Arms wide open - Holt International
Transcription
Arms wide open - Holt International
Spring 2007 Vol. 49 No. 2 Arms Wide Open Special Needs, Special Families Does a child wait for you? Children around the world wait for adoptive families. Holt International has children: • with minor or correctable medical conditions • who are older • who are siblings Consider a waiting child; www.holtinternational.org/waitingchild/photolisting finding families for children Help connect a waiting child with a family. Download and print our waiting child poster using the above link and display it at your church or place of work. Dear Readers Two young children huddled together on a bench beside the front door of Holt’s partner agency in Pune, India. The fear and uncertainty on their faces as they sat, too afraid to move, remains one of the most haunting images in my memory. These children happened to be sisters—one about 2 years old, the other 4 or 5. Recently found abandoned, they were being transferred from an orphanage for babies to Bharatiya Samaj Seva Kendra, which was better equipped to care for “older children.” Imagine losing your parents at such a young age, and in the shuffling from one program to another, the feeling of being lost and uncared for. The trauma of abandonment in a child’s life is often not so obvious as it was in the expressions on these girls’ faces. Their story is not likely to capture headlines like an earthquake or tsunami. But for them, and for each child who comes into Holt care, the situation that put them there is a disaster of the greatest magnitude. This past year Holt International touched the lives of over 46,000 orphaned, abandoned and vulnerable children, and of these, Holt and its network of agencies around the world found families for 4,396. A summary of Holt’s other efforts and finances appears on pages 10–11 of this issue of Holt International magazine. But, of course, numbers cannot capture the very personal nature of every child helped. Each child represents a unique situation needing an individual solution. Can the birth parents be found? Is it in the child’s best interest to be returned to them? Or was the family in the midst of a crisis, and abandoning their son or daughter seemed the only way to feed that child? These are all questions and issues Holt and its partners must deal with fully before seeking a permanent family. We at Holt are grateful for the involvement and support of so many caring people. Because of your compassion, Holt and its partners can receive children, nurture them to health and help ensure that they will have permanent, loving families. And those two children who arrived at BSSK? Their haunting expressions disappeared as the children grew accustomed to the consistent, attentive care Holt programs are known for. And they eventually joined an adoptive family and started a new chapter in their lives. —John Aeby, Editor contents arms wide open Special Needs Adoption Parents show commitment, flexibility and abundant love. Summary and Highlights of 2006 adopting Adoption Medicine Motherland Revisited 10 28 A college student visits Korea on Holt’s Motherland Tour. departments Update Directions Around the Globe From the Family Family Tree Waiting Child Neighborhood Calendar In 1955 Harry and Bertha Holt responded to the conviction that God had called them to help children left homeless by the Korean War. Though it took an act of the U.S. Congress, the Holts adopted eight of those children. But they were moved by the desperate plight of other orphaned children in Korea and other countries as well, so they founded Holt International Children’s Services in order to unite homeless children with families who would love them as their own. Today Holt International serves children and families in Cambodia, China, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea), Guatemala, Haiti, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea (South Korea), Romania, Thailand, Uganda, Ukraine, the United States and Vietnam. President & CEO Gary N. Gamer Vice-President of Programs & Services Carole Stiles Vice-President of Marketing & Development Phillip A. Littleton Vice-President of Public Policy & Advocacy Susan Soon-keum Cox Vice-President of Finance & Administration Kevin Sweeney Board of Directors Chair Kim S. Brown Vice-Chair Will C. Dantzler President Emeritus Dr. David H. Kim Secretary Claire A. Noland Members Andrew R. Bailey, Julia K. Banta, James D. Barfoot, Rebecca C. Brandt, Dean Bruns, Wilma R. Cheney, Clinton C. Cottrell, Cynthia G. Davis, A. Paul Disdier, Rosser B. Edwards, Kim A. Hanson, Joseph P. Matturro, Jeffrey B. Saddington, Richard J. Salko, Shirley M. Stewart, Steven G. Stirling Holt International magazine is published bimonthly by Holt International Children’s Services, Inc., a nonprofit Christian child welfare organization. While Holt International is responsible for the content of Holt International magazine, the viewpoints expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the organization. Editor John Aeby Managing Editor Alice Evans Graphics Brian Campbell, Alice Evans, Emily Lewellen Subscription Orders/Inquiries and Address Changes Send all editorial correspondence and changes of address to Holt International magazine, Holt International, P.O. Box 2880, Eugene, OR 97402. We ask for an annual donation of $20 to cover the cost of publication and mailing inside the United States and $40 outside the United States. Holt welcomes the contribution of letters and articles for publication, but assumes no responsibility for return of letters, manuscripts, or photos. California Office 3807 Pasadena Ave., Suite 115, Sacramento, CA 95821 Ph: 916/487.4658 Fax: 916/487.7068 Midwest Office Serving Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota 10685 Bedford Ave., Suite 300, Omaha, NE 68134 Ph: 402/934.5031 Fax: 402/934.5034 26 Our Mission Holt International is dedicated to carrying out God’s plan for every child to have a permanent, loving family. Arkansas Office 25 Whispering Drive, Edgemont, AR 72044 Ph/Fax: 501/723.4444 Some facts about adoption medicine...can a specialist help your adopted child? adoptees today Holt International Children’s Services P.O. Box 2880 (1195 City View) Eugene, OR 97402 Ph: 541/687.2202 Fax: 541/683.6175 Reprint Information Permission from Holt International is required prior to reprinting any portion of Holt International magazine. Please direct reprint requests to editor John Aeby at 541/687.2202 or [email protected]. 