Will you support L.K. and A.S.’s twin babies? GiveSendGo

Oct 082024

This appeal concerns two Indian children, twins who now are two years old. Both children needed immediate medical attention following birth. Despite the wishes of the Red Lake Nation, the birth mother favors continued placement with K.R. and N.R. Thus, the case name reflects the names of the birth parents – In the Matter of the Welfare of the Children of: L.K. and A.S., Parents.

LINK: CAICW Amicus Curiae Brief in Support of Petitioners

LINK: Various Family Stories over the years

Why This Case Matters:

The 2023 Brackeen opinion indicates that the path this case is taking to the US Supreme Court is the path they preferred.
Constitutional Concerns: ICWA violates the Tenth Amendment by commanding state officers to administer a federal regulatory program, which is seen as an overreach by federal law into state jurisdiction.
Child Welfare: The placement preferences under ICWA do not always align with the best interests of the child or the direct wishes of parents.
Rights of Parents: Parents should have a voice in the best interest of their children.

According to the last three US censuses, 75% of tribal members DO NOT live in Indian Country. Many have taken their families and left due to the high incidence of crime and abuse. Some families moved away decades ago. Further, most children of tribal heritage are multi-heritage – meaning they may have a parent, grandparent and other relatives who they love but who are not enrolled tribal members.

LINK: Watch video clip; Mother says her tribe kidnapped her baby through ICWA

Nevertheless, the ICWA claims jurisdiction over children that are merely ELIGIBLE for enrollment, regardless of their background and preferences. This means that even if parents do not enroll their children, the tribal government still has jurisdiction if the child is “in need of care” and more right to take custody of a child than a beloved non-tribal aunt. In some cases, even non-tribal grandparents have been denied custody. In some cases, even enrolled relatives have been denied custody if they have turned their backs on tribal government.

However, ‘In the Matter of the Welfare of the Children of: L.K. and A.S., Parents‘, is headed to the Minnesota Supreme Court. CAICW was invited to write an Amicus brief in support of the petitioners. You can read CAICW’s amicus here:

LINK: CAICW Amicus Curiae Brief in Support of Petitioners

Why We Need Your Support:

Legal Costs: While the attorney for the parents is pro-bono, there are ancillary expenses We need funds to cover paralegals, expert witnesses, and other legal expenses to ensure a robust defense.
Public Awareness: Your contribution will help us educate the public and policymakers about the importance of ICWA, ensuring widespread understanding and support.
Setting Precedents: By supporting this case, you’re not just aiding one legal battle; you’re contributing to a broader movement for justice, recognition, and rights for Native children.

Minneapolis attorney Mark D. Fiddler, of Fiddler Osband Flynn LLC., is known nationally for his work concerning the Indian Child Welfare Act and is the lead attorney for the appellants/petitioners.

CAICW is a national 501c3. Donations to cover legal fees for the family are tax deductible. As has been done before, unless specified for CAICW, 100% of donations will be sent directly to the family’s attorneys (In this case, Fiddler Osband Flynn LLC.)

How You Can Help:

Donate: Any amount you can contribute will make a difference. Your donation ensures we have the resources to fight this case with vigor.
Spread the Word: Share our cause on social media, talk about it in your community, and help us reach more potential supporters.
Volunteer: If you have skills in social media or fundraising, we could use your expertise.

Join Us: Your support can make history, ensuring that Native children have rights and protections equal to that of every other child in the United States.

Act Now: We have set up a fund dedicated to this legal battle. Every dollar you contribute goes directly towards defending the rights of these children:

Donate Online: Visit https://www.givesendgo.com/CAICW to make a secure donation
Check Contributions: Make checks payable to the CAICW legal fund and mail to CAICW, PO Box 46, Hillsboro, ND 58045

Thank you in advance for your generosity and for standing with us in this crucial moment. Together, we can defend the rights of generations yet to come.

Warm regards,

Elizabeth Morris

Chair, Christian Alliance for Indian Child Welfare

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About the Author:

Elizabeth Morris is the administrator of the ‘Christian Alliance for Indian Child Welfare’ – a national non-profit she and her husband, a member of the Minnesota Chippewa tribe, founded in 2004. Ms. Morris has been writing, lobbying, and advocating on issues related to federal Indian policy since 1995 and is currently working on her PhD in Public Policy: Social Policy at Liberty University.

