Our History
Since our program started, Adoptions and Aid has provided homestudy, placement, and counseling services to over 980 families, and helped place over 650 children from Russia and other eastern european countries in America.

The Russian Adoption Program was founded in July of 1993 by Diana Revutsky, a Russian language teacher who emigrated to the United States from St. Petersburg, Russia in 1979.

In 1993, one of Diana's language students was on trip to complete one of the earlier US adoptions attempted in Russia. When their adoption got stuck, they frantically called the only person they knew who spoke fluent Russian adn understood Russian cultural nuances - their language teacher.

Though she had never been involved with adoption previously, Diana agreed to help them with the paperwork and communication necessary to complete their adoption with the Russian authorities.

After several weeks of effort, a huge phone bill, and a lot of cross-cultural diplomacy, Diana was able to help this family complete their adoption.

Upon the family's return to the U.S., her students strongly encouraged Diana to help other families. By the following year, she had helped place over 40 Russian children with American families.

Originally run by Diana out of a home office, the agency grew significantly. Adoptions and Aid now has offices in Texas and California, with extensive staff in Eastern Europe.

Our Adoption Philosophy
We believe every child deserves to have a loving family to cherish them.

The majority of the children we have placed in the past (80%) were infants. However, there is a great need for parents to adopt children over 5, and we strongly encourage them to do so. Waiting times for adopting older children are also significantly shorter.

Our Commitment to Adoptive Parents
Our program rests on four commitments we make to our parents:

1) Personal, Individualized Service
Starting an international adoption is the most personal decision parents can make. We work closely with all of our parents to make sure the child they adopt is right for them. We are committed to getting to know them as people, and to work closely with our international coordinators in getting a referral that will complete their family. Diana Revutsky, our Board President and International Programs Director spends 3-4 months out of the year personally visiting all of our international programs, orphanages, and countries.

2) Safety
From the moment you step off the plane, we are with you every step of the way. We provide drivers, interpreters, translators, homestay families, and coordinators for each city and region. You are never alone.

3) Choice
Our parents are not pressured to accept the first child we refer them. We will work with you to find a child that is right for you.

4) Experience
We have been working in international adoption for over thirteen years. We started to work in Eastern Europe in 1993, just after those countries first opened up to International adoption.