By Denise Schoborg, Dillon International’s China Program Director

Blessings come in many packages, and sometimes we fail to recognize them immediately. Sometimes it takes time, patience and a change of perspective to recognize a blessing. It took those things for me to realize the value of the China Special Needs Program.

When I started working for Dillon International in 2004, intercountry adoption had reached a pinnacle and families were pouring into the China Program. That year 22,991 children were adopted by American families; 7,038 of those children were from China. The China Centre for Children’s Welfare and Adoption (CCCWA) had developed a stable, predictable adoption process. The children in need of families were predominantly healthy, infant girls. And the adoption journey was relatively quick with families receiving referrals 6 months after submitting a dossier to the CCCWA.

Back then the journey seemed simpler. Then things started to change. Read More

Dillon International's Lisa Leung, who helps coordinate Discovery Days

By Lisa Leung

The nights before Discovery Days are always filled with butterflies and excitement. I double-check all the packets and go over the schedule. Then, I sit waiting in anticipation.

When the morning finally comes and the teens start to arrive, I can feel the camp coming alive. The new campers walk in a little apprehensive while the veterans embrace old friends they have not seen in a year. It doesn’t take more than a couple of hours for new friends to start acting like old pals. Relationships form and confidences build as the week progresses. A common thread of pride in their adoption story is woven throughout the group.

We have a lot of fun at Discovery Days: riding zip lines, competing in activities and high ropes courses. But Discovery Days is about so much more and goes so much deeper than that! This camp is about being able to share your adoption story with teens who understand what you are going through. It is about forming relationships and discovering you are part of a larger family. It is about looking up to adult adoptee counselors who have paved the way for the younger generations. It’s about a sense of belonging and pride in being adopted.

As a Coordinator for Discovery Days, I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to meet each teen that walks through those camp doors. I am honored to witness them grow in their self-esteem and to see them embrace their peers as family. As I prepare for this summer’s activities, I already can feel the excitement of camp.

Editor’s Note: The deadline for Discovery Days registration is June 1. Click here to sign up online.

by Lisa Tresch

My daughter, Alison, is American, but she also Chinese. The truth of this is always before me, but most of the time I don’t see it. During two weeks in the summer of 2011, however, our family was immersed in Alison’s identity as a Chinese girl when we took her back to China for a birthland tour with our adoption agency, Dillon International. It was a trip filled with new discoveries and reminders of a heritage that we sometimes take for granted. It was also an opportunity to fall in love with China all over again.

Alison joined our family ten years ago when she was 11 months old, and time has often blinded us to her ethnicity. We live in a small city, but there is enough diversity here to keep people from gawking at us or asking pointed questions like, “Is she yours?” She is an all-American girl, with birthday party sleepovers, hand-held electronics, bike rides through the neighborhood with friends, and the host of after-school activities. If I want to forget that she is Chinese, I can do this easily on most days. But our birthland tour reminded us that her heritage is a blessing, and something to be celebrated. Read More

Children pictured represent those in our Colombia Waiting Child Program. With respect to confidentiality, photos of specific waiting children cannot be shown.

Seven Colombian orphans will make the trip of a lifetime as they travel to Dallas for a three-week visit with American host families this December.

Dillon International’s Angels from Abroad program provides older children a chance to learn about American culture, share their Colombian culture and experience living in a family.

It also helps raise awareness about the need for adopting older children and children who are part of a sibling group, said Denise Schoborg, director of Dillon International’s Colombia program.

“Every night in Colombia, approximately 60,000 children in the care of the country’s child protection system fall asleep uncertain of what the future holds for their lives. Sadly adoption for most of these children will never come true in their birth country, where the majority of adoptions involve young, healthy children,” Schoborg said.

“We have the opportunity to change these children’s lives dramatically through adoption,” Schoborg added.  “Every child deserves the love of a family.”

Dallas area host families are still needed for the program and free interest meetings are scheduled from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. May 30 and 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. June 10 at the Buckner Children and Family Services campus in Dallas. Read More

By Susan Serrano

Parenthood was the last thing on Mary Flynn’s mind—until God called her to adopt.