6 annual report Spring 2007 vol. 49 no. 2 4 5 12 14 18 24 30 Cover: Jaili Moffitt enjoys the sunshine and fresh air of her Oregon home. Story p. 26 Missouri Office/Kansas Office 203 Huntington Rd., Kansas City, MO 64113 Ph: 816/822.2169 Fax: 816/523.8379 122 W. 5th St., Garnett, KS 66032 [email protected] New Jersey Office 340 Scotch Rd. (2nd Floor), Trenton, NJ 08628 Ph: 609/882.4972 Fax: 609/883.2398 Oregon Office Capitol Plaza 9320 SW Barbur Blvd., Suite 220, Portland, OR 97219 Ph: 503/244.2440 Fax: 503/245.2498 Copyright ©2007 By Holt International Children’s Services, Inc. ISSN 1047-7640 ACCREDITED BY COUNCIL ON ACCREDITATION www.holtinternational.org 3 update offices in Eugene in early March, learning about ways to set up cooperative social services that combine public and private spending in the prevention of child abuse. The group of social work administrators, academics and government officials trained at the Holt offices under the instruction of University of Oregon Professor Daniel Close and Holt staff, but also visited model social service agencies in Eugene including the Relief Nursery, EC Cares Program for early intervention and early childhood special education, Birth to Three and Looking Glass Youth & Family Services. Summer Camps for Adoptees Adopted from China, Shan Wolff, 8, was the poster girl for this year’s Texas Tea & Fashion Show. Her mother, Evelyn Wolff, hosted a table at the event. Holt Fundraisers Texas Tea & Fashion Show: Chaired by Holt Board members Julie Banta and Cindy Davis, this March event held near Dallas raised more than $25,000 for children in Holt care in Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines. Omaha Auction: Holt’s Colors of Hope dinner auction, held in Omaha in late February to benefit the children of Korea, brought in $90,000. Despite a heavy snowstorm, supporters came, and they gave in record numbers, nearly double last year’s total. Garage Sales: A garage sale held by volunteers and Holt staff at the Holt Midwest Office in Omaha raised $1,400 toward the purchase of nebulizers and suction machines for the hospital Holt works with in Korea. Babies in the care of Holt Children’s Services of Korea have shown rapid recovery from respiratory problems through the use of this equipment. A second garage sale will be held May 19 as a benefit for children in Holt care in Uganda. The money raised will go to the Uganda School Project. Contact the Midwest Branch Office at (402)934-5031 for more information. Ukraine Training A training group from Ukraine and Kazakhstan spent a week at the Holt 4 Spring 2007 Holt International’s Adoptee Camp offers an exciting and fun experience designed to be relevant to all international and transracial adoptees from 9-16 years of age. Holt Adoptee Camps focus on adoption, race and identity, rather than birth culture, helping adoptees to understand and appreciate their special life experiences. On top of a great week of summer camp activities, Holt Camp’s unique environment encourages friendships that continue throughout the year. Camps fill quickly, so register online today. See the calendar below for Camps offered in your area. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us by e-mail or call (541) 687-2202. and ancestry. It will be held June 23 in Kokomo, IN. For more information, go to filipino-adoptees-network.org/cmindiana/ Photos Holt Graduates: Be included in the annual graduate edition of Holt International magazine. Deadline for photos of Holt adoptees who are graduating from high school and college is June 1. Short stories from families about their graduate are also welcome. Go to holtinternational.org/gradsubmissions for the Graduate Submission Form. You can upload your photos there, or if you prefer, you can mail your graduate’s photo to Grad Submissions, Holt International, P.O. Box 2880, Eugene, OR 97402. Calendar Photos: Deadline for calendar photos is July 15. Please upload your digital images (set your camera at 3 megapixels or higher) to holtinternational.org/submissions or mail glossy prints 4 x 6 to 11 x 14 to Calendar Photos, Holt International, P.O. Box 2880, Eugene, OR 97402. We cannot use studio photographs (except for graduate photos) or inkjet or digital prints. In Memory Camp Friendship—For more information about this New Jersey culture day camp for Korean adoptees and their siblings entering grades K-7, go to www.campfriendshipnj. com Chosen International—Empowers adoptees with the understanding that God has a divine design for their lives, including adoption. Integrating biblical and psychological principles, Chosen International helps adoptees gain security and peace as they face the challenges of life. For more information about these Oregon retreats, visit choseninternational.org online or call (541) 476-2109. Colorado Heritage Camps—For information about birth culture camps for children adopted from various countries, go to www.heritagecamps.org Filipino Culture Camp—Camp Mabuhay Indiana, a Filipino cultural camp, welcomes families who have ties to the Philippines through adoption, marriage, friendships October 31, 1984–January 19, 2007 Matthew Bonner, adopted from Korea in 1987 by Vernon and Jackie Bonner of Bonanza, Oregon, died in January after battling bone cancer for two years. He is survived by his mother, brother and sister. Matthew was active in youth ministries at his church and was a leader in AWANA. Matthew excelled at piano, drawing, origami and yo-yo tricks. ■ directions M Moving Children to the Front of the Line My encounter with a foster mom in China this past March overwhelmed me with a feeling that I had just experienced a great deal of all that Holt’s mission embraces. Hanging by the foster mom’s side a girl smiled playfully. Her disability presented no barrier to the closeness shared by this mom and daughter. Had the girl remained in the orphanage, she would have been in desperate straits. But now that she was a member of a family—one of the six children in the care of the foster mom and her husband—her world had been transformed. Oftentimes Holt’s first order of work is to get children out of institutions and into a family environment, sometimes for survival sake—and always moving in a direction of fulfilling each child’s potential in life. To the Front of the Line As I spoke with foster parents at the “Love of the Heart” group home in Nanchang, I watched a toddler hovering over bountiful bowls of fruits, nuts and candies—perhaps more with the idea of their use as playthings than for consumption. The scene stood in vivid contrast to many situations I have witnessed— where children who had lost their parents were last in line to receive basic needs. As I watched the little boy, I felt the presence of Jesus, and in my spirit I felt His admonition for us to side with “the least of these.”