"STUCK" Screening with Hopscotch Adoptions and High Point University, NOVEMBER 14 2013

A New Era for Both Ends Burning Stakeholder Call - YES you are invited!

PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDARS
for our November Stakeholder call

THIS TUESDAY • November 5 • 1:00 PM EST

CALL-IN INFORMATION:
Phone number: 1-866-576-7975
Access code: 366574

I will introduce new additions to our leadership team to transform and grow our campaign, and discuss:

• My reaction to Nightline (if you missed it, the video is on our website)
• A CHIFF update
• The STUCK House Party program
• The private license opportunity for your organization
• The membership program
• And more!

You will also hear introductory comments from our new leaders and have a chance to ask them your questions.

Every month our stakeholder call grows as more people join the conversation about something that really matters. Because of your interest and energy, kids and family are becoming more of a social priority.

We hope you will join us this Tuesday afternoon!

Craig Juntunen
Founder, Both Ends Burning 

Our Time on Nightline

We are asking everyone who cares about kids and family to promote
an ABC News Nightline episode on international adoption.

Airing Tuesday night | October 29, 12:35 AM ET

Cynthia McFadden anchors the episode which exposes the complexities of international adoption. The show will include material and footage from the STUCK tour, and the heartwarming conclusion of an adoption saga of two children, a single mom, and the struggle they endured to become a family.

This show is important as it continues the conversation the STUCK tour started. Our campaign is growing and this media event supports our efforts to make children living outside of parental care a relevant social issue.

Both Ends Burning promotes family as the best solution for at-risk kids. We believe communication can change and influence kids' lives. The Nightline episode is part of an important communication platform.

Please watch this show, and tell everyone you know to do the same. It is one more step in the journey to get more kids into families.

CHIFF Web Page

Your reaction and response to the Children in Families First Act (CHIFF) over the last few days has been amazing. Thank you for your many phone calls and e-mails. The wave of enthusiasm offers us a good time for a reality check.

Reality Check: the 5 Percent

Since 1999, Congress has only passed about 5% of the bills it introduces. In simple statistical terms, CHIFF has an uphill battle.

There is more to consider about the challenges connected to Senate Bill 1530 (CHIFF):

• In 2008, a similar bill was introduced called Families for Orphans Act. It failed to received a mass of public support, and never made it to the floor for a vote. A chance to serve the welfare of children went by the wayside.
• CHIFF has opposition from some well-funded organizations. We are beginning to see their PR campaign with negative themes and information.
• The base of organic support for CHIFF is not big enough to get this bill passed into law. We must find ways to expand public support to pass Senate Bill 1530.

CHIFF will most certainly become law if we secure 60 co-sponsors in the Senate and 150 co-sponsors in the House. The bill was introduced in the Senate with 10 co-sponsors: 5 Democrats and 5 Republicans.

This will not happen by itself —
It is up to us to make it happen

Generating co-sponsors is purely a function of social force. We can all make a difference if we focus on getting the country to rally behind this bill, and leverage the power in numbers to secure these critical co-sponsors. Contact your representatives to tell them that you support

CHIFF and want them to co-sponsor the bill. Research shows that twenty calls to a Congressional office is enough to convince a member of Congress that an issue is salient. (Find your members of Congress here: House Representative | Senators.)

Spreading the word is our first mission-critical objective. Visit the the official CHIFF website and share the link in your social media circles.

One great asset we already have to rally the country is STUCK. We have created a STUCK House Party program, a tool to grow grassroots support for CHIFF. We are testing the model this week. We will roll out the program as soon as the STUCK House Party model is sound.

The message is clear. We have a lot of work to do to defy the odds and get Senate Bill 1530 passed. As lives hang in the balance it is time to stop talking. It is time to roll up our sleeves and get to work!

Craig Juntunen
Founder, Both Ends Burning 

Documentary on International Adoption-"Stuck"

All For You!!

If you are a Hopscotch Family, we have something great to share with you - for FREE! As a proud sponsor of Creating A Family website, our client families are provided FREE access to their vast library of radio podcasts. The library covers a vast range of adoption related topics that you will not find anywhere else. As a bonus, you can opt to receive educational credit hours and a certificate with a password issued to each of our clients - again, free to Hopscotch client families.