Ms. Morris was also a Commissioner on the congressional ‘Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children.’ After holding several hearings in regions across the country, the Commission submitted its Final Report and Ms. Morris submitted her Minority Report to Congress in February 2024.

Ms. Morris earned her Bachelor of Science, Interdisciplinary Studies: Government and Policy, Communication, and Health Science magna cum laude in August 2016 and her Master of Arts in Public Policy with Distinction in July 2019, both at Liberty University. Her Master Thesis is titled: ‘The Philosophical Underpinnings and Negative Consequences of the Indian Child Welfare Act.’

Ms. Morris also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Christian Ministries; an Associate of Science (Registered Nurse), a Diploma of Bible & Missions, and is the author of the book, ‘Dying in Indian Country.’

CAICW.org

X.com/CAICW

Facebook.com/CAICW.org

Linkedin.com/in/elizabethsharonmorris/

Our office is content with very little money.

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Jun 122016

CAICW Donate Christian Alliance for Indian Child Welfare

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Our office doesn’t need much. We take pride in the fact there is no monthly overhead. There are no salaries or huge office expenses.

We work out of our homes – on the computer. The biggest expense is when we travel to DC once or twice a year. We have figured out how to do it on about $25 a day (after travel expenses to get there). We keep expenses down by not staying in motels, not eating restaurant food, and not taking taxis. We also don’t party or spend money on politicians or their aides.

The second greatest office expense is paper, toner, envelopes and stamps. Once or twice a year, the general fund contributes to the cell phone bill or internet service. Other than that – we simply don’t need much.

The people with the real financial need are the families affected by ICWA. Many do not have the money to pay for good attorneys. So we have set up a small legal fund that has successfully helped a few families. What we do with the legal fund is pay for consultations with expert ICWA attorneys. The consultation can be between the expert ICWA attorney and the family, or the ICWA attorney and their local attorney, or both. Many local attorneys just need a little guidance.

One family in Colorado, however, used the consultation to educate and prepare themselves to represent themselves, as they could not afford a local attorney. They were successful. To the surprise of many, the grandmother, who had been told she can not keep her grandson if the Warm Springs Tribal government out of Oregon wanted him – won the right to adopt her grandson. The adoption went through two years ago, so it can be discussed now. The grandson is safe.

One thing they were able to prove in court was that the Warm Springs gov’t had falsified a birth certificate in order to make it appear the boy was eligible for membership. They also educated the judge on what the ICWA actually says about grandparents having custody of their grandchildren. The ICWA does NOT say the grandparents have to be tribal members. The Warm Springs gov’t had told the judge that this grandmother could not have her grandson because she was white. The Grandmother’s family was able to show the judge the truth – and they were able to do so because of the guidance they had received in a simple consultation.

Admittedly, things are more difficult now that the BIA has issued new rules with the express purpose of ensuring tribal governments win custody of other people’s children. They closed what they called “loopholes” – but were actually common sense protections for families. That said, in the case of the Colorado grandmother, it was the actual wording of the ICWA law itself that saved her grandson. This is why consultations with expert ICWA attorneys are so necessary.

You can contribute to their legal fund through here.

If you want still want to help the office, the absolute best way is through Amazon when you order things for yourself online. Amazon has a program called “Amazon Smile” – which is still all the same Amazon: you order the exact same things you usually order through them, for the exact same prices, yet a tiny percentage of the purchase price goes to a charity of your choice. It is absolutely pain free – the easiest way ever to donate. You can even set it up to do the donation automatically every time you shop. Amazon will remember and apply it for you.

Go to smile.Amazon.com to check it out.

But only donate if you feel led. Frankly, as contentious as our work has been, under frequent attack with many untrue things printed about us over the last twenty years and with so little progress – we go through cyclic soul-searching. We really do need periodic assurance that this is the battle He still wants us to be fighting.

Watching him provide is both an adventure and an assurance.

That said – if you feel led to donate directly to us – use this link:

Contribute

OTHER WAYS TO HELP

Ministry:

Would you like to physically help?

1. PRAY WITH US.

Every Sunday evening at 8 pm Central time, we try to post prayer requests and standard prayer issues on our Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/fbCAICW.org/

2. Volunteer to:

Share Jesus Christ and pray

Encourage and Advocate for Families

Educate Legislators – VERY important for you to contact your Senators and Congressmen!