* One of the most satisfying parts of my work is being part of a committed group of people worldwide who are moving the least of these to the front of the line. At Holt, we do this by finding families for children, enabling them to enjoy the manifold blessings that come from being someone’s son or daughter. Tears welled up in the foster mom’s eyes as she pointed to the photograph behind her of a girl she had fostered. The girl recently left, adopted by a family in America. Yes, these were tears of pain because she and her husband loved and missed the girl so much. But they were also tears of hope for this child, tears that we all spilled at that moment in the shared humanity that brought us together across great cultural and geographic distances for the sake of children. by Gary N. Gamer, President and CEO A Shared Vision Holt International connects people who share a vision for homeless children, a vision first enunciated by our founder Harry Holt some 50 years ago that every child deserves a home. The foster mom I met in China reminds me of Harry Holt. Like him, she is vital to bringing children out of the shadows and into the open, ensuring that their basic needs are met. Her caring extends to children whose special needs may hinder their adoption. But because of her devotion, they are escaping the dehumanizing specter of institutionalization. This nurturing provided by her and others like her also offers a great start for children who will be adopted. The foster parents’ faithful, encouraging hand helps these children take their first steps toward life in a permanent family. Such dedicated care characterizes the values that define Holt International’s work to this very day, every day. Top: A foster mother and little boy wave during a visit by Holt International staff to the Nanchang Group Home. Above: Holt President and CEO Gary Gamer visits with a Nanchang foster child and her foster mother. As you look over our annual report summary in this issue, please realize that for thousands of children Holt helped in 2006 through adoption and other family-based services, thousands of compassionate people like our foster mom in China enabled this to happen. Very likely you are one of these people… an adoptive parent, a sponsor or supporter of Holt’s mission through other means. The needs of children have brought us together in remarkable ways, and for this I am truly grateful. ■ * from Matthew 25:45 www.holtinternational.org 5 Arms WIDE O pen Adopting a child with special needs takes commitment, flexibility and a willingness to love abundantly —like parenting any child. by Alice Evans Managing Editor Above: AntonYong at home in New Jersey. “Follows me everywhere all day,” wrote Kristine Piu a month after she brought her son home from Ilsan. “I am constantly getting leg hugs. If I am sitting on the floor he will come up behind me and hug me and turn my head so he can give me a kiss.” • Yongwoo, as he was known then, sits on a swing with Min-kee, one of the friends he left behind at the Holt Ilsan Center. K Kristine Piu was in Korea to gather up the newest member of their family, daughter AvaChae, when she came across Yong-woo, a handsome boy in the care of Holt Children’s Services of Korea. “The moment I hugged this sweet little angel I knew he was meant to be our son,” she wrote in her online journal. As soon as Holt allowed, she and Sal, her husband, filed their papers with Holt International and “let fate do its job.” Within the month, they got official word they would become Yong-woo’s forever family. Their fourth adopted child and fifth overall, the boy they renamed AntonYong came home to them not only with the special challenges any older child would offer—he had turned 3 the month before the Pius picked him up—but also with special healthcare needs. Kristine calls him her noodle boy because he has loose ligaments and lacks reflexes in his joints. He was also born with neurological problems, and while living at Ilsan received speech and occupational therapy. Following a visit to the neurologist six weeks after bringing him home, Kristine noted: “If no answers are found and all he needs is intense therapies, then so be it. So tired of seeing doctors and so is he.” Kristine, a stay-at-home mom, and Sal, an engineer for the Department of Defense, were experienced not only with adopting children from overseas but also children with special healthcare needs. They welcomed AntonYong into their lives with eyes and arms wide open. As remarkable a couple as they are, the Pius are also ordinary people typical of those who adopt waiting children through Holt. Here are some of the important qualities they revealed: • Realistic Expectations—the Pius did their home- 6 Spring 2007 work. They knew what to expect with AntonYong, and even though they couldn’t see around all the corners, they were prepared to give him all the time he needed to adjust to their family. “We know it will take a long time for him to catch up, and he may never catch up,” Kristine wrote. “That is just fine with us. He is the way he is because God made him that way.” • Flexibility—the Pius recognized that AntonYong would face many challenges and frustrations in joining their family, and both they and their children would also have adjustments to make. The Pius did not deny their frustrations, but they showed resilience and humor in adapting (“He is just one big noodle boy”). • Commitment—the Pius had this clearly in their sights. “We wouldn’t change anything,” Kristine wrote. “Some have asked if we have regrets adopting him, and I just about want to deck them. I would do it all over again in a heart beat!” Matched with Grace Grace Neilitz has a buddy—Smokey, a big, friendly dog whose warm presence is extra comforting to this little girl with limited vision. When her parents, Melanie and Mike Neilitz, decided to adopt a waiting child, they had been trying for four years to get pregnant, then for yet another year or so to adopt a child with no known medical problems. As the wait went on and on, their social worker suggested adopting a child with special healthcare needs. “We decided to pray about this possibility,” Melanie says. Then they watched in puzzlement as a couple they knew quickly got matched with a child, even though they were behind the Neilitzes in their paperwork. Melanie, a middle- and high-school teacher, and Mike, an insurance salesman, learned that the child had a special healthcare need, and they took this as a sign. “It was like God was saying that if this family was willing to adopt a child with special needs, we can too,” Melanie says. “So we prayed and had a peace about it and informed our social worker of our desires.” Within days, they found themselves matched with Grace. “I remember initially thinking that special need meant something extreme, maybe something we couldn’t handle,” Melanie says. “After reviewing the conditions and then getting Grace and seeing the other girls’ special needs, my thoughts about it changed. In my mind our girls are all functioning normally despite the circumstance that put them in the special needs category.” Melanie says that in discussing Grace’s vision challenges—a result of low pigmentation due to albinism—they believe Grace will enjoy what sight she has. “All we need to do is to equip her with whatever she needs to succeed, whether it be glasses, learning Braille, or purchasing special equipment,” Melanie says. “These to me are simple things, so to me her vision [challenge] is not serious.” Melanie points out that in the United States, “we are so blessed to have the necessary means to help children with special needs. In our case, the school district has already set up an appointment to assess Grace’s development and will help us out with her in this area whether it be therapy, or helping her