To access the adoption learning center on the Creating a Family website:

Hopscotch clients can access the adoption education courses by going to the learning center at http://www.creatingafamily.org/learning-center.html

Each individual will need to create an account with a username and password (see the blue link in the upper right hand corner of the webpage for creating a new account)

Once you have logged in with you individual username and password you'll have access to listen to all the courses - for FREE!

As a sponsoring agency, our clients have access to the quiz/certificate option for each course.   You'll just need to click on the quiz icon next to a particular course listing.  You'll then be prompted for a course password that is unique to Hopscotch clients. You'll need to contact Megan for your password to receive your certificate after completion of each podcast and quiz. Be sure to print your certificate after each podcast quiz.

Here's a podcast sample:

Documentary on International Adoption-"Stuck"

An interview with Craig Juntunen, Founder of Both Ends Burning and Producer of a new documentary on International Adoption, Stuck, to talk about the ethics of international adoption and the delays. Highlights from this show.

The Step Forward for Orphans March was a huge success. What can you do to keep the momentum going?

It has been quite a journey.

In 78 days, we visited 60 cities during an 18,000 mile bus ride. The journey ended with a mile and a half walk making a statement that adoption is an important and viable solution for kids without parents. The tour succeeded in identifying and forming the core membership of the UN-STUCK MOVEMENT. The tour was supported by over 850 volunteers and the Step Forward for Orphans March was literally a critical step forward with individuals traveling from 37 states to participate.

The STUCK tour was beyond description. We met and interacted with compassionate people who care about making wrong things right. The reception and treatment we received in every community was humbling and inspiring. I will never forget the graceful human decency that enriched my life. I am a better man for the experience and especially for the friends I have made during the STUCK tour. More importantly, I connected with thousands of passionate people that can create a force to produce the outcome of a family for at-risk kids.

A powerful will to produce change was linked together during the course of the tour and the UN-STUCK MOVEMENT was born. Movements are very effective agents of social change, but they are not created out of thin air. They have a life cycle: they are created, they grow, and they either succeed or fail in producing real results. Our movement, like all movements, requires a vision, leadership, money and staying power. Movements begin to succeed when they are able to mobilize sufficient resources to take action.

How we make an impact is up to us

We must take responsibility for leadership, make sacrifices and hold ourselves accountable to ensure we do produce results. As I have said before, the UN-STUCK MOVEMENT will be a results-driven effort.
Once we procure the necessary funding, a sampling of our next steps are:

• Open our Washington, DC office, hire full-time staff and build necessary infrastructure.
• Establish 50 BEB state organizations and plan UN-STUCK marches in each state for May 2014.
• Plan and organize the Summit of Nations meeting to take place in Fall 2014.
• Launch iAdopt International Advisory Services and begin to facilitate cross-border knowledge sharing.
• Produce success story series as a revolving weekly feature on our web site.

To facilitate on-going communication we will have an regularly scheduled UN-STUCK MOVEMENT Stakeholder conference call the first Tuesday of every month at 4 PM EST. Our next call will be June 4th. An email will be sent in advance with call-in information.

To ensure the success of this movement, we encourage open communication. Please feel free to contact us at info@bothendsburning.org at any time, for any reason.

Things you can do TODAY to keep the momentum going are:

1. Promote STUCK. It is important to continue to expose the issue! You can do so by leveraging your social media lists and encouraging as many as possible to invest 82 minutes to learn about this issue at STUCKDocumentary.com.

2. Help us connect with sources of funding. Our continued success will be a function of funding.

3. Expand awareness, interest and support in your community. Be bold and innovative to organize future events.

I consider it an honor to be part of this team and I look forward to continuing to work with all of you.

Craig Juntunen
Founder, Both Ends Burning 

Join Us In Washington D.C.!

 
STEP FORWARD FOR ORPHANS MARCH
Sign the Petition Today!