Write Articles

Monitor Social Networks

Help Maintain the Website

Research Case Law

3. Learn More About The Indian Child Welfare Act:

Read our Blog ~
Read Stories from Families ~ Letters from Families

Learn More about ICWA~ Join us on FaceBook!

Follow CAICW on TWITTER!

Tell Others and Share these Links

DONATIONS TO THE GENERAL FUND:

– If you decide you would like to donate – your Donation will:

Help Educate and Inform by:

Enabling us to Continue Publishing our Newsletter
Enabling us to Keep our Website Updated
Assisting us to Research Statistics
Enabling us to educate the public as well as elected officials about Indian rights, laws, and issues

Minster To Families by:

Helping us to stay in contact with families
Supporting and encouraging individuals and families to Trust God, Look to Him, and Pray.
Supporting Equal Protection for children
Supporting the right of parents to choose guardians for their children without regard for heritage.
Supporting and Encouraging families to combat alcoholism, drug addiction, sexual abuse, child abuse and child neglect
Encouraging Families to Stand Up Together, Pray for Each Other, and Support Each One Another.

Defend Parental and Civil Rights by:

Assisting us in the research of Case Law, Legislative History, and significant Secondary Authority and make it freely available
Encouraging accountability of governments to families with Indian heritage
Seeking Justice and defending the cause of families in need.
Advocating the use of the “Existing Indian Family Doctrine“
Advocating for Fair Trials for all US citizens, no matter their heritage
Defining protections for Adoptive Parents

Assist and Support Christian Churches in their local Ministries by:

Supporting and encouraging prayerful volunteerism in local church Ministries and Missions.
Encouraging the work of Evangelism

OTHER WAYS TO DONATE:

– Through Ebay’s Giving-Works, ‘MissionFish’

– Mail Your Check or Money Order to:

Christian Alliance for Indian Child Welfare
PO Box 460,
Hillsboro, ND 58045 – 0460

You can request that mailed funds be applied to specific accounts.
(Please don’t send cash through the mail)

– Or use this link –

Contribute

Thank you for considering a U.S. tax deductible contribution to the Christian Alliance for Indian Child Welfare, a U.S. 501c(3)

When Supporters ask what I need…

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Apr 282015

A couple people commented that they think what I am doing is amazing. The reality is that God is amazing. Without God having provided the means to do this – we (as an org) wouldn’t be here.

Following the flipping of my camper on ice in January – in which I climbed out of the totaled cab without a scratch – God provided the most wonderful van for me to use for travel and for sleep. It is awesome and so comfortable.

– God provided the gas, the new tires, and I haven’t been without pocket money this entire time. I have not wanted for food. In fact, some days I feel like I have too much food.

– God even provided clothing to use while in DC. Even the coat on my back, and the computer I use.

– And God is providing awesome meetings, and understanding ears.

Supporters ask what I need. I could answer – gas cards, money put on my metro subway card, etc. But I wouldn’t know how to tell a person to send it, because I don’t have an address.

So we will continue to trust God for the day to day needs.

We need to trust Him for the outcome of the work as well. We are not powerful. I am not all wise or amazing or infallible or anything like that. Lord knows – and so do all my friends and family – that I am extremely fallible. I try to organize my work and be practical about everything – but continue to make mistakes every single day.

I feel like I embarrassed myself at an event last Friday night.

But… if we are doing our best with all our heart, mind and body – we are not responsible for the outcome. That’s in God’s hands. We are only responsible to do the work set in front of us every day, to the best of our fallible ability.

I just wanted to say that – so that it is understood.

When supporters ask what I need – it is really and truly prayer.

February Giveaway ~ :)

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Feb 012014

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ENTER TO WIN:

Video Documentary: Dying in Indian Country explains how welfare, federal Indian policy, the BIA and corrupt tribal governments are largely responsible for the destruction of families, while non-governmental solutions can bring genuine hope and change.

Booklet: “Our Living God is a Missionary God” is a colorful explanation of our Missionary God for children ages 9-11.

Enter more than once! Multiple entry options available – the form will guide you through them.

Further, NO obligations required for entry.

For example, you do not need to answer any questions, nor need you connect to Facebook.

