2008 Schedule
Sept 6. . . Orange County, CA
Sept 9. . . Little Rock, AR
Oct 4  . . . Orange County, CA
Oct 7 . . . St. Louis, MO
Oct 7 . . . Kansas City, KS
Oct 14. . . Tulsa, OK
Nov 11. . . Little Rock, AR
Dec 2. . . .St. Louis, MO
Dec 9 . . . Tulsa, OK

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LOCATIONS:
In Oklahoma -- main office
3227 East 31st Street, #200
Tulsa, OK  74105
Voice: 918/749-4600
Fax:  918/749-7144
Email this office

In Arkansas --
4702 W. Commercial Dr., #B1
North Little Rock, AR 72116
and
1882 North Starr Road
Fayetteville, AR  72701
Voice:  501/791-9300
Fax:  501/791-9303
Email this office

In California -- 
18001 Irvine Blvd., Suite 101
Tustin, CA  92780
Voice: 714/734-8600
Fax:  714/734-8688
Email this office

In Kansas --
2420 West 76th Street
Prairie Village, KS  66208
Voice:  913/544-2805
Email this office

IIn Missouri --
1 First Missouri Center, #115
St. Louis, MO  63141
Voice: 314/576-4100
Fax:  314/453-9975
Email this office

In Texas --
P. O. Box 2785
Coppell, TX 75019
Voice:  972/263-1539
Fax:  972/624-8241
Email this office

In Indiana --
Voice:  765/965-1195
Email our Midwest Regional Coordinator

Joint Council on International Children's Services

North American Association of Christians in Social Work

Dillon International, Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and is classified as a public charity under the U.S.  Internal Revenue Code.

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Burns Data Control, Inc.
"Adoption Software Designed By And For Adoption Agencies"

For more than 35 years, Dillon International's mission has been the commitment to providing the best lifetime of care for each homeless child we are privileged to serve.  We are glad that you are considering international adoption as a means to build your family  because many children throughout the world are still in need of a permanent, loving family.

By surfing our site, we hope you will develop a better awareness about our concern and commitment not only to the children, but also to you and your needs as an adoptive parent.  The staff of Dillon International have "walked in your shoes."  We understand your needs and concerns.  You can trust that we will approach your adoption plan with sensitivity and compassion.  Our adoption education has been tailored to prepare you for successfully parenting a transracially adopted child.  And our post-adoption services will give you the tools to incorporate your child's birth heritage into your family's daily life. 

We hope that the information provided here will help you in making a wise decision on whether international adoption is right for your family and in selecting the best adoption agency for your family's needs.  We are confident you will find that our intercountry adoption expertise, professionalism, and personal service to adoptive families will more than meet your expectations.
 

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India

Korea

 Haiti

Guatemala

waiting child
applications ONLY

not accepting
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closed for all
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Dillon in the News

July 3, 2008...Adopted from Korea Herself, Mother Adopts a Korean Baby (appeared in the OC Register/Anaheim edition)

May 11, 2008...An interview with Dillon International's Texas Adoption Director, Melanie Chung Sherman, MSW, who is also an adult adoptee, by Korea's Chosun newspaper.  Ms. Sherman was in Korea with the Adoption For Children delegation to dialogue with other Koreans about the positive aspects of adoption over institutionalized care.  Although the article is written in Korean, a synopsis of Ms. Sherman's interview follows below.  A video clip of Ms. Sherman's interview in English is also at the end of the article. 
"Melanie Sherman talks about how at one time she was confused and angry about her adoption, but a visit to an orphanage in Korea changed all those feelings.  She saw a young child crying in the orphanage and saw herself in that child.  That experience made all the difference in her life and she has devoted her career to serving other homeless children.
Ms. Sherman also talks about the anger that she had at one time against her birthmother and how she couldn't quite understand how a person could abandon one's own child.  After giving birth to her own son, Ms. Sherman finally understood the heart of a birthmother who would stop at nothing to provide the best for her child."

March 23, 2008...Love at First Sight:  Family Adopts Young Boy from India
(appeared in the Hickory Daily Record) Local family shares their adoption story about adopting a waiting child from India through Dillon International's Waiting Child Program.

March 17, 2008...Pulling In:  Just a Walk in the Park  Park-Safe system gets the green light to help drivers park in the same spot in their garage each time.  Local adoptive grandfather's invention will also help homeless children to be adopted through Dillon International.
 

March 17, 2008...Tough Question:  Dillon International Provides Answers for Adopted Children (appeared in the Tulsa World) Article features Dillon's new program for pre-teen adoptees.

February 6, 2008...Lunar New Year Event to Raise Funds for Adoption Agency (appeared in the Tulsa World) A local family shares about their tradition of attending Dillon's annual Lunar New Year celebration and what it means to their family as well as the many orphans served each year by the event.

