Mission of TEARS (Ontario) and Imagine Adoption Enter into Arrangement to Combine Canadian Operations


Cambridge and Toronto, Ontario, February 9, 2011 – Imagine Adoption and Mission of TEARS (Ontario) are pleased to announce that, effective February 8, 2011, they will enter into an arrangement to combine their Canadian operations.

Under the arrangement, Mission of TEARS (Ontario) will assume the management of Imagine’s affairs in the province of Ontario and throughout Canada.  Such services are expected to include general management oversight and administration, new program development, parent education and training and case management.

The assumption of Imagine’s operations in Ontario and throughout Canada by Mission of TEARS (Ontario) will be under the auspices of Rev. Gordon Lewis, Mission of TEARS (Ontario)’s Executive Director.  Rev. Lewis, a well-known and respected leader in the Canadian international adoption community, has acted as an international adoption executive for over 17 years.  In 1993, he founded Mission of TEARS (Ontario), which has completed hundreds of adoptions in numerous countries throughout the world including Russia, Ukraine, Haiti, South Africa, Ghana and Kenya.  Mission of TEARS (Ontario)’s reputation in the international adoption community continues to grow with its child-centred philosophy, which focuses on the uniqueness of the child as a person, and the family as a unit for nurturing children.  For further information on Mission of TEARS (Ontario) and Rev. Lewis please visit www.myadoption.ca.

Following a transition period of approximately three months, it is expected that the day-to-day operations of Imagine in Cambridge, Ontario will be combined into those of Mission of TEARS (Ontario), based in Toronto.  The arrangement will allow Imagine families to have continuity in the management of their files, and provides for continued oversight by the board of Imagine, which will remain in place.  Imagine’s operations in Ethiopia will continue to be operated in the ordinary course and are not impacted by this arrangement.  Although containing commercially standard terms and conditions for a management agreement of this nature, this arrangement provides the ability for a careful move to a full merger of the two agencies in the longer term.

Mission of TEARS (Ontario) has recently expanded its staff complement to manage the continued growth of its adoption programs, including in anticipation of this arrangement with Imagine.  None of Mission of TEARS (Ontario)’s current programs, including those in South Africa, will be impacted as a result of this arrangement.  Mission of TEARS (Ontario)’ current families will continue to be dealt with in the normal course, and the progress of their files will be uninterrupted by this arrangement.

"Imagine is pleased with the continued progress we have seen in the placements to date with our families,” commented [Rob Eagleson], volunteer board member for Imagine. "Our arrangement with Mission of TEARS (Ontario) enables us to take that next step in providing a sustainable future to our remaining families – as a going-concern adoption agency.  We look forward to working with Mission of TEARS (Ontario), Gordon and his team in making this a reality.”

"We look forward to working with the board of Imagine, which will continue to be in place and will provide oversight to Mission of TEARS (Ontario),” said Rev. Lewis.  "More importantly, we look forward to serving the children of Ethiopia and helping their prospective families in the Imagine community.”

For further information please contact:

For Imagine:                              Rob Eagleson
                                                Board Of Directors
                                                382 Queen Street West, Cambridge, ON, N3C 1G8
                                                (519) 260-0391

For Mission of TEARS (Ontario): General Inquiries
                                                50 Gervais Drive
                                                Toronto, ON M3C 1Z3
                                                416 449-0018 ext. 101

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