Connection to social networks are not necessary but are merely suggestions to earn additional entries in the Giveaway. Simply click “Skip” and move on if you wish – or participate in the suggestions for additional entry points. 🙂

(The suggested video is only 40 seconds long ~ )

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VERONICA SUPPORTERS – What You Need to Know:

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Sep 262013

Many have expressed desire to help stop the harm ICWA has been causing. These are some specifics of the fight you want to help with, from a mother who has been through it:

“I am sharing some more personal stuff because it is easy for people to focus on Veronica but the reality is, she is one of hundreds needing our help. The toll on the children and families trying to help them is huge! It is sometimes seen as a grand, wonderful thing to support a cause but the reality is – it is hard and dirty for those on the front lines. I know people are shouting hurray for some of the leaders of Save Veronica -but truly M and M are the heroes and the attorneys who helped them

– The work is hard.

– The financial price is high.

– The emotional stress is devastating.

– Saving the children is priceless.

Helping case by case is important but an organized effort to take down the ICWA is essential. If we can get rid of the ICWA the individual cases will decline. We need some heavy hitters to get involved.

I know you know most of this but so many have no idea:

1) Attorneys won’t work for free….we lost 2 attorneys because we couldn’t pay them. They showed up for court and before they left said it would be the last time they would be representing us. We then had to come up with $5000 to retain a new attorney.

2) ICWA are specialty cases. You can’t just get any old Joe…we learned this the hard way. Our original attorney said he could do an ICWA case and told us he knew what he was doing and had a friend who could help him if he had questions. This attorney in reality had no idea what he was doing. Before it was over we had 4 different attorneys. Oh, and had 2 judges.

3) Emotional stress is very high…A person tends to run pretty efficiently when you are fighting but it takes a toll. My husband would head off to work and I would do as much as I could all day while watching the kids, making phone calls and such. When he got home, he watched the kids and I got busy working on the computer and reading and researching. I would stay up until 2 or 3 every night. There was so much to do and we didn’t have an army to help us.

4) One has to work hard to guard their children from all of the chaos. We work so hard to keep the kids from the reality of the situation. They did not know they were on TV or that someone was trying to get their brother. This was a daily effort on our part.

5) Addressing all the struggles he was having because of visitations was huge. We spoke with a physiologist friend, a few attachment therapists, and did lots of research. We started homeschooling mostly because we knew he couldn’t handle public school at the time. We tried diets, discipline techniques, and medicines.

6) Our marriage… LOL – Our dates were a meal after court. We couldn’t afford a sitter and we didn’t want to ask my mom to babysit for something that seemed frivolous. She watched the kids for us for every court date, visitation, attorney meeting, therapist meeting, GAL meeting, etc… every time the media would come to interview she would take the kids so they didn’t know what was happening. She helped soooo much.

7) We had support from our community, family and church but it was still very, very hard.

8) When the adoption was finally done we went into a mode of relief and relaxation. I remember enjoying lots of bubble baths… LOL – We would stay up and watch TV instead of reading court documents. We made a lot of popcorn at night and both gained about 10 lbs – LOL. We hardly knew what to do…I think we needed the rest but maybe let the pendulum swing to long. There was still much we had to do. Our family needed some repairing and our little boy needed some help but the constant necessity to be driven was over.

9) Fundraising is so important – It seems there are so many places to give and times are tight right now but this fight takes money. Our case cost over $150,000 and we didn’t even end up going to trial [because the birth mom changed her mind and ended up wanting us to have him.] The bills from our attorneys every month were often bigger than our monthly income. Yes, we would have months when our bill might be $5000. It could be more or less…but just to get an idea.

Some adoptive parents, like us, are required to sign contracts with bio-parents and tribal government. It is unknown whether this was part of the negotiations Matt & Melanie went through. However, these can be hard to deal with as well.

– We had to sign an agreement with the tribe and bio-mom. The adoption agency contacts me every year to make certain we comply with terms. The tribe has NEVER contacted us. Only one time when I asked for some information did we hear from them and the effort to fulfill our request was pathetic.

– The tribe had us sign that we would take trips to the reservation and visit family there and bring the bio-mother with us (she does not live on the reservation.) Also we are to do things with her and her extended family yearly, like pow-wows, and pick up the bio-mom and transport her there. (BTW – bio-mom told us she doesn’t believe in pow-wows and such because she is a Christian)

– We have not heard from our son’s bio mom since Valentine’s Day. She will do that…then will call a few times a week for awhile, making promises she won’t keep, and then…off the radar for who knows how long.

– Bio-mom is not required to make any effort. We do all the work. The tribe who fought so hard for him has had nothing to do with him since.