learn to see better.” The Neilitzes are more than willing to adopt a second child with special healthcare needs, Melanie says. They have already submitted their application, and Melanie has returned to teaching in a substitute role one day a week to help with adoption costs. What You Can Handle Hollie and Devan Strahm were in the same traveling group as the Neilitzes when they went to China last fall to bring home Lily, a 1½-year-old girl with special healthcare needs. Their process from start to finish was 11 months. “Many of the special needs are so minor, or completely resolved by the time the children come home,” Hollie says. “I do believe that everyone knows what they can and cannot handle. Just like so many people are open to different special needs.” When the Strahms received their referral from Holt, they took the time they needed to review Lily’s information before making a decision. “We knew she was meant to be in our family,” Hollie remembers. “But we had promised each other that we would have an adoption [medical] clinic* review the information so we both felt comfortable. Then after the consult, our decision was made—she is ours!” But then came the twist. While the Strahms were “still on cloud nine,” Holt called to let them know they’d had a report that Lily had been having some seizures. “I was devastated,” Hollie recalls. “I tried to remain calm, but there were a thousand questions running through my head. Was she okay? Why was she having seizures? Was this child not meant to be ours? Is this more than we can handle? We had a lot of soul searching, more research, and decisions to make.” *Editor’s Note: See article on adoption medical clinics pp. 26–27. Above left: Isaiah Corron, adopted last year from India, with sister Mei-Lin, 2, adopted from China in 2005. “We will always be extremely grateful for giving us the opportunity to adopt Isaiah,” his mom says. “We hope we can help additional families adopt.” Center and right: Grace Neilitz with Smokey. “She smiles and sometimes giggles when she pets him,” says her mom. “Smokey wants to protect her. While he is not allowed to go in her room, I often find him outside of her room lying down as if keeping watch.” • Melanie and Mike Neilitz cuddle their new daughter. • Grace sits on a bed at the White Swan Hotel in China after being united with her forever family. www.holtinternational.org 7 Above: Hollie, Devan and Lily Strahm—“Finally we have our precious Lily! She is so beautiful, and so tiny…” wrote Devan Strahm in the family’s online travel blog while in China. Above right: Lily today, descending a slide. Facing page: This 2-yearold boy from China recently was matched with a family through the Waiting Child Program. WCP Director Abbie Smith notes that boys are often harder to place than girls. Hollie says they received news of more frequent seizures, but by this time they had come to the following realization. “This might not even have happened until we had gotten home with her. We wouldn’t have looked back then. This child was meant to be ours.” Hollie, a registered nurse who is now a stay-athome mom, and Devan, who owns a business doing asphalt maintenance, are in the process of having Lily evaluated further to address some of her medical concerns. Her initial exams went well, with no surprises, and Lily has been an active, happy toddler since coming home. “It doesn’t really matter where it all goes,” Hollie says. “She is perfect.” Financial Assistance Abbie Smith, LCSW, director of Holt’s Waiting Child Program, emphasizes that Holt is aware of the possibility of additional expenses for treatment for some of our waiting children. “To help offset the initial costs of adoption so families can dedicate the money to future medical expenses, Holt has developed three avenues of funding assistance available only for waiting children,” she says. They are the Holt fee reduction, the Special Needs Adoption Fund, and the Brittany’s Hope grants. “The availability of these funds are due to the commitment of donors, the hard work of many volunteers and the dedication to waiting children of our collaborative agencies,” Smith says. Holt Fee Reduction. Holt provides a reduction in country adoption fees for children who are assessed to have moderate or severe needs, not all of which are medical, she says. Such fee reductions are a measure of Holt’s dedication to finding families for children in its care, even many who were once considered unadoptable. For more information go to www.holtinternational. org/waitingchild 8 Spring 2007 Special Needs Adoption Fund. Before adopting a little boy from India with profound hearing loss, Michell and Robert Corron adopted a daughter from China in 2005. Robert, who works for the highway department, and Michell, who operates an at-home daycare, already had three older children, one with a profound hearing loss. When they saw Nitin’s photo- graph and decided they’d like to bring him into their family, the couple simply did not have enough money to fund the adoption. They were motivated, skilled parents who had already faced the kinds of medical challenges they would need to address with Nitin. When the Corrons inquired about adopting him, Nitin had been waiting for a permanent family for more than a year. Holt offered to help with the adoption costs, using a donor-funded Special Needs Adoption Fund (SNAF) grant for families. Three weeks after bringing Nitin, renamed Isaiah, home, Michell wrote to thank the anonymous donors who provided funds for the grant. Without the assistance of a SNAF grant, she says, her family would not have had enough money. “Your grant also enabled us to buy him new digital hearing aids upon arrival here, something our insurance wouldn’t cover.” Isaiah, who was born premature, has a few developmental issues, and “we continue to deal with his low weight and malnutrition,” Michell says. “He is, though, the most loving, affectionate child.” Brittany’s Hope. Kristine and Sal Piu adopted a child who had been awarded a grant from Brittany’s Hope, one of Holt’s collaborative agencies. Smith notes that grants from Brittany’s Hope go to the child, not the family, so that whoever adopts that child receives a deduction in country adoption fees. Brittany’s Hope grants are typically in the amount of $5,000 and are available until nine months after the granting date. A Loving Family Kristine Bales, a Holt social worker who helps place many children with special healthcare needs and who worked with both the Strahms and the Neilitzes, says: “Many who thought they needed a healthy baby girl have come to realize they are capable of loving a boy or girl who is older or has a medical issue. In this process, they have discovered what a blessing a child with special needs can be. “We say these children have ‘special needs,’ but of course all children have special needs. Most of all, they need a loving family that is willing to accept The Wisdom of Solomon Holt’s Waiting Child Committee often must decide between equally qualified families One little girl with motor and language delays. Two experienced adoptive families, both of them skilled at parenting a child with special healthcare needs. Both families specifically requesting to adopt this 3-year-old girl from India.