January 13, 2008...Dillon International Celebrates Chinese New Year (appeared in Tulsa World) The 13th annual international event is set for Feb. 10 at the Doubletree Hotel Downtown. It will offer the smile-provoking parade of adopted children in their native dress and wonderful entertainment from around the world.  A highlight of the evening will be the presentation of Dillon's first Humanitarian Award to Henry Zarrow in honor of his longtime support of the organization. . . . .

January 4, 2008...Topeka Family Returns Home with New Daughter (appeared in the Topeka Capital-Journal)  Kansas Dillon family shares their experience of adopting a child from Vietnam.

-archives

How to Select the Right Agency for Your Family

Dottie Enrico, a Korean adoptee and adoptive mom, has graciously allowed us to reprint her thoughts for the benefit of prospective adoptive families who are considering international adoption to build their families. 
When we chose an agency for our first adoption, we chose the agency that I had been adopted from.  Now that I have been through one adoption from Korea and because I also have 40 years of experience as a Korean adoptee,  I will approach choosing an adoption agency for our family's future adoptions differently. 

I think many adoptive families choose an agency because it is local, has a good reputation and think "speed of the process" is the most important aspect to their adoption.  But I think we need to take a longer view of things and ask tougher questions at the beginning.  I know many adoptive families may feel as though the agency holds all of the cards, so to speak, but the reality is that most international adoption agencies are actively looking for parents because there are more children available for adoption than qualified parents.  Although it may feel like the agency has all of the power to "choose you," that isn't the case.  You also need to make sure you select the agency that is the best match for your family.

Here are some questions that my family will consider if we ever adopt again and that I believe are important for every adoptive family to ask themselves as they select an agency to work with:

• What is this agency's policy on meeting birthparents and foster parents if you travel?
  For example, U.S. adoption agencies who work with Eastern Social Welfare Society (ESWS) and Social Welfare Society (SWS) in South Korea will often allow adoptive parents, who have traveled to receive their child, to visit the foster mother's home so that they can see where their child lived during the first few months of his life.  Although it is rare, SWS will sometimes even try to arrange a face-to-face, non-identifying meeting with your child's birthparents when you travel to pick him up.  Many agencies, however, do not provide this service to traveling families.

• What kind of post-adoption services does the agency provide?  Does this agency view adoption as a lifelong journey?  Do they have quality post-adoption programs and services available for your adopted child when he is 5, 10, 20, 30 or 40 years old?  
  Just because your baby arrives home healthy, happy and adjusts well, doesn't mean that he'll never think about being adopted or having been born in a different country or both ever again.
   
• Does this agency allow you to travel to pick up your child?
  Although some parents don't feel strongly about this, I personally would not consider an agency that did not allow me to travel to receive my child.

• Is the agency too small or too big?
  Some adoptive parents think big agencies move more quickly while others think big agencies are too impersonal.
   
• How much of an "adoption community" can I form by working with this agency?
  The agency that we worked with provided us with a wonderful daughter, but I found the experience very lonely at times since we had to work with the agency from a long distance and never got to meet the agency personnel face-to-face.  We also did not get to meet other adoptive families during the process.  I think it's wonderful to have a "ready-made" commmunity of other adoptive families who live in your area who are going through the adoption process at the same time.  If this is important to you, then seek it out.

• Is the agency's religious philosophy important to me?  
  Some agencies were founded on Christian principles.  Some families are drawn to this and others are turned off by it.
   
• Will this agency recognize that my child has the right to search for his birthparents or NOT search for his birthparents - based on my child's individual desires?  Will they respect this right and give my child every possible assistance with locating his birthparents and being reunited with them?  If they do provide search assistance, how old does my child have to be to initiate his own birthparent search?  What is their policy on birthparent-initiated searches?  How will they protect my child's right to privacy if my child does not wish to be contacted by his birthparents?
  These questions are VERY important and few prospective adoptive parents think to ask them.
   
• What kind of "prep" classes does the agency offer?  Will they adequately prepare me for the unique challenges of raising an adopted child of another race and/or culture?  Do they value "parental preparation?"  
  Again, this is my personal viewpoint, but there is more to adoption than filling out INS papers.  Agencies should be offering you good pre-adopion preparation and parenting classes.

All of this may seem like a lot to think about if you are just beginning your adoption process, but the journey to get your child is a brief one compared to the lifetime you will spend together.  If you choose an agency that winds up being incompatible with your needs or values - or one that does not adequately prepare you for becoming the parent of an internationally adopted child - you usually won't know it until it's too late.

Every adoption agency has something to offer, but each one also has its own philosophy and "personality."  You deserve to be with an agency that will meet your needs AND THE NEEDS OF YOUR CHILD long after he comes home.