Anyway, people need to know this is not a $20,000 regular adoption cost, it is not an easy, happy road. Like my husband said, when it comes to ICWA cases, logic is gone. You are dealing with illogical thinking from that point on. We found that to be one of the hardest things.

We couldn’t believe how it seemed there was absolutely no common sense involved with the case and decisions.

Trusting God to Provide

3 Responses »

Jul 152013

Sitting in an airport on my last leg home after a two week break, I’ve been doing some work while waiting. While away these two weeks, I finished five books – one of which was a book by Corrie ten Boom. It gave me lots to think about – the least of which is how she managed funding for her post-Holocaust ministry. (I say the “least,” because, obviously, she had many vital things to say.)

But, equally obviously, these comments got my attention. She determined early on never to ask for money again. She would leave it to God. Her thoughts and prayers aren’t unlike those of George Muller or the Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary. They all supported their ministry through prayer and faith.

It interested me because we have survived these last …almost ten years now… with extremely limited funding. I have asked the Lord many times through those years why, if He seriously wants us to do this ministry, we don’t have more funding. It was confusing because, you would think that money would be a confirmation of blessing on the work. Why have we never been able to build a good legal fund?

Yet confirmations were coming in other ways; primarily from families telling us how grateful they were that we were there for prayer, friendship and referrals to attorneys. They thanked us for being here and understanding their problems and emotions. This seemed to matter more to some than whether or not we had funds for their legal battle.

Now I am thinking about how some of the recent attacks from our opponents have included accusations that we have “just been in this for the money.”

I had to laugh when I first heard that. I’ve never had a salary for doing this. But… although salary would have been nice and many times I thought I would burst trying to do this work while working a “real” job at the same time – a salary apparently wasn’t necessary. We survived without it. We have also been blessed in that an office and major office expenses were also unnecessary. My functional desk cost $25 at a rummage sale. I found two boxes of paper (20 reams of paper per box) that someone was throwing away three years ago or so, and still have about 8 reams of it left. (So if you wondered why your newsletter paper looked a little…well, not bright white…).

Our biggest overhead expense is simply the cost of getting the word out / teaching those who haven’t gotten the message – i.e.: our job as an advocacy and ministry.

Yet…when the rubber hit the road and money was needed for Veronica – people in South Carolina and across the country raised it and almost $40,000 went through our system and out to the attorney’s.

So when it was vitally needed – the money was there.

Further, when we have gone to DC to speak to Congressmen about ICWA – the money has been there. People want us to go to DC, so they help with that.

And maybe that’s all that was ever necessary. Maybe, despite my earlier concerns about funds, we have always has exactly what we needed.

Now – we want to grow in areas of our ministry. We want to have a home to help parents and families with substance abuse – Patterned after Teen Challenge, but a long term facility where parents can stay WITH their kids and learn and grow together, as a family, so that they don’t have to be separated while one or both parents get treatment.

But I don’t want to worry about the funding. When the time is right, I want to trust the Lord to help it come to be.

I asked one of our pastors who I was with these last two weeks (I was at the Bible College campus where I got my B.A. in Christian Ministries) if I should take the donation button off of our website, but he said, “No. You have to provide an avenue for those who decide they want to give.”

I need to talk to our board about it more and see how they feel.

I like looking back and seeing how the Lord has always provided what’s been needed.

I also like that money has rarely been wasted – because there hasn’t been any money to waste. (Waste would be things like the brand new stapler that broke the first time I tried to use it – and then never had time to bring back to the store.)

And…I like that opponents can’t say we are in this for “money.”

Amen, amen. I have had a great two weeks and am ready to get back into the saddle.

Consider a Tax-Deductible End-of-Year Donation

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Dec 242012

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First of all, I want to thank you for your faithful support. Over the years, CAICW has helped many people, but that doesn’t mean we ever forget anyone who has helped make that possible. You are one of those people. It doesn’t matter whether you have given $5 or $5,000 in the past—it takes all kinds of thread to make a quilt.

A quilt—a patchwork of material sewn together into a blanket—what an apt comparison to what we do here at CAICW. Families whose lives have been ripped apart, made whole again through the generosity of people like you. Families like those of Matt & Melanie Capobianco, the parents of baby Veronica.