* “This is not going to be easy,” said Abbie Smith, director of Holt’s Waiting Child Program, speaking to the other social workers who sit on the selection committee. They discussed the girl’s capabilities and the challenges she would face. Both families were motivated and would make a good match. One already had a boy with motor delays. The other had a daughter with speech difficulties. The committee did not want to turn down either of them. The situation was reminiscent of Solomon’s dilemma in the biblical passage where two women claim to be the mothers of the same child. Indeed, a measure of Solomon’s wisdom was required for the committee members to make their choice. In addition to assuring that a family meets the required country standards, the committee considers other qualities: In the end, they picked the family who was further along in the adoption process. With some of the necessary papers already filed, they would be able to bring the girl home sooner. • the family‘s support system and access to medical resources Waiting Child Committee • family’s experience with special healthcare needs and adoption • experience and knowledge of child’s birth culture and openness to cultural activities for child —compiled by Holt staff *a simulated situation typical of what the WCC faces each week Nearly every week, social workers at Holt meet to consider applications for children in the Waiting Child Program. Often, as in the case of the little girl from India, more than one qualified family wants to adopt the same child. them just as they are, so they can reach their full potential,” Bales says. Abbie Smith notes that last year, Holt placed 192 children through its Waiting Child Program, a significant increase from previous years. The program offers advantages: •the financial assistance available •the faster processing time (up to 14 months faster for China) •the ability to pick the child’s gender and age •the ability to review files of multiple children and come to know a child before making a lifelong commitment. “Everything that Holt knows about a child is shared with the family,” Smith says. The success of the Waiting Child Program is a testimony not only to the commitment and dedication of families such as the Neilitzes, Corrons, Pius and Strahms, but a hallmark of Holt and its mission to help find families for children. When Harry Holt first went to Korea in the mid-1950s, he never gave up trying to find families for all the children he came across who needed this help. Before his death in 1964, he and Bertha Holt built the Holt Ilsan Rehabilitation Center outside Seoul, Korea. From the outset, Holt International has taken on the care and the placement of children with unique needs. Among Holt’s waiting child alumni are Steve Stirling, MBA, a member of the Holt International Board of Directors; Steve Morrison, MS, an aerospace engineer; and Lee Schuh, MD, all of whom once lived at Ilsan. Many Children Still Wait It has become very easy to place young children with minor or correctable special needs, Smith points out. “Many of our waiting children do not make it to our photolisting because we call our homestudy– ready families first,” she says. But many children still wait, seemingly forever, for their forever families. And sometimes families are never found. Families who adopt waiting children through Holt often feel a leading to adopt a child whom they believe may be passed over by other families, Smith says. She notes the positive nature of this connection, but also points out that sometimes more than one family expresses a determination to adopt the same child. When a family remains open to other children, Holt is more likely to be able to match them, she says. This becomes a win-win situation for the child— and the family. “More and more families are realizing what a waiting child can bring to their families—the hope, the joy of small gains, and the growth in their other children as they come to understand and love a child with a difference,” Smith says. Like many other parents who have adopted a child with special needs, Melanie Neilitz has become an advocate. “I strongly encourage any family who has even the smallest piece of their heart thinking about special needs to really check it out, because it is so worth it,” Melanie says. She adds: “You could get pregnant and end up having a child with one of these needs. In my mind it is not different.” ■ www.holtinternational.org 9 2006—A Brief Report Holt International—uniting orphaned, abandoned and vulnerable children with loving families The efforts and contributions of thousands of people—childcare workers, foster parents, donors, adoptive parents and staff around the world—could easily fill several large volumes. These efforts deserve to be recognized. And perhaps they are… written in the lives of children. The following highlights include just the tip of the iceberg of Holt efforts. These examples typically represent new projects or services. But the bulwarks of Holt’s services are those that continue year in and out. These efforts unite children who need parents with attentive, permanent families of their own. And that’s a world away from where they were. It represents a lifetime that has been altered… completely. A child given hope and love. Highlights of Holt’s Work 2006 Cambodia In 2006 Holt began two projects near Phnom Penh. One improves the health, nutrition and family preservation services for children at a childcare center. Another effort provides support and care for orphans and vulnerable children impacted by HIV/AIDS. China During 2006 Holt increased its outreach to children with an emphasis on children with special needs and children affected by HIV/AIDS. During the year Holt matched 119 waiting children with adoptive families in the United States, an increase of 33 children over 2005. Holt’s HIV/AIDS family preservation project in Yuncheng prompted the China Ministry of Civil Affairs to propose a similar project in Yunnan Province. Holt also continued to develop the Nanchang Group Home, a new concept in foster care that enables older children living in orphanages to have the love and belonging of a family. Haiti Holt completed its first international adoptions from Haiti in 2006, paving the way for many other children in the future. The Holt Fontana Village program was approved for a three-year grant from Rotary International to expand family preservation services in the area surrounding the childcare center. India Holt’s partner agencies in Pune and Bangalore significantly increased foster care, providing familylike care for a much larger portion of the orphaned and abandoned children in their programs. Kazakhstan Holt is working with several programs that care for relinquished HIV-positive children. Most of Vietnam Philippines Mongolia Romania Thailand South Korea 8% I 10% Contributions A Adopt Fees F 9% Uganda 35% Other 46% 57% 35% Program and Financial Summaries 50 Years of Serving Children 2006 Revenue Total Accumulated Permanent Placements 1956–2006—115,172 Total Accumulated Children Served 1956–2006 (approx.)