GILROY
– Thousands of orphan children in Russia have never experienced
the joys of family life. Gilroy residents David and Kerry Avilla
hope to change that for about a dozen of these youths next
month.
GILROY – Thousands of orphan children in Russia have never experienced the joys of family life. Gilroy residents David and Kerry Avilla hope to change that for about a dozen of these youths next month.
Through a program called Adoption Adventures Network, organized by the Avillas, a group of children will fly thousands of miles from Russia to stay with host families in Santa Clara County starting March 23.
The children will spend three weeks visiting the Bay Area. On weekdays, they will participate in daytime events at an “American Culture Camp” at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Los Altos. They also will interact with their host families, who have the option to start the adoption process and possibly make their youthful guests a permanent part of their lives.
“About 93 percent of the kids who come (to America) on these programs get adopted,” David said. “We’ve focused on Russia because it’s one of the only countries that allows kids to come over.”
The program works for local families considering adoption because it allows them to live with the child for a short time and see how well he or she behaves in their home and interacts with others, he said.
It’s a good way to see a child’s real personality over a period of time rather than have a short two- or three-hour observation in an orphanage where children might not act naturally around potential parents, he said.
The children are not told their three-week American stay might lead to adoption by their hosts.
Adjusting to California life
The Avillas have five children, all siblings, they adopted from Russia. Lise, 9, and her brother Vanya, 11, are actively involved in gymnastics and enjoy showing off their large collection of medals highlighting their athletic mastery. Lise also loves to sing, while Vanya’s hobby is playing the video game “Missile Command.”
Toma, 12, studies ballet at the Morgan Hill Dance Center and, true to her Russian heart, dreams of performing in “Swan Lake” some day.
Sveta, 13, has a natural skill in dealing with people. She’s always helping toddlers at the playground or elderly folks at church.
“I like hanging out with babies,” she says with a smile.
Elena, 16, is accomplished in tae kwan do.
“It gives you confidence to do other things,” she says of the martial art.
Despite the struggles of learning English and figuring out the intricacies of California culture, the five have adjusted well.
Home-schooled by Kerry during the day, they’re normal kids living life along a quiet street on the west side of Gilroy.
“I read aloud great literature to them every day,” Kerry said. “Right now, we’re reading ‘Lord of the Rings.’ ”
The Avillas say they have no regrets about adopting kids who were not infants. Adopting older kids has advantages, they said. Through host-camp programs such as Adoption Adventures, potential families can get a better idea of an adopted child’s personality.
And the parents can learn of special needs the child might have, Kerry said. Adopting older children also allows parents to skip the diaper-changing stage.
“One family told me that they would rather have a child that walks and talks,” David said.
The Avillas are planning a day camp for Russian orphans at a Gilroy church location this summer. Adoption Adventures is now accepting applications and needs at least 10 host families to make the Gilroy culture camp a possibility. The site has not been selected.
David hopes a South Valley culture camp for Russian orphans will make it easier for Morgan Hill, Gilroy and Hollister residents to participate in the Adoption Adventure program.
“The word ‘adventure’ is really a big part of what this is about,” David said. “We had about 100 volunteers at last summer’s program. … We partner with a church to use their facilities, but it’s not run by any religious organization.”
Cutting through the red tape
If a host family decides to adopt their guest child, Adoption Adventures will help in the paper-laden process, David said, but U.S. and Russian governments will demand many documents before a child can be adopted.
The average price to adopt a child from Russia is about $28,000. About 60 percent of this involves filing documents as well as translation costs, he says.
To begin the process, the family must first sign a legal agreement stating they’re committed to adopting the child. They must also undergo a “home study” program in which a state-licensed social worker will interview them and determine if their home environment will be appropriate for the child.
David recommends people seriously intending to adopt start the home study process even before finding a child to cut two to three months off the total process. It costs about $2,000.
“The home study (certificate) is good for 18 months,” he says. “It’s sort of like being prequalified to buy a house.”
Parents also must take a two-and-a-half week trip to Russia, where they will be extensively interviewed by a Russian judge considering the adoption case. If successful, they must go with the child to the American Embassy in Moscow to be issued a U.S. passport for the youth.
Adoption Adventures tries to match parents with an age-range and gender they are looking for in a child, said Corrie Reynolds, press contact for the organization.
“We have a few of the children (for the spring camp) dedicated to certain people,” she says. “What we’re trying to do is match people with what they are hoping for.”
Russia has a high population of orphans because of the nation’s poor economy since the fall of Communism, Reynolds said.
“They’ve had a very difficult transition,” she said. “All of a sudden, the people were cut off with no resources when they had the government to take care of all resources before that.”
About 10 percent of Russian children have parents who passed away, and along with poverty also came an increase in drug use and alcoholism, she said.
“Many families put their children into orphanages because they think their children will be better taken care of,” she said.
Mary Scharrenberg, the host-family coordinator for Adoption Adventures, and her husband adopted two girls a year and a half ago through the program. They already had raised six of their own biological children and became involved in hosting the Russian children through their church. Originally, the couple had not intended to adopt.
“We fell in love with them and went over to Vladivostock last June and adopted them,” Scharrenberg said.
Getting started
Potential host families start by filling out an application that is available on the organization’s Web page or can be sent in the mail, she says.
“They have to get a couple of letters from references from friends or family,” she said. “The only thing that costs them any money is live-scan fingerprints. That is for criminal and child abuse type background checks.”
Just before the children come over, a program representative does a home readiness inspection.
“It’s just a short visit to meet the people and check out the house,” Scharrenberg said. “We do care about the safety issues at home. We are responsible for the kids being here.”
The Scharrenberg’s adopted daughters have adapted well to their new life far away from their native land.
“So far, things have gone very, very well,” she said. “School is the biggest challenge. To come into a new language and new school system at that age is hard, but they’re both doing well.”
Sveta Avilla said she’s happy to be living in Gilroy with her brother and sisters and is glad she was adopted by David and Kerry. She encourages people to consider the Adoption Adventure program because there are many Russian orphans who might not have much of a future if they don’t find a family.
“They need a home,” she says. “They need a family to teach them to do right and not take drugs so that they don’t end up on the streets.”
