MAY 2011
HOMESTUDIES & ADOPTION PLACEMENT SERVICES (HAPS) RECEIVES NEW YORK LICENSE
HAPS, A Hague Accredited and full service adoption agency NJ licensed since 1982, receives its New York license
For Immediate Release (May 11, 2011) - Homestudies & Adoption Placement Services (HAPS), a Hague Accredited adoption agency founded in New Jersey in 1982, announced that it received its New York State license. HAPS is an agency with ‘credibility, integrity and achievement’, hallmarks of their standing as a Hague Accredited adoption agency. From application to finalization of an adoption, HAPS will now be able to expand their personalized services to birthfamilies, children and adoptive families, in New York.
“The New York licensure is a real validation of our mission statement and allows HAPS to serve the children and families in New York. We are thrilled that we can continue to share our vision beyond the borders of New Jersey. Our primary goal has always been and will continue to be to provide families for children,” said Executive Director Lorraine Kolankowski, LCSW, “ We believe that our families in New Jersey have truly benefited from our personalized services. We believe that every child deserves, and is entitled to, the love and security of belonging to a family. With this focus, we will service our NY clients in the same way – providing supportive and personalized adoptive services to children, the adoptive family, and the birthfamily.”
The New York office is located at 42 Lovell Lane, New Rochelle, NY.
MARCH 2011
CHINA - SINGLE WOMEN CAN ADOPT - The CCCWA (formerly CCAA) is now allowing single females to adopt Special Focus children in the Waiting Child program!!! This is wonderful step in the right direction as this decision will promote the Special Needs program and hopefully give more children a chance to be adopted by a loving family.
HAPS is able to work with families residing in any of the 50 states.
Contact our China Program Director, Andrea Lee, at 732-863-6558 or email at andreahaps@msn.com.
FEBRUARY 2011
RUSSIA - Where There is Love, There is Family: Homestudies & Adoption Placement Services (HAPS) connects with Reece's Rainbow
Homestudies & Adoption Placement Services (HAPS), a Hague accredited homestudy and adoption placement agency in New Jersey, has discovered that the 'somewhere' over the rainbow exists within their newest online connection with Reece's Rainbow, an advocacy organizaiton for special needs children, specifically those with Down's Syndrome. Families who have a special place in their hearts to adopt these children will find the resources needed to complete their families.
When a prospective family lands on the home page of Reece'sRainbow.com, they will find their hearts touched by the waiting children and my find the financial assistance needed to bring the adoption to fruition. HAPS' licensing in Russia provides the opportunity to help bridge a gap for these children which may not have been possible otherwise.
"Reece's Rainbow's mission, much like ours, is to help families fulfill their destiny of caring for a child," notes HAPS Russian Director Kathy Burul, "their mission of being an International Down Syndrome Orphan Ministry allows us the opportunity to cultivate a family based on the needs of everyone involved. Our affiliation will help strengthen their mission and bring awareness to the many needs of children in Russia."
NOVEMBER 2010
Homestudies & Adoption Placement Services (HAPS) Expands China Adoption Services with its China Waiting Child Program
Working collaboratively with the China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA), HAPS announces its China Waiting Child Program
Patience, compassion, persistence and unconditional love are key elements in the adoption process especially when it comes to a program such as a ‘Waiting Child’ Program. A ‘waiting child’ is a child who, due to various factors such as medical special needs, developmental and/or emotional delays, or simply being an older child ready to be adopted, is not yet part of a permanent family. For adoptees and adoptive parents, this type of program is unique and an undeniably mutually rewarding life journey. Once the paperwork is in China, the wait time is normally less than 10 months.
“We embrace children from all parts of the People’s Republic of China with a wide variety of special needs ranging from cleft lip and palate to cerebral palsy and heart conditions to Hepatitis B to name a few,” notes Andrea Lee, HAPS China Program Director, “We firmly believe every child deserves a loving, permanent family, and we count it a blessing to partner with the CCAA to help reach this goal. However, we do realize that not all families are called to adopt a child with special needs and we deeply respect each family’s decision.”
Homestudies & Adoption Placement Services has the resources and experience to fulfill all aspects of this unique adoption process.
OCTOBER 2010
Homestudies & Adoption Placement Services (HAPS) has Immediate Openings to File New Dossiers in Russia
Opportunities await those looking to adopt from Russia
Homestudies & Adoption Placement Services (HAPS) has immediate openings to file new dossiers in Moscow City, Krasnoyarsk, Izhevsk and Vladivostok. Currently, the average wait time for a referral is 3-8 months and varies by region. “Most children placed are under age 3 but school age children are also available.” notes Kathy Burul, Russian Program Director, “ Applicants may be married couples or single women.” For additional information, please contact Kathy Burul at 973-383-9299 or email at burul@earthlink.net.
