At Catholic Charities North Dakota, we understand that Americans, moved by images of children in need, want to open their homes and adopt other Haitian children who had not been identified for adoption before the earthquake. The State Department advises against this course of action at this time. Intercountry adoption involves strict safeguards and legal requirements that must be met to protect children from illegal adoptions, abduction, sale and child-trafficking as well as to ensure that any adoption is in the best interests of the child.

Before a child can be legally taken to the United States for adoption, the Governments of both the United States and the child's country of origin must first determine that the child is indeed an orphan. It can be extremely difficult during the aftermath of a natural disaster to ascertain whether children who appear to be orphans truly are eligible for adoption. Children may be temporarily separated from their parents or other family members, and their parents or family members may be looking for them. Moreover, it is not uncommon in an emergency or unsettled situation for parents to send their children out of the area, or for families to become separated during an evacuation. Efforts to reunite such children with relatives or extended family should be given priority.

In addition, some children who had been residing in orphanages before the earthquake were placed there temporarily by parents who could not care for them. In most of these cases the parents did not intend to permanently give up their parental rights. Even when it can be demonstrated that children have indeed lost their parents or have been abandoned, reunification with other relatives in the extended family should be the first option.

Although the response of the American people to the needs of the orphaned children has been inspiring, there will likely not be a need for Americans to open their homes to these children. Catholic Charities North Dakota is encouraging families to consider international adoption programs from other countries such as Ethiopia, China or domestic adoption programs. For more information on adoption, please contact your nearest Catholic Charities North Dakota office or Sharon Maier in Fargo at 701-235-4457.
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Catholic Charities North Dakota offers a wide range of adoption services including North Dakota infant, out-of-state, and identified. We also offer homestudy and post-placement/post-adoption services for international adoptions. Currently we have a strong need for families who would be interested in considering a child/infant from Ethiopia.

If you are interested in any of the above programs, or would like more information, or would like to set up an individual meeting please call 701-235-4457 and ask to speak with Sharon or you can email us at ppa@catholiccharitiesnd.org.
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January 15, 2010

Kathy Hogan, chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Catholic Charities North Dakota, announced the hiring of Larry Bernhardt as the Executive Director of Catholic Charities North Dakota. He comes to the agency with 30+ years experience in social services: serving as the Director of Stark County Social Services for 31 years., worked in the North Dakota Department of Human Services for 5 years, and in County Social Services in Minnesota for 2 years. Larry received his B.S. degree from Dickinson State University.

Larry and his wife, Barbara, have two grown children - Sarah and Aaron. He names gardening, golf and travel as hobbies/recreational interests. Larry is also a member of Queen of Peace Church and the Elks, and has been involved in the Roughrider Festival and the Healthy 8 Network.

“I am extremely honored to be joining the excellent staff at catholic Charities North Dakota to help improve the quality of life for the most vulnerable in North Dakota,” stated Larry when accepting the position. Larry started his new duties on January 11, 2010.

Catholic Charities North Dakota is a statewide social service agency providing Pregnancy Parenting and Adoption Services, the Adults Adopting Special Kids (AASK) program, Counseling Services, and Guardianship Services. The Agency is accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Service to Families and Children and is the only Hague Accredited agency providing Intercountry Adoptions within North Dakota. Catholic Charities has offices in Minot, Bismarck, Grand Forks, and Fargo and serves more than 10,000 individuals each year in North Dakota. For more information regarding Catholic Charities North Dakota call 701-235-4457 or 1-800-450-4457 or visit us on the web at www.catholiccharitiesnd.org.
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There are currently no openings at this time.

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