GOOD HOPE ADOPTION TESTIMONIALS
Here's what some of our happy families have to say about our services...
Amy & Megan Klaucke
My name is Amy Klaucke. I’ve always wanted children. Being a mom was more important to me than being a wife. So early 2007, as a single person, I pursued adoption. I finally took the first step after speaking with relatives about their own adoptions. This was a life-altering decision that I knew I was ready to begin. My advice from them was to start by choosing an adoption agency that I am comfortable working with. Not knowing what this meant, I contacted the agency that my relatives had used. This was a large agency outside of New England, understanding that they had a great reputation. In the early stages of the application process/mountain of paperwork, I had a simple immigration question. My contact at this agency was very kind, but we played telephone tag an entire day to answer this simple question. I felt that my adoption process was too personal to be treated so impersonally. Know that I knew what I didn’t want, I was more educated to research what I did want in an agency. I wanted to be treated like an individual. This led me to Good Hope Adoption Services (“Good Hope”). I was impressed at my initial appointment with Karen Medve, and was eager to start working together. She was more than helpful guiding me through the entire application process, and that mountain of paperwork. She reduced an overwhelming, and complicated, process into a series of stepping stones, accomplishing one at a time. Karen listened to all of my questions and concerns, and responded to each. I was treated like a friend, and not just another file.
Karen Medve and her contacts are the reason my daughter and I are together. Megan Margarita Klaucke was legally adopted from Kazakhstan on November 23, 2007, just under 9 months old.
I didn’t specifically choose Kazakhstan, only that I was in search of a healthy baby. Karen found this child in an orphanage in Uralsk, not far from Moscow. I traveled to Kazakhstan in one trip, just over 40 days. I can’t recommend Kazakhstan for any future vacations, but I did come home with a beautiful little girl.
My adoption process may be over, but I am now part of an amazing adoption community here on Cape Cod. Good Hope continues to encourage participation in a moms support group, various meetings, gatherings, and in weekly play groups. Megan also loves her play dates with Ava, another adopted little girl from Kazakhstan. Megan is learning that she can be a happy baby. She, like many other children in orphanages, is delayed developmentally. But, she is catching up quickly. We just celebrated her first birthday March 3rd. I couldn’t be more proud of each discovery or accomplishment.
My advice to anyone contemplating this journey is the same advice I got when I first started. But, like me, you will most likely first learn what you don’t want. Of course I had my ups and downs through the adoption process, but I have not a single regret. My daughter is home, and that’s all that matters. I have found a happy ending with her adoption, and together enormous new beginnings as a family.
"Working with Karen Medve, of Good Hope Adoption Services, was one of the best things we've ever done. She coordinated our Adoption Home Study & Post Placement Reports. In addition, Karen helped us every inch of the way with our dossier for Guatemala. Now we have a beautiful baby girl from Guatemala & have Karen Medve to thank for a good part of it. Her meticulousness with all the paperwork, kind heart & ability to listen to our needs, was just what we needed!"
Joe & Marge Gramm, Cape Cod, MA
Adopted Molly, From Guatemala, 8/05
"When my husband and I decided to adopt two children from Russia, Karen Medve, of Good Hope Adoptions, helped us tremendously during the entire adoption process. She assisted us in gathering and organizing our paperwork, she made numerous trips in to Boston with me to help me get documents apostilled by the Secretary of State's office, and she became a great friend along the way!
Like many parts of life, the adoption process doesn't always run smoothly, and Karen offered an enormous amount of love and support to me and my husband when we encountered the "bumps in the road". Ultimately we brought home the kids that God meant for us to, and Karen was a large part of that success story.
Nancy and Ken Braithwaite, South Shore, MA
Parents to Daria, (Russia) age 4 ; and Andy, (Russia), age 2
"I chose my agency based on country of adoption, price, length of time in country of adoption, and availability of what I was looking for. Right from the start, I found my contact person, Karen Medve, to be very personable. She made me feel comfortable. I felt I had made the right choice to adopt because, being single, I was very apprehensive. She provided me with names of other single people who had "been there." My next fear was going to this strange country, one I had never heard of. I was also given names of single women who had been there.
The ambiguous stream of documents needed and then not needed was a nightmare. After talking with other people in country who were also there for adoption, I realized there was no list carved in stone of what you need.
But once in the country, I personally, had the most wonderful experience I will never forget. I am not sure if it was the country I chose or the people I became friends with but it was a wonderful experience. I found the children to be well cared for and in excellent health and all caretakers to be warm and caring to the children. My son is now 4 years old and he is smart and healthy and more importantly, a normal 4 year old."
Nancy Bisch, Connecticut
Parent to Daniel 1-15-02 from Petropavlavsk, Kazakhstan in September 2003
"Karen Medve has truly been a life saver for us. She was there with us at every step of the way with her unbiased, but experienced counsel helping us sort through the myriad emotions, decisions and paperwork we had along the road to adopting our son from Kazakhstan. From the most detailed questions about completing our dossier to the decision about whether to accept our referral, Karen was always available, responsive, and a great source of insight and guidance. At our most distressing moment, after we had first met our son and had some serious misgivings, we called Karen from across the world. She empathized with our feelings, calmly explained the options to us and counseled us to wait and see after a couple of more days. We thankfully heeded her advice and now have a healthy, active 21 month old running around the house.
Karen is *the* person I would want to have on our side and representing our interests if we were ever to pursue adoption again. She's experienced, empathetic, wise, responsive, completely on the ball, and knows how to get things done in the adoption system = all attributes that are extremely valuable during the tenuous journey of adopting from abroad."
Beth and Rich Caplow, Boston, MA
Parents to Sidney, Age 5; and Andrei, aged 2, Kazakhstan
I am the most persnickety person and bluntest person you will ever meet. When I decided to adopt a child as a single Mom I got worse… I needed the best, the most understanding and wonderful person in the world to help me find my child. Let me tell you I interviewed way too many…
I finally chose Karen Medve. She is the best there is….and since then I have referred her a million times and never has anyone been let down… This is the most special and important time in your life… Believe and use the right person to get what you want and what was always supposed to be yours.
Brooke Fairman, Florida
Mother to Kinzie, aged 3½
Good Hope Adoption, 708 Rt 134, S.Dennis, MA 02660 866-50-ADOPT • info@goodhopeadoption.org