Need Information on the Adoption Process - Domestic or International? What is a Homestudy? What are my Options?
Homestudies and Adoption Placement Services (HAPS) revised website provides quick access to frequently asked questions about adoption options.
The URL may be the same, but the website looks a lot different today. The re-designed website allows interested families, birth mothers and referral centers to more easily navigate and find valuable information that the Hague accredited Homestudies & Adoption Placement Services (HAPS) agency provides.
“Contemplating adoption can be an overwhelming experience - there are many questions, where should one turn? who should be contacted and more,” notes Lorraine Kolankowski, LCSW, Executive Director of HAPS, "As more people rely on the the world wide web for reliable information pertaining to adoption,
either domestically or internationally, we knew that it was time to display the wealth of information we provide in a more user-friendly, simple and straightforward manner. Bold colors to complement our new logo and happy faces throughout lend to our optimistic nature and bring our mission statement alive visually. ”
A prominently displayed revamped navigation bar with one-click access to information about HAPS, Domestic Adoption, International Adoption (including HAPS' Russia, China and Waiting China Programs), How To Get Started, Information Sessions, Tax Credit information and how to Contact HAPS help to direct users to a more streamlined information base. In addition, a dedicated and toll free number was established for those who may be pregnant and are looking for a positive option - 1-888-50-choices. Heartwarming smiles of newly adopted family members enlighten the pages within the website. A link to Facebook can be found from the home page where one can find a network of families and additional resources. The creation of the site was a joint effort involving dp communication solutions llc, a website implementation, public relations and advertising agency in Northvale, NJ.
AUGUST 2009
Bogota woman has instinct to help others
Friday, August 21, 2009
BY JOEY MESSINEO
Bogota Bulletin
STAFF WRITER
Lorraine Kolankowski has always felt drawn to serving and helping people, especially children. Her instincts and desires to help are so strong that she's made a career out of it.
The 33-year Bogota resident was recently named executive director at Homestudies and Adoption Placement Services (HAPS), a Teaneck-based non profit adoption agency licensed by the State of New Jersey. In that capacity, Kolankowski is responsible for the management of the professional and support staff in carrying out the adoption-related functions of HAPS. She is also responsible for the day-to-day operations of the agency and for developing and implementing social service programs, organization, budgets and fundraising for the domestic and international adoption programs.
Kolankowski also counsels birthmothers and birthfathers that find themselves with an unexpected pregnancy and want information on adoption. Adoption, she said, has changed over the years, and birthparents can be more involved in the adoption process.
"Adoption can be a blessing for everyone, the birthparent, the adoptive parent and most especially the child. Adoption is much more open today and no longer a secret and that has been a positive change," she said.
Kolankowski previously was a caseworker for the Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS). She worked in DYFS' Child Abuse Unit, Foster Care Unit and Northern Regional Adoption Resource Center before coming to HAPS on a part-time basis in 1986. By 1993, she became social work supervisor, a position she held until her promotion to executive director last month.
"I know not everyone feels like this about their work, but for me this is more than just a job. It is truly a privilege to be part of this wonderful agency," said Kolankowski.
HAPS, which Kolankowski described as the "best-kept secret in Teaneck and Bergen County," has placed hundreds of children for adoption from the United States as well as from many countries such as Russia, China and Guatemala.
"I have been blessed with the dedication and hard work of an amazing group of professional and support staff, many of whom have been with us for years," she said. "I have had the privilege of helping find wonderful 'forever families' for children. I have shared the joys and challenges of parenting with so many amazing couples and individuals who have adopted their children through HAPS."
Under Kolankowski's leadership, she hopes HAPS and the children continue to thrive. "One of my goals is to continue the work we have done in international adoptions and particularly to expand our Russian and China programs," she said, adding that other goals include expanding adoption services for infants in New Jersey and throughout the country.
"We have a Network Program for families interested in adoption older children in the United States. We also work closely with other agencies, courts, adoption attorneys, hospitals, clinics and adoption support groups to offer assistance, information and services for anyone interested in domestic adoption," she said.
Kolankowski said that the HAPS office in Teaneck has started a "Seminar Series" that is geared to educate people about adoption. But funding for those and other programs, however, is a concern. Kolankowski said, however, that HAPS will seek other sources of funding, including grants, endowments and donations.
E-mail: messineo@northjersey.com
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