FRIDAY, MAY 17 — MARCH DAY
Register NOW
9-11 a.m. — Hospitality Room at Renaissance Hotel: Get your welcome bag, continental breakfast & go out to meet with your Congressional representatives

Noon — Meet at the Washington Monument

1-2:30 p.m. — March to Upper Senate Park Special guest speaker: LAURA INGRAHAM

2:30 p.m. — Post-march activities

Join Us In Washington D.C.!

 
STEP FORWARD FOR ORPHANS MARCH
Sign the Petition Today!

THURSDAY, MAY 16 — MEETINGS ON THE HILL
10 a.m.-2 p.m. — Hospitality hours at Renaissance Hotel: Get your welcome bag, continental breakfast & go out to meet with your Congressional representatives

7 p.m. — STUCK screening at the AMC Georgetown 14 with special guest SENATOR MARY LANDRIEU

FRIDAY, MAY 17 — MARCH DAY
Register NOW
9-11 a.m. — Hospitality Room at Renaissance Hotel: Get your welcome bag, continental breakfast & go out to meet with your Congressional representatives

Noon — Meet at the Washington Monument

1-2:30 p.m. — March to Upper Senate Park Special guest speaker: LAURA INGRAHAM

2:30 p.m. — Post-march activities

Join Us In Washington D.C.!

 
STEP FORWARD FOR ORPHANS MARCH
Sign the Petition Today!

THURSDAY, MAY 16 — MEETINGS ON THE HILL
10 a.m.-2 p.m. — Hospitality hours at Renaissance Hotel: Get your welcome bag, continental breakfast & go out to meet with your Congressional representatives

7 p.m. — STUCK screening at the AMC Georgetown 14 with special guest SENATOR MARY LANDRIEU

FRIDAY, MAY 17 — MARCH DAY
Register NOW
9-11 a.m. — Hospitality Room at Renaissance Hotel: Get your welcome bag, continental breakfast & go out to meet with your Congressional representatives

Noon — Meet at the Washington Monument

1-2:30 p.m. — March to Upper Senate Park Special guest speaker: LAURA INGRAHAM

2:30 p.m. — Post-march activities

Ready, Set, March!

A SOCIAL MOVEMENT HAS BEGUN

The STUCK tour has created the beginning of a social movement to promote adoption as a solution for at-risk children living outside of parental care. While on tour, we amassed over 800 volunteers, over 14,500 Facebook likes, meaningful university speaking engagements, leadership lunches, podcasts, radio and television interviews, print articles, bloggers and one-on-one conversations. The outpouring of support was phenomenal as I had the privilege to meet countless people who care about making things that are wrong, right.

The tour succeeded in establishing and organizing the front-line leadership for the UNSTUCK movement. This team will now begin to work together to mobilize the broader population to influence governing bodies to make a child's human right to a family a priority.

We make the greatest impact in the shortest period of time if we can force our government to take a leadership role to transform the system of international adoption. Senator Mary Landrieu has taken a first critical step and will be introducing new legislation addressing the United States' role in international adoption to help more orphans get into permanent families.

This tangible step forward will be showcased and discussed by Senator Landrieu as she will be leading a town hall meeting after the May 16th screening at the AMC Georgetown 14 Theater.

All movements have an initiating event. The week of May 13-17 represents the UNSTUCK movement's initiating event and I certainly hope you can participate in all or some of the activities. Your involvement demonstrates your concern and compassion for children living outside of parental care.

NEXT WEEK'S AGENDA

Ongoing

• Make appointments with representatives for when you are in Washington, D.C.
  Please note: business attire suggested for meeting with your representatives.
• Sign the petition and ask 5 friends to do the same
• Continue sharing about STUCK and Both Ends Burning via Social Media

Monday, May 13th

• National Call-In Day
  Pick up the phone, call your Senators and Congressional Representatives and let them know that this issue is important to you. You will find a sample phone script here.

Thursday, May 16th

• Washington, D.C. STUCK Screening
  Join us at 7:00 PM at the AMC Georgetown 14 Theater, with a town hall meeting following hosted by Senator Mary Landrieu. Purchase tickets here.