CAICW first heard about Veronica’s situation in late summer of 2011. At the time, we were organizing a Washington DC ‘Teach-in’ for October 2011. Through cash and in-kind donations, we were able to raise the money needed for the event and Melanie was invited to join us and speak to Congressmen about the impending tragedy. Later, in January 2012, “Save Veronica” became an official fundraising campaign of the Christian Alliance for Indian Child Welfare. Together, with your help, well over $40,000 was raised for their legal fees.

Which brings me to the main point of this letter. Please consider a Tax-Deductible End-of-Year Donation

The “Save Veronica”Campaign – currently appealed to the United States Supreme Court.
Legal Fund for additional families in need
The Roland J. Morris Sr. Home, and regular operating expenses to maintain communications.
Washington DC trip: Educating new and old Congressmen in DC, February 4-8, 2013 – 6 weeks away.

If your heart leads you to do so, please consider an additional gift to any of the projects outlined here. The children and families affected thank you

If you’re online, go to our website https://caicw.org/donate-now/ and click on the “Donate Now” button to make sure your donation counts toward the double impact.

You can also send a donation by mail to:

CAICW
PO Box 253
Hillsboro, ND 5804

Once again, thank you for your continued support, and know that the Capobianco’s and many families like theirs would not have the legal funds they need were it not for you.

The Roland J. Morris Sr. Home
In response to the needs, experiences and tragedies we have witnessed in our own families, the CAICW seeks to open a Christian, long-term care home (One year to 18 months) that will reach out to parents and grandparents in pain from addictions. The goal is to offer the love of Jesus Christ and assistance for families to grow to health. We will also offer tools and knowledge for them to gain employment and perfect their parenting skills. Our vision is to pattern the home after Teen Challenge, but also allow families to bring their children along so that everyone stays connected and learns together a new and better way to live in a family setting. We have been discussing and praying about this vision for a long time. We welcome your ideas and donations as we feel the time is coming to bring this dream to fruition.

Ebay Auction Benefits CAICW
An adoptive mother who has been affected by the ICWA has adopted CAICW on ebay. To date, sales from her boutique have garnered us about $400. Her auction is on ebay, but you can also visit her on Facebook at: http://stores.ebay.com/safford-hall

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Sharon Morris
Administrator

WE NEED HELP!

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Jun 072011

Hey wonderful peoples – with school out, does anyone have extra time?

We could really use your help – prayer wise as well as hands on.

I am the administrator of CAICW – but only a volunteer in a one man office – and have to work as an RN to support my family. So I am doing the best I can, but it ends up being slow – much too slow. It breaks my heart that I can’t move any faster than I am.

Right now:
1) An attorney in the Twin Cities is working on draft legislation to present to Congress
2) We are setting up a seminar for Congressmen, teaching reality of ICWA.
3) We NEED help fundraising – Families NEED a Legal Defense Fund!
4) We NEED website work on caicw.org
5) We NEED help monitoring this facebook page
6) We NEED another newsletter out

– I appreciate anything you can do – Thanks so much for your prayers –

I am Elizabeth (Lisa) Morris, Administrator
Christian Alliance for Indian Child Welfare (CAICW)
PO Box 253, Hillsboro ND 58045
administrator@caicw.org
https://caicw.org/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/CAICW
To Donate:
https://npo.networkforgood.org/Donate/Donate.aspx?npoSubscriptionId=1004119&code=Email+Solicitation

All Children deserve to feel safe: National Adoption Day Kick Off – Nov 20, 2010

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Nov 192010

Please help us Advocate, Educate, Assist, and Defend

http://www.firstgiving.com/caicw/Event/AdoptionRetainerFund

Deborah Maddox, acting Director of the BIA Office of Tribal Services in 1993, once said Congress intended the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA)

“to protect Indian children from removal from their tribes and to assure that tribes are given the opportunity to raise Indian children in a manner which reflects the unique values of Indian culture.”

Advocates of ICWA point to the devastation suffered by children of tribal heritage when, years ago, they were forcefully removed from homes they loved and forced to stay at boarding schools. The trauma those children and families experienced was, indeed, devastating.

However, in the implementation of the ICWA, the exact same thing has been happening to children in reverse. What has to be acknowledged is that we live in a migratory, multi-cultural society. This means that many children who fall under the jurisdiction of the Indian Child Welfare Act have more than one heritage, and many times are predominantly of another heritage, and/or have family who not only haven’t any connection to the Indian Reservation, but have specifically chosen not to participate in the reservation system.