—467,000 Adoption Fees—$11,937 (57%) Contributions—$7,193 (35%) Other Income—$1,727 (8%) Total Revenue—$20,852 10 Spring 2007 (x 1,000) 2006 Expenses (x 1,000) International Programs—$8,925 (46%) Adoptive Family Services—$6,853 (35%) Fundraising—$1,978 (10%) Management and General—$1,717 (9%) Total Expenses—$19,473 M Ukraine Looking Forward Conference Cambodia Kazakhstan North Korea Haiti these children have been transferred from maternity hospitals in Almaty. In addition to services, Holt provides medicine, food and children’s clothing. Holt is also developing a foster care program for orphanage children. South Korea Holt Children’s Services of Korea continues to develop an expanding range of services that strengthen at-risk families as well as providing model programs of foster care and opportunities for special needs children. North Korea Holt continues to provide life-saving, nutritious food to children in two orphanages. Mongolia Holt continues to expand services for children, including children at an additional orphanage in Ulaanbaatar. Holt is also providing needed supplies such as nutritious food, vitamins, school supplies and clothing. Philippines KBF opened a new foster care project in cooperation with a government orphanage in Legaspi. In the Philippines large numbers of abandoned children reach the age of 5–7 before they are declared legally free for adoption. This unnecessary stay in institutions decreases the children’s chances of adoption. Holt and KBF initiated a program to assist childcare agencies to manage children’s legal status so they can be adopted younger, but participation has been disappointing. India Romania Holt’s partner agencies, the Holt Romania Foundation and Close To You, served significantly more children in 2006. CTY served 305 HIV/AIDS- affected children. HRF served 1,681 children and placed 890 children with permanent families. Thailand Continues its three-year commitment to help tsunami-devastated families to rebuild their lives. Uganda Holt’s partner, Action for Children, continues to develop its outreach to children who have lost parents to AIDS. AFC helps these children into stable, supportive family units where they can have their needs met and attend school. Ukraine Despite political instability in Ukraine, Holt served nearly 6,000 children and over 4,300 families, with funding from USAID. Holt worked with many Ukraine agencies to preserve families and to develop foster care and other alternatives to institutional care. Vietnam Holt was able to resume intercountry adoption in Vietnam in 2006. Holt also laid the groundwork to expand services into three new provinces. China Waiting Child Program Holt continues its strong advocacy of children who have special healthcare needs, older children and children in sibling groups. During 2006 Holt matched 192 waiting children with prospective adoptive families, an increase of over 36 percent. Looking Forward Conference Holt culminated its 50th year of serving orphaned, abandoned and vulnerable children with an international conference that gathered child welfare leaders from around the world. Discussions involved solutions for the needs of children from a wide range of disciplines and sources including legal, medical, governmental and private organizations and adoptees. 50000 6000 2007 40000 5000 2006 40002005 30000 30002004 20000 0 Permanent Placements Distribution Return to Birth Family—400 (9.1%) Remain with Birth Family—2,093 (47.6%) Overseas Domestic Placements—685 (15.6%) U.S. International Placements—679 (15.4%) U.S. Domestic Placements—70 (1.6%) Other International Placements—469 (10.7%) 2006 Total Permanent Placements—4396 Total Children Served 2002 1000 2001 0 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 10000 20002003 2000 Total Permanent Placements For a copy of Holt’s 2006 annual audited financial statement, please visit www.holtinternational.org/annualreport or call (541) 687-2202 www.holtinternational.org 11 India Globe Nepal The day of completion nears for the new office and childcare center under construction for Vathsalya Charitable Trust, Holt’s partner agency in Bangalore. Opening ceremonies will be held in summer 2007. Holt has hired a country director in Nepal, and we are taking the first steps to develop an adoption program there. Uganda Holt has a new adoption program in the Republic of Kazakhstan, where it has worked with the Kazakhstani government since 2005 on a variety of permanency programs for children. Married couples are qualified to apply. Children in Holt sponsorship in Uganda were delighted with the shipment of T-shirts from a 4th-grade class at the Bertha Holt Elementary School in Eugene, Oregon. The two groups of children from faraway continents are working to build relationships with one another and learn more about the world. Children at Masuliita, Uganda, wearing their Bertha Holt Elementary School T-shirts. Kazakhstan Children available for adoption include boys and girls as young as 12 months at time of match, and also sibling groups. Children stay in government-run orphanages, and their health and development varies. Kyrgyzstan Holt signed an agreement with the Ministry of Education in early April to begin an adoption program in Kyrgyzstan. We are initiating the home finding process for a number of children, including six in our Waiting Child Program. The Face of HIV/AIDS in Romania Their bodies are small, like children about to hit adolescence, not the young men they are at 17 and 18 years old. Victor and Ivan live with HIV/AIDS. Both have fathers who drink too much. Both wonder about their futures. And both receive help from the Close to You Foundation, a Holt partner agency in Romania. Victor* Eighteen-year-old Victor has been sick since childhood. He was diagnosed with an HIV infection at a time when the Infectious Disease Clinic had no antiretroviral medication. Because of HIV, he also suffered asthma and liver problems. He lost all of his teeth and has to wear dentures. His mother loves and supports him, but 12 Spring 2007 Mary Paul, director of Vathsalya Charitable Trust, stands inside the new office and childcare center under construction in Bangalore in a photo taken in early March. his father is “far away from his soul,” his psychologist reports. The mother has tried to leave her husband, taking her three boys with her, but she does not have anywhere to go. Victor has his own dreams, in which he lives in a house with his mother and two brothers without the drunken father, says his psychologist. He hopes something will change. CTY is counseling the mother, with the objective of helping her to make the best decision concerning the family, especially for her boys. Members of the family receive individual counseling and are included in support groups for HIV/AIDSinfected