memories of disappointment but also memories that I have been able to internalize in a constructive way.  Prior to my visit to Vietnam, I had no intention of returning to my orphanage in Hoa Binh for various reasons.  My adoptive parents encouraged me and they accompanied me every step of the way.  I found comfort in their being there.  Their love and support was all that I needed to revisit my past and more important to move forward with the experiences and possibilities of the future.

Excerpted from CARRIED IN OUR HEARTS: The Gift of Adoption; Creating Families Across Continents by Dr. Jane Aronson with the permission of Tarcher/Penguin. Copyright Jane Aronson 2013.

Big Apple Makes Change for Children

 

Please join us in supporting Joint Council’s Change for Children campaign! Your contribution will make a real difference in the lives of the world’s most vulnerable children, those living without loving families.

Team Big Apple will be hosting an Open House on October 20th from 11am-2pm at 2 River Terrace, 2nd Floor, NYC….Bring your spare change and come by for a Treat!

Gary Cooper will be running the NYC Marathon on November 4th for Team Big Apple and there will be a Celebratory Dinner that night for Gary and Angie Hatch to support Change for Children!

Make your donations here to support Gary’s Marathon for Change for Children! Run G Run!!!!

http://tinyurl.com/d8rzax9

Change for Children is a program of Joint Council on International Children’s Services. Founded 35 years ago, Joint Council’s unique coalition uses the collective power of over 200 child welfare organizations to advocate for, care for and give these children their most basic human right – the right to a loving family.
Because all of Joint Council’s administrative costs are covered by membership dues, 100% of your donation goes directly to helping children in need.

In fact, our friends at the Cooper Family Foundation have agreed to match every gift to the Change for Children Campaign – up to $40,000! So for every dollar you donate, TWO dollars will go toward helping children in need.

Thank you for your support!

Remember the Guatemala 5,000???  There is a reason we only have 400 kids left to fight for.  The advocacy work of our friends at Joint Council continues to make a difference in the lives of millions of vulnerable children.  Please support them this Halloween!  Say No Thanks to Candy….and Just Say No to those other little collection boxes….Make a Difference….Make Change for Children!

THIS HALLOWEEN….TAKE A PASS ON CANDY.

Orphans simply don’t count. The current estimate of 153 million orphans worldwide was calculated by large aid and development organizations. However this number does not include children living in baby houses, orphanages, group homes or on the streets throughout much of the world. Apparently these children just don’t count.

Joint Council knows this attitude has to change, and the current system to support the world’s most vulnerable children has to change. Join us this Halloween as we make…CHANGE FOR CHILDREN.  We have a goal of raising $40,000 this October through Halloween-themed events, and we need your help! Here’s how you, your family and friends can help ensure children in need find a safe, permanent and loving family:

Take a pass on candy!

Instead of asking for candy on Halloween, ask for spare change, then send the donations to Joint Council. You and your kids can download and print the Change for Children graphic on Joint Council’s website, to attach to your own collection bags, boxes or buckets. Tell donors that their spare change will help orphaned children find a safe, permanent and loving family.

Host a party!

Whether it’s a costume party or a cocktail party, you can invite your friends over for an evening ofsocializing and enlightenment on the orphan crisis. Ask for small donations to Joint Council and show them how their kids can make Change for Children on Halloween night. You can print out our downloadable graphic to hand out to them so their kids can create their own Change for ChildrenHalloween bags.

Get all the kids involved!

Nothing’s better than kids helping kids! Download and print our media kit (the seven files at the bottom of this page) and take it to your children’s school. Engage their classroom or the whole school in a coin drive for Change for Children. Work with your child’s home room or art teacher to plan a Create-Your-OwnChange for Children Halloween Collection Bag art project.

Hold a fund raising event!

Jack-o-lantern carving contest, pumpkin pie cook-off, haunted house, costume car wash, orange and black bake sale, costume dance-a-thon, contest to guess how many pumpkin seeds/candy corns are in the jar—there are so many fun ways you can bring people together to make Change for Children this Halloween.

Take Your Change for Children To Work Day!

Set up a collection bucket at your desk, cash register or counter. Put it next to a bowl of Halloween candy and suggest co-workers or customers leave some spare change in exchange for something sweet. Download and print out the Change for Children graphic to attach to your collection bucket.

Start a mini-campaign!

Joint Council’s website has fun new pages that allow you to raise money for orphans around the world. With just a few clicks of your mouse and an email to your friends and family, you can help more children live in a safe, permanent and loving family! There’s even a ‘how to’ video that takes you through the process, step by step.

Alert the media!

Download and print our media kit (the seven files at the bottom of this page) and send it to your local newspaper and TV news stations. If adoption has touched your life, you can give the story a local angle by letting them know why making Change for Children is important to you.

Engage your adoption community!

If you have been touched by adoption, reach out to other adoptive famil ies you know and adoption agencies you have worked with. Invite them to join th e campaign and spread the word throughout theiradoption communities. Share the link to this page  and tell them what you’re doing to make Change for Children.

Go Social!

Post on Twitter, Facebook and blogs: “This Halloween, I’m making Change for Children with Joint Council!” Include a link to this page. Keep friends updated on your efforts for the campaign. Suggest they join in the campaign, too.

Just make a donation! Click here to make a secure, tax deductible donation to the Change for Childrencampaign.

We’re starting off small with a grassroots effort this year. And we expect it to grow next year and for many years after that. Be a part of Joint Council’s exciting new campaign so you can say you were among the first to make Change for Children!

Media Kit:

Poster 

Postcards 

Orphan Fact Sheet 

Cut Outs & Instructions 

 

Joint Council Introduction 

Let’s Make Change! 

Press Release 

April Showers will soon bring May Flowers and Futuro de los Ninos is “Going Green” the entire month of April at Semillas de Amor!

You can play a big role in turning this Green Dream into a reality!

The Children’s Village has made some AMAZING strides to sustain and live light on the land…. Composting! Recycling! Our chicken coop provides up to 50 fresh eggs daily and just look at the size of those cabbages!!!

The entire month of April, Futuro de los Ninos will be reaching out to our Amigos to help Semillas keep up the good work and expand their Green Living for the 30 children who are living and thriving at the Village.

There are so many exciting projects to contribute to!  We are going to start a worm farm to turn chicken poop into fertilizer, build a gravity water feed system that will allow fresh water to  pump to the children’s home without electricity, convert to LED lighting, and start a greenhouse that will grow fresh tomatoes for the kids to eat!

No donation is too small…and certainly, no donation is too big  All donations will go directly to Semillas de Amor to contribute to their Sustainability and Green Living!  All donations are 100% tax deductible!

You can pick the project!

Worm Fertilizer Project (1200 worms):  $480  (you can purchase 50 worms for $20)

Water Gravity Feed (200 gallons):  $5,000 (you can purchase a gallon of water for $25)

Green House (over 100 plants):  $3,500 (you can purchase a tomato plant for $35)

Solar Light Installation (6 lights):  $200 each light

LED Lights (throughout): $18 a light

Chicken Feed: $100 a month

Landscape supplies (riding mower, chainsaw, safety gear, garden supplies):  $5,000

So start shopping….you can buy one solar light and a tomato plant for $235 or 50 worms and a gallon of water for $45 or choose as you like!

Note in the “special instruction” section if you are making a specific purchase and we will make sure it goes toward the project of your choice.  You can also just apply your generous donation to “Green Living” and we will use it toward a project as needed.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for believing in the children of Semillas de Amor and joining us in building them a brighter future!