Though some argue that ICWA has safeguards to prevent misuse, scores of multi-racial children have been negatively affected by its application. Letters from birth parents, grandparents, foster families, and pre-adoptive families concerning their children hurt by misapplication of ICWA can be read at ~ https://www.caicw.org/familystories.html

There is no inborn difference between persons of tribal heritage and other persons. Any emotionally healthy child, no matter their heritage, will be devastated when they are taken from their familiar homes and forced to live with strangers.

Even children of 100% tribal heritage can be devastated if taken from the only home they know and love, no matter the heritage, and placed into a home they know nothing about.

In the words of Dr. William Allen, former Chair, US Comm. On Civil Rights (1989) and Emeritus Professor, Political Science MSU;

“… We are talking about our brothers and our sisters. We’re talking about what happens to people who share with us an extremely important identity. And that identity is the identity of free citizens in a Republic…” (Re: The Indian Child Welfare Act, September 20, 2008, Wahkon, MN)

Consequent to this Congressional error in understanding the practical aspects of the ICWA, dozens of adoptions are held up every year. Some of these adoptive homes have had the children since infancy and are the only homes the children know. However, even simple adoptions can be expensive and many families aren’t prepared for this additional impediment. Time and again families have contacted the Christian Alliance for Indian Child Welfare (CAICW) to ask for help because they don’t have the funds needed to hire attorney’s to defend their children. Some families, after mortgaging their homes and having nothing else to use, have been forced to give up the fight for their children.

– Children have been removed from safe, loving homes and been placed into dangerous situations by Social Services.
– Some Indian and non-Indian families have felt threatened by tribal government.
– Some have had to take out additional mortgage on their homes and endure lengthy legal processes in attempt to protect their children.
– Equal opportunities for adoption, safety and stability are not available to children of all heritages.
– The Constitutional right of parents to make life choices for their children, for children of Indian heritage to associate freely, and for children of Indian heritage to enjoy Equal Protection has in many cases been denied.

Saturday, November 20, 2010 is National Adoption Day. Support Families nationally in defending their children from unreasonable impediment to their adoptions by helping raise $50,000 for ten $5000 Attorney retainer fees for ten Adoptive Families. These would be families that are in the midst of adopting children they have had physical custody of over a long term or from infancy, or stable ‘relative families’ attempting to retain or regain custody within the extended family – whether or not said family is enrollable with a tribe.

The “Fund Attorney Retainers for 10 Families” Drive begins on National Adoption Day, November 20, 2010 and ends on December 31, 2010. The Fund website can be found through FirstGiving.com at http://www.firstgiving.com/caicw/Event/AdoptionRetainerFund

The Christian Alliance for Indian Child Welfare (CAICW) has been advocating for families affected by the Indian Child Welfare Act since 2004 and is the only National org advocating for these families. Our advocacy is both Judicial and Legislative, as well as a prayer resource and shoulder to cry on.

Funds raised from this event will be used to assist up to 10 families in obtaining the legal assistance they need in order to complete their adoptions.

Additional informational links:

Legal and Constitutional concerns re: ICWA https://www.caicw.org/icw.html

Letters from Affected Families: https://www.caicw.org/familystories.html

ICWA Case Law: https://www.caicw.org/caselaw.html

Fighting ICWA? We are, too. Families Helping Each Other

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Nov 132010

The Christian Alliance for Indian Child Welfare (CAICW) is an advocate for

Ebay's 'Mission Fish' - "Sell your Stuff and Support our Cause."

~ Support CAICW on Ebay ~

children and families hurt by the Indian Child Welfare Act, an example of misguided federal Indian policy.

There are Four things you can do today to help:

First, if you haven’t already, sign the petition on CAICW’s Cause page.

CAICW will be taking it with to DC in January, and it will help show Congressmen that this is an important issue to many!