Friday, May 17th

• The Step Forward for Orphans March
  Meet at the Washington Monument – the march begins at 1:00 PM. Red march t-shirts will be available for $10.00 at march headquarters. If you prefer to wear your own shirt, please wear red. Full march details can be found here.

The tour has succeeded in exposing the issue and we have created a solid foundation that can form the social and political will to change the status quo. The activities next week can continue to build momentum and force leaders to make these kids lives a priority. If all of us put an extraordinary amount of effort to support these activities, we will have taken a big STEP FORWARD.

I look forward to shaking your hand and thanking you in person next week in Washington, D.C.

Craig Juntunen
Founder, Both Ends Burning 

“STUCK”—The Unnecessary Pains of International Adoption!

The international adoption process pushes so many people away with inter-country politics, excessive costs and red tape, and sometimes even unnecessary rejection. Instead of pushing people away from adopting orphans, we primarily need to be pulling them closer together.

I recently made the Jewish case for promoting adoption and have previously shown the deep roots of this commitment. We need to create a much larger Jewish discourse about our role in responding to the global orphan crisis. The longer these children stay in orphanages the more risk of their suffering irreparable emotional, neurological, psychological, and educational damage.

I recently watched the must-see award-winning film, STUCK, by Both Ends Burning, which documents the struggles and rewards of international adoption. This very well done documentary follows the stories of four orphans from Ethiopia, Vietnam, and Haiti, and their heartbreaking struggles to make it home to their adoptive families.

The subjects of the documentary are just four examples of millions of children around the world who are stuck in a broken system, and the growing outcry in the international community is that every child must be granted the right to grow up in a loving family. We must become more aware and outraged by the incredible obstacles placed in the way of people who are only trying to become parents, and the children who desperately want to have a family. There are an estimated 17.9 children worldwide who have no living parents. This is probably a low estimate, as UNESCO data indicate that there are up to 150 million street children who spend their days in the streets of Latin America, India, Eastern Europe, and other areas. Some have families to return to at night, some have homes to sleep in, but millions literally live and sleep on the streets. In Latin America, they are called “los abandonados” (the abandoned ones), and many spend their days sniffing glue or paint thinner in an effort to get high and forget their hunger pangs. They are also subject to abuse by pedophiles and at risk of being intimidated and even murdered by the police, with little chance of obtaining justice. The idea that many of these children have families that can provide for them is a cruel exaggeration.

For years, liberal adoption policies allowed many Americans to have inter-country adoptions. The U. S. State Department reported that there were 233,934 total adoptions from 1999-2011, an average of about 18,000 a year. However, as the following list shows, the number of international adoptions has declined greatly in recent years.

• 2002: 21,467
• 2003: 21,654
• 2004: 22,991
• 2005: 22,734
• 2006: 20,680
• 2007: 19,608
• 2008: 17,456
• 2009: 12,744
• 2010: 11,058
• 2011: 9,319
• 2012: 8,668

The following factors should be noted:

• Due to increasingly difficult regulations, the number of adoptions to the United States has decreased by 62 percent.
• A 2012 State Department report noted that adoption service providers charged between $0 and $64,357 for all services, with a median charge of $28,425. The median wait takes 896 days; some adoptions have been held up for years due to bureaucratic obstacles.
• Current models predict that there will be even fewer adoptions in 2013, due to the Russian orphan ban. In addition, the State Department is not accepting applications from Cambodia and Guatemala.

STUCK is a film designed to raise awareness—and inspire outrage—over the deplorable practices allowed in current international adoption. Politics, inefficiency, and apathy leave children trapped and uncared for in orphanages around the world while there are loving families eager and willing to adopt them.

I would encourage others to watch the film, to consider volunteering to be part of the STUCK team when the film comes to your city, sign the petition, join the National March for Orphans in Washington, DC, on May 17^th. When we raise our voices and advocate the voices of millions of children, we can make great change.