and –affected people. Ivan* When Ivan found out a little over a year ago that he is HIVpositive, he was devastated. “How much time do I still have?” he asked the social worker assigned him by CTY. “Why does this have to happen to me?” Already, his parents were divorced and his mother had gone to work in another country. He was living with the parent he Korea China Holt Children’s Services of Korea will dedicate its new community center in Pusan in June. Holt International donors contributed resources to this facility. At the request of the government of China, Holt has expanded its efforts in Jilin province to help more children move from an orphanage setting into homebased foster family care. Of the 30 children in the new program, about 80 percent have special needs, mostly cerebral palsy or congenital heart disease. They range in age from 2 to 6. The Jilin Social Welfare Institute, where the children are currently housed, is located in Jilin City. North Korea Ukraine Holt International needs adoptive families for children from its newly developed Ukrainian adoption program. Married couples and single women are eligible to apply. Children available for adoption include boys and girls as young as 18 months at time of match, and also sibling groups. Children stay in government-run orphanages, and their health and development varies. Holt has been working in the Ukraine since 2004 and has strong relationships with the authorities that oversee international adoption. Like many countries of the former Soviet Union, Ukraine continues to undergo rapid changes in its social, economic and political structures. Through a partner organization in China, Holt provides nutritious biscuits to vulnerable, abandoned and orphaned children in Sinuiju. The biscuits, pictured here, are enriched to provide as much of the children’s dietary needs as possible. Each month they are distributed to childcare centers in the region. The biscuits are perishable and must be eaten rather than stockpiled. Romania Close to You, one of Holt’s two partner agencies in Romania, will celebrate its fiveyear anniversary the end of May. Holt Romania Foundation’s Give Hope to Children campaign recently raised about $4,500: $2,500 to go toward immediate financial help to children in their assistance program, and $2,000 toward the construction of the new Parent Education Center in Constanta. Through generous help from our donors, Holt has been involved in a foster care project in Meihekou since 2001, supporting children in foster care who otherwise would be living in a makeshift orphanage. Most of these children have mid-level to major special needs. The foster care project in Meihekou provides a model for the new Jilin Project through approach, training and management. This project has been made possible with the cooperation and full support of the Jilin City Social Welfare Institute. did not want to be with, his father. Specialists at CTY helped Ivan, now 17, and his family through this difficult time, offering counseling and moral support in addition to financial support. Ivan has been attending workshops within the CTY programs, learning computer use and bookbinding. He has learned that if he follows his treatment, he will live a normal life. He has made friends with other children who have the same problems, and he now understands that he is not alone. Hopes for a Better Future Like thousands of other youngsters in Romania who are infected with HIV, both young men hope for a better future thanks to the intervention of CTY social workers. Holt continues to touch the lives of many vulnerable youth and families through its two partner agencies—Close to You Foundation and Holt Romania Foundation. The generosity of sponsors and donors helps make this work possible. Facing page: Victor has been battling HIV since he was a young boy. CTY, a Holt partner agency, helps Victor and his family in multiple ways. Right: Ivan, who recently learned he is HIV-positive, lives in the countryside with his brother, father and grandparents. Ivan and his family are being helped by CTY. * Names changed to protect identity www.holtinternational.org 13 from the family From Mongolia to the Bluegrass State A single mom eagerly makes the adjustment to motherhood by Gail Quets Louisville, Kentucky Above from left: Gail and Tugi Quets on the day of Tugi’s first haircut. • Tugi made the adjustment to his new mom and new home with ease. • He enjoys water activities, including bathing! • Tugi watches the mirror with interest as his first haircut commences. A A little more than a year ago I traveled to Ulaanbaatar to meet Tuguldur and all the wonderful people who had taken such good care of him. I will never forget the kindness and warmth of the people I met in Mongolia and the love they showed my soon-to-be son. I enjoyed every minute of my stay, and in some ways it was hard to leave that beautiful country. But I was also eager to get Tugi home and introduce him to everyone who had been waiting for him so long. All my friends and family had received copies of the photos Holt International sent over the months I’d waited to receive committee approvals, and they were happy that I was finally bringing him home. We arrived in the States in October 2005. Tugi’s “Aunt” Joan met us at the airport. She had been looking forward to meeting Tugi for so long that she almost burst into tears when she saw us at the gate. We went grocery shopping and then home for a long nap. When we woke, there were other friends waiting at our door to see Tugi for the first time, including his first American friend, a 3-year-old named Isabel who’d been practicing how to say his name for months and months! For the first week or so, we did not venture far from home except to go to the doctor for a checkup. We rested and played and ate, and Tugi was introduced to all of his new toys. He had a wonderful appetite, gobbling up every new food I gave him. One of his absolute favorite things to do was to take a bath, so I gave him as many as two a day! I loved taking care of him. His spirit and personality had really come out in the photos and videos Holt sent, and I couldn’t get over the fact that he was exactly the little boy I had 14 Spring 2007 imagined him to be—sweet and curious and completely wonderful. Bonding I was lucky enough to have been given leave from work for several months, so I was home with Tugi every day. We started going outside after the first week, visiting friends, taking walks in the park and getting cookies at the local bakery. I was ready for what I thought might be a difficult adjustment period, but Tugi is a remarkable little boy, and he was happy and relaxed right from the start. He ate well, slept well and was very active… and he was always smiling! We bonded like glue. Almost right away, he knew “Mommy.” And I knew that he was the most adorable little boy ever! Moving to Kentucky We moved from New York City to Louisville, Kentucky, just five months after coming home. I was due to go back to work after six months at home with