Second, donate through MissionFish whenever you use Ebay. The Christian Alliance for Indian Child Welfare is Registered with MissionFish – a service through Ebay that helps nonprofits fundraise while buying and selling on ~ eBay. Sellers can give part of their proceeds to a favorite nonprofit, and nonprofits can raise funds by selling on eBay too. Direct donations from eBay users can also be given through a ‘Donate Now’ feature, which lets anyone with a PayPal account donate right away without buying or selling anything.
http://donations.ebay.com/charity/charity.jsp?NP_ID=39005

Third, CAICW is sending out a snail mail newsletter this week. It includes anonymous excerpts from four letters families have written, information about the DC trip, a paper copy of the petition for you to share with non-internet friends, and potential draft legislation to share with your newly elected state legislators. If you would like a copy, please contact CAICW with your snail address. administrator@caicw.org

Fourth, Look for Draft legislation that you can bring to your State Legislator for the next session on the CAICW website: caicw.org ~ and bring it to them! Hurry; they are putting together their plans for legislation right now!

Finally – for more information and to connect with other families who are struggling against ICWA, visit the CAICW FaceBook ‘Page:’ http://facebook.com/fbCAICW.org

Thank you so much for your support! God Bless you!
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Families: Hurt by ICWA?

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Oct 262010

Find CAICW on TWITTER!

Families: Hurt by ICWA? Connect with other families through CAICW on Facebook and discuss, encourage, share insights, case law, names of possible attorney’s, and pray for each other. Join Facebook to start connecting with Christian Alliance for Indian Child Welfare.

“The Christian Alliance for Indian Child Welfare is committed to seek God’s guidance in defending the rights of the poor and needy, as instructed in Proverbs 31:8-9.”

CAICW, Christian Ministry as well as Family Advocacy, is interested in the total well-being of the individual and Family. CAICW is the only national organization advocating for families who have lost or are at risk of losing children due to misapplied and sometimes illegal application of Indian Law.

– CAICW has been advocating for families affected by the Indian law since 2004.
– Children have been removed from safe, loving homes and been placed into dangerous situations.
– Indian and non-Indian families have felt threatened by tribal government. Some have had to mortgage homes and endure lengthy legal processes to protect their children.
– Equal opportunities for adoption, safety and stability are not available to children of all heritages.
– The Constitutional right of parents to make life choices for their children, for children of Indian heritage to associate freely, and for children of Indian heritage to enjoy Equal Protection has in many cases been denied.

Please share these links with others:

Letters from Families: https://www.caicw.org/familystories.html

Facebook Page: http://facebook.com/fbCAICW.org

Home Website: https://www.caicw.org/

Cause page – http://www.causes.com/causes/537834

TWITTER: http://twitter.com/CAICW

EMAIL: administrator@caicw.org.

Hurting from ICWA? Help now on Facebook – CAICW

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Oct 252010

Follow CAICW on Twitter

Though proponents of the ICWA argue that the act has safeguards to prevent misuse, scores of multi-racial children have been hurt by misapplication of the Indian Child Welfare Act. These children and their families need encouragement, prayer, and legal help. The biggest way for all of us to help these families is to spread the letters posted on caicw.org (https://www.caicw.org/familystories.html) and let the rest of America know what is going on.

Please help us by sharing the cause!

CAICW is the only National organization advocating for families faced with loss of their children do to what amounts to a racial law. Our advocacy is both Judicial and Legislative as well as being a prayer resource for the families and a shoulder to cry on.

I’d like to encourage families to come to CAICW’s facebook page, where they can connect with other families and discuss, encourage, share insights, share case law, share names of possible attorney’s, and pray for each other.

If you know families hurt by ICWA, please share this.

We are also currently organizing a trip to DC for January, 2011 where we will meet with Gary Bauer of the American Values org, Dr. William Allen, the former Chair of the US Commission on Civil Rights, Senator Tom Coburn’s staff, and many more, to let them know of the problem, advocate for the families, and discuss initiatives that will protect these children. Join US!

Thanks so much for your support!

To help spread the word – Please also share these important links:

Letters from Families: https://www.caicw.org/familystories.html

Facebook Page: http://facebook.com/fbCAICW.org

Home Website: https://www.caicw.org

Cause page: http://www.causes.com/causes/537834

TWITTER: http://twitter.com/CAICW

EMAIL: administrator@caicw.org
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FaceBook Cause – Christian Alliance for Indian Child Welfare

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Oct 232010

Please join the CAICW Cause as we work to support, encourage and protect children. Educating others about how the Indian Child Wefare Act is hurting families is vital.

Simply passing the links on to others helps – because the more people that know – the more help we will eventually be able to get. And most people don’t know. When they read the stories, they are shocked to learn this type of thing is happening to children in the US.

And that’s the biggest need for us to begin with – that other’s learn what is happening.

http://www.causes.com/causes/537834
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