Counterintuitively the Skulener Rebbe taught that one should even show more care to an orphan than to their own children. The Rebbe stayed in Europe after World War II defying the Soviets to look after refugees and keep orphans in his home. On one cold night, he found an orphan on his floor crying without a blanket. He went and took the blanket off of his old child and gave it to the orphan child. His son understood but nonetheless the Skulener Rebbe said “My dear son, please understand. You have a father. You can at least warm yourself with that. That child has no one in the world; let him at least have a blanket.”

May we open our hearts to the orphans of the world crying out for homes and for love.

 

Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz is the Founder and President of Uri L’Tzedek, the Senior Rabbi at Kehilath Israel, the Founder and C.E.O. of The Shamayim V’Aretz Institute and is the author of “Jewish Ethics & Social Justice: A Guide for the 21st Century.” In 2012 and 2013, Newsweek named Rav Shmuly one of the top 50 rabbis in America.”

Source: http://blogs.timesofisrael.com

STUCK – The Documentary Film Tour and Movement

March 30, 2013

Hosted by Kelly Ellison

[Download MP3] [itunes] [Bookmark Episode]

Join us this week as Craig Juntunen, president and founder of Both Ends Burning a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving as a child welfare advocate and a passionate believer in international adoption visits with us about the national tour of the documentary film STUCK. Juntunen is the author of Both Ends Burning: My Story of Adopting Three Children from Haiti and the Executive Producer of film. Juntunen leads the campaign’s effort to build a social movement to enact real and lasting change for the world’s orphaned and abandoned children. Craig will share his personal story of how this movement became the center of his life and what you can do to join him in his efforts to make sure that every child has a family.

Join Both Ends Burning in Raising Awareness About International Adoption Issues!

International adoption, as you know, faces ever-growing challenges placing children in loving homes, and Both Ends Burning is devoted to doing something about it.

But Both Ends Burning needs your help.

BEB is a non-profit foundation dedicated to uniting adoption advocates, raising public awareness and taking steps to reform the policies that deny thousands of orphaned and abandoned children the loving families that await them.

STUCK the documentary.

We made a full-length documentary detailing the stories of four kids from different countries around the world and the trials of finalizing their adoptions. It touches people’s hearts and – we hope – spurs them to action. STUCK won the Audience Choice award for a documentary at the Heartland Film Festival, and promises to spread the word to a wide audience about the broken adoption system.

We want everyone to experience this powerful film. So beginning March 1, we are going on the road and premiering STUCK in 60 cities over 78 days. (Click here to learn when we’ll be in your city: http://bothendsburning.org/events/itinerary/ ) 

In each city, we’re planning a full day of activities from media appearances to speaking engagements at universities, service clubs and other groups. In the evening, we’ll have a premiere party and finally, the movie itself, followed by a Q&A with our founder, Craig Juntunen. Our goal is to raise awareness and mobilize people to support reform for international adoption.

To make this work, though, we need a dedicated group of volunteers at each of our 60 locations.

How you can help.

We’re asking for your help in getting the word out. Some things you can do include:

1. Send details to your distribution list. This is our biggest and most important request. We’ve attached a letter you can send to your staff, your families, prospective families and people you know who are passionate about the issue of international adoption. It includes a link to our website where they can sign up to help in advance and on the day of the premiere. We need from 10-20 volunteers in each city.

2. “Like” and “Share” our Facebook page. We need everyone to go to https://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=logo#!/STUCKthedocumentary to “like” the page and share it on their own walls 

3. Schedule your own promotional activities to complement our efforts on the day. This will be a day to raise awareness – some adoption agencies are planning open houses; individuals can schedule fundraisers … the opportunities are endless. We are asking for your support and in return we would like to support you.

Right now our biggest challenge is time. We need to set up our team of volunteers as soon as possible for this to be a success.

So please, look at the attached information, share it with your distribution lists and on your social media sites. Feel free to call us with any questions or ideas. We have a team of professionals in our office to partner with your city volunteers to make sure they have the support the need.

And above all, we all want to keep the kids in mind. Every day a child spends in an institution or on the streets is one less day they have growing up in a healthy family setting. We must act, now.

Thanks so much for your help. Please contact us with any questions you may have.

Julie Landman
STUCK Tour Director
Julie@bothendsburning.org
480-699-5161
bothendsburning.org