She was happy with life as a single, 40-something world traveler, engrossed with teaching English to health professionals in China.

She accepted an invitation from some American friends to join them in volunteering at a Chinese orphanage.

“I saw some of the volunteers get attached to the babies and start wanting to adopt,” Mary recalled. “I said, ‘Not me! The last thing I want to do is adopt a baby!’”

Then came Dai An (pronounced like the English name, “Diane”). Read More

By Lisa Razavi

When school is out and summertime is in full swing, our house feels quite the opposite. It almost feels as though Christmas is in the air. There is a special kind of excitement and anticipation that comes for our family only once a year. This is when we start to do a countdown for one of the most-awaited days of the year: the day we leave for Vietnam Weekend!

Vietnam Weekend is such a special time for the entire family. It is a time when our son gets to see his old buddies from Vietnam and they have the opportunity to reconnect and grow their friendships even stronger than the last time. Read More

It rattles around at the bottom of purses, hangs out with stray popcorn kernels in couch cushions, and awaits discovery under car floor mats. In slightly more organized households, it piles up in jars or piggy banks.

It’s a small thing when viewed a penny at a time, but loose change is no nickel-and-dime matter. Financial experts estimate that the average household accumulates about $100 of loose change in a year and the U.S. Treasury says Americans are holding on to an astounding $15 billion in loose change.

Imagine the impact if all those coins shook off their collective dust bunnies and went to work!

Round up your wayward pennies and put them to good use in Dillon International’s Change for Children program. Read More

Do you like taking walks? There’s a busy toddler in our Asia Waiting Child Program who sure does. He’s 21 months old and walking everywhere!

Proof that great things come in small packages, this little sweetie weighs in at 7.4 kg and is 71.2cm in height.

A diagnosis of Down syndrome and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) has not slowed him down one bit. Surgery and a change in diet have managed the NEC symptoms. The condition is now considered stable and he’s growing well.

This adorable boy, whose case number is Di2012-mc05, is ready to become the pride and joy of a forever family. To learn more about him please visit http://dillonadopt.com/int-adoption-waiting.shtml to complete an online screening form to view his information or contact waitingchild@dillonadopt.com with specific questions.

Margie Wasielewski, director of Dillon International's Missouri Office, with STUCK Producer Craig Juntunen at the film's St. Louis premiere

Dillon International adoptive families were among those that packed the theater at the recent sold-out St. Louis premiere of the international adoption documentary “STUCK.”

The STUCK tour, founded on the premise that every child deserves to be part of a family, will culminate in the Step Forward For Orphans March in Washington, D.C., May 17. They’re hoping to deliver a million-signature petition urging Congress and President Obama to take action for orphans and change the landscape of international adoption, allowing children to get “unstuck” and come home to their families.

To learn more about the documentary and the STUCK Tour visit, www.stuckdocumentary.com. To learn how you can advocate or to sign the petition, visit https://bothendsburning.org/.

Children pictured represent those in our Colombia Waiting Child Program. With respect to confidentiality, photos of specific waiting children cannot be shown.

Move over Picasso! This bright little boy from Colombia likes to analyze the techniques found in paintings.

He’s a healthy, active kid who also loves singing, skateboarding and soccer.

This sweet 11-year-old longs to be cherished by a family. He’s stated that when he is a father he “will care for and protect his children and always be there for them.” This testifies to the loving and resilient nature that carried him through a history of abuse and neglect.

He’s known as a cheerful, affectionate child who respects authority and cares about others. His cognitive and physical abilities appear normal although he is behind academically because of a past history of neglect. He has high academic scores and loves learning.

This intelligent and talented boy is capable of great things and needs the love of a forever family to help him achieve the thriving future he deserves. His case number is Di2012-CB02. Please visit http://dillonadopt.com/int-adoption-waiting.shtml to complete an online screening from to view his information or email waitingchild@dillonadopt.com with specific questions.