Tugi, and I decided that commuting by train to my office every day would take too much time away from him. After finding out what an active boy he was, I also wanted to make sure he had a backyard and plenty of room to run around! So when a friend offered me a job in Louisville, a small city with a relaxed pace of life, I jumped at it. Here, it is just a 10-minute drive from home to preschool, and a 15-minute drive from home to work. Tugi has a big room full of toys all to himself and a large, fenced-in backyard to play in. He loves his new house, and when we back out of the driveway, he Holt’s Work in Mongolia Children and families in crisis Nearly one in four people in Mongolia live in extreme poverty on an income of less than 40 cents a day. Single-parent households headed by the mother, street children, and orphaned children are among the poorest, often unable to provide for their basic food needs. Some parents must abandon their children because they cannot feed or clothe them. About half of the children Holt serves in Mongolia are brought to institutions by their birth parents for temporary care. Improving the care of children always turns around and says, “Bye, house!” Kentucky is a rural state, and many people here keep horses. Of course the Kentucky Derby, one of the biggest horse races in the States, is also held right here in Louisville. There are wrestling programs in all the local high schools, and a statewide archery program has just been funded. So we have all three manly Mongolian sports covered! Tugi also loves to swim, and this past summer his “Uncle” Mark and “Aunt” Cheryl taught him how to fish. Mongolian Heritage I am proud of my son’s Mongolian heritage. We have many books on Mongolia, including several that we bought in Ulaanbaatar. And photos and pictures and stamps. I enjoyed the time we spent with Holt staff, learning about Mongolia and sightseeing, and I am looking forward to going back when Tugi is a little older and showing him what a wonderful place he came from. I feel a special bond with everything Mongolian now. It has really become my “adopted” country, and I am always excited when I see something mentioned in American newspapers or magazines about recent happenings there. I owe a big thank-you to the Mongolian people, especially Holt staff; the caregivers at the Infant Sanatorium in Ulaanbaatar; Purevsuren, Tugi’s foster mother; and to Mongolian officials for giving me the opportunity to mother such a wonderful little boy! He has brought joy not only into my life, but into so many others’ lives as well. Everyone who meets him is touched by him. I am so proud to be his mom. ■ Holt created the Rainbow Baby Care Unit at the Infant Sanatorium (IS), the primary state care facility for homeless children under the age of 3. A demonstration project in childcare best practices, the Rainbow Baby Care Unit: • cares for about half of the children at the IS • has made significant improvements in care and nutrition—illness is reduced by 55 percent; infant mortality in the unit is almost unknown. Working with the Infant Sanatorium, Holt provides support and training for a special team to provide around the clock care for the children in the Unit. Holt also provides nutritional support for the IS, including fresh fruit and vegetables year-round; wholesome meals of a traditional meat and vegetable stew with rice and noodles; rich dairy products of Mongolia including milk, yogurt and curd. Holt supports the No. 58 Kindergarten, caring for children age 3 and older by providing additional milk, yogurt and cheese; school supplies; new clothing. Top: Girls in Holt care on a field trip. Bottom: A childcare worker holds a toddler at the Rainbow Baby Care Unit. Finding families for children: adoption As the leading U.S. placing agency, Holt’s presence in Mongolia is vital to providing homeless children the opportunity to have permanent loving families through intercountry adoption. —prepared by Holt staff www.holtinternational.org 15 from the family The Wealth of Family She was 3 years old when she came from China to join her new family, and although she gained wealth beyond her imagination, she also brought along great riches of her own. by Don Regier Dallas, Texas Clockwise from top left: Author Don Regier holds Helene soon after she came home to the United States. • Helene in ribbons. • Helene a few years later with sister Hannah, also adopted from China. • Helene leaning against a ladder. • Helene on the night she came home from China and met her siblings—Hannah, Bryan, Brent, Heidi and Brad. • Helene and Hannah enjoying tea. • Editor’s Note: Regier, an associate professor of Christian Education at Dallas Theological Seminary, is the author of a Christian children’s book, The Long Ride, which tells the story of adoption from a child’s point of view. Published by Kregel Kidzone. 16 Spring 2007 F Fu En came to us with nothing but the clothes on her back and a pair of red sneakers, new but smelling strongly of mothballs. She couldn’t run away, and finally decided to trust us, reluctantly. We gave her riches beyond her wildest imagination. We gave her a rubber ball, and the next morning we presented her with a hand mirror. The third day’s gift was a rubber ducky. She scampered off to the far corner of the hotel room with her treasures where nobody would snatch them away from her. For the first time in her life, she had all the marbles. When we gave Fu En a picture book, she wanted to look only at pictures of the ball, the hand mirror and the ducky—the extent of her strange, new, expanding world. Arriving home in the United States, our newly adopted daughter, now named Helene, began to awaken to the beauty all around her. Meeting her two sisters with long lush hair, she stroked her own fresh burr haircut and expressed her desire for beautiful long tresses. Her artistry began to emerge as she hung ribbons and beads from her head, her neck, her ears. Her newfound riches amazed her. At the table, she left no scraps uneaten. Watermelon—after she ate the red part, she just kept on eating right through the green part. But it was the dresses that overwhelmed her. One morning Helene stood in front of her closet for an hour. She was staring at the row of hand-me-down dresses. All beautiful. Not knowing which one to put on, she finally emerged from the bedroom wearing five dresses—one on top of the other. She must have thought she was the richest child in the world! And she is. Think about it. She now lives in a home with her own family, with assurance that we won’t (and can’t) un-adopt her. She receives unconditional love, and enjoys the freedom to run, and play, and be a little girl. She has a new name, and a document hanging on the wall declares that she possesses citizenship in her new country. All this, and heaven, too! She has discovered the Bible’s promises of eternal life through Jesus Christ. If my kids are rich, what does that make me? Sometimes when I kiss them goodnight, I remind my two adopted daughters that some people think they’re rