MEMBERSHIP:
LEEAF membership is open to Louisiana and Mississippi Gulf Coast residents adopting from Russia, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and other Eastern European countries. Families are encouraged to join LEEAF before their adoption. Meeting other LEEAF families can be helpful. If a LEEAF member moves to a different state, they will be allowed to continue their membership in LEEAF for as long as they desire.
LEEAF collects a $35 per year membership donation to be utilized in covering administrative expenses such as postage, advertising, meeting and parties supplies, rental space for parties and meetings, printing of informational material, website fees, orphan support, summer tours, and adoption education/guest speakers. Since LEEAF is a private adoption group, formed solely for the purpose of providing encouragement for persons seeking to adopt from Eastern Europe and orphanage support, the LEEAF steering committee reserves the right to evaluate any person's access to the group and terminate that access for what ever reason it deems necessary.
ACTIVITIES:
SOCIAL:
-Parties (Usually four per year; winter, spring, summer, and fall)
-Group field trips
-Adult Nights
-Ladies' Nights
-Men's Nights
-Play Groups/Dates (in some areas)
-Round Table Discussions on a variety of adoption/heritage topics.
EDUCATIONAL:
-Most LEEAF events are open to those who have already adopted as well as those seeking information on adoption. This way, families seeking info can meet the children and hear the personal stories of LEEAF families. This has been the most successful part of LEEAF.
-Referrals to books, resource materials, and community resources.
-Informational website
-LEEAF library - available to current LEEAF members. We have many books to help prepare you for the adoption experience. We also have many children's books, both adoption and heritage books.
- Guest speakers and information on area conferences/workshops
- Round Table Discussions on a variety of adoption topics
ENCOURAGEMENT:
-Mentor program which matches adoptive families with families in the process of adopting, to provide emotional and informational support. To be matched with a family, complete the LEEAF registration form.
ORPHAN SUPPORT:
- Involvement and participation in humanitarian programs that bring Russian orphans to the US for vacation
- Participation in shoe/backpack drives.
- Involvement with several US humanitarian orphan relief agencies.
- Collection of needed supplies at some of the LEEAF events, to be donated to Russian orphanages
