As a cheering audience of families and couples aimed camcorders at the talent-show stage, nobody would've guessed that these bright-eyed, carefree children were actually Russian orphans.

Through the Adoption Adventure Network and its partnership with the Cradle of Hope Adoption Agency, orphans, ages four to 11, traveled from Russian orphanages to the Bay Area to stay with host families for four weeks. The summer camp—formerly called Bridge of Hope—is meant to provide the orphans with a "typical American summer experience."

But the program gives these children much more than just a summer experience in America: most of the children are adopted by their host families. During the two years that the program has been in the Bay Area, Adoption Adventure program coordinator David Avilla said 42 children have been placed in permanent homes.

Olga Ionina, a Russian chaperone traveling with the orphans, was assigned by the Russian minister of education to review the program for its adoption success.

"I will tell him that this program is excellent and that we must work together," said Ionina, who usually acts as a superintendent in Russia. "I've seen the work of English teachers here, and I can compare the methods in this country with our country's."

But Ionina said that, in the end, it does not matter which country an orphan finds his or her "forever family" in.

"The children need parents, whether they are in Russia, Korea, America, or anywhere else; it makes no difference to them," she said. "It's just great if the child can find a mama or papa."

For Avilla and his wife, Kerry, the decision was easy. The couple adopted five children through the Cradle of Hope program. After battling with infertility for a year, the couple flew to Russia to adopt a daughter. But the Avillas could not leave behind the girl's brother and three sisters, so they adopted them all and moved into a larger home in Gilroy.

"The program is a very unusual opportunity for the families and kids to connect that isn't available through traditional adoption agencies," said Avilla, who took charge of Adoption Adventure last year. "This way, you have the kids in your home, and you can build a bond before you launch into adoption."

Photograph by Dustin Cohen Home for Good: The Morgan family (from left) Linda, Ryan, Nolan, adopted Russian orphan Nastasha Kuznetsova and Stephen enjoyed a talent show at Willow Glen's Bayside Community Church. Russian children spent a week using the facilities as a day camp that was sponsored by Adoption Adventure Network.

Bayside Community Church agreed to lend their facilities to the organization for its day-camp activities because the program reflected the church's focus on children, Bayside Director of Family Ministries Jere Allen said. The multicongregational church opened its doors this February, when Pastor Mike Thorburn moved to Willow Glen from Canada.

San Carlos residents Stuart and Adrienne Rothenberg were looking to adopt a sibling for their six-year-old son, Henry. After they read about Bridge of Hope in January, the Rothenbergs registered and took in four-year-old Arturo.

The program gave the family an opportunity to determine if adoption was the right decision. By hosting a child, the couple could see if the interaction would work, Stuart said. It was much easier than going to Russia, bringing home a child and then discovering things won't work.

"There is a language barrier, and we are dealing with a four-year-old, so it's very challenging," he said.

But the Rothenbergs said that the experience has been "excellent" so far, and their son Henry has been starting to act more like an older brother than an only child.

San Jose residents Stephen and Linda Morgan have already decided to adopt six-year-old Natasha. Because they have 12- and 9-year-old sons, the couple wanted to adopt a daughter who wasn't too young.

"She's been in our family for three weeks now, and my children have already bonded with her," Stephen said. "It's very clear she's going to fit."

The Morgans' youngest son was a little hesitant to share his toys with a girl, but Stephen said the family's only real regret is that they can't adopt all of the kids in the program.

"I wish I had enough money to adopt all of these kids; it drives me crazy that not every kid here will get adopted," he said. "There are hundreds of thousands of beautiful kids in Russia and hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. who would love to adopt children."

According to the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation, there were more than 700,000 orphans living in Russia as of 2000. After leaving the orphanages and knowing no other life, 40 percent of these children and youth become drug users and about 10 percent commit suicide, ministry statistics report. Compared to the 17 percent of children in orphanages in the U.S., 25 percent of Russian children are orphans.

"Many of these boys become criminals, and the girls turn to prostitution. They simply grow up in dire straits, " Thorburn said. "Becoming acquainted with American culture and going to this camp gives these orphans a whole lot of hope in finding a forever family."

Photograph by Dustin Cohen Miles of Smiles: Through the Adoption Adventure Network and its partnership with the Cradle of Hope Adoption Agency, orphans, ages 4 to 11, traveled from Russian orphanages to the Bay Area to stay with host families for four weeks. The children performed in a talent show at Willow Glen's Bayside Community Church.

And even if some of the orphans return to Russia unadopted, they will take with them a taste of Western culture, as seen at last week's talent show.

Onstage for perhaps the first time, the optimistic children concentrated intensely on dancing the "Hokey Pokey" and singing "Yankee Doodle" for the people they've come closest to calling "family."

To learn more about Adoption Adventure and its partners, contact 650.559.6000 or visit the website at http://www.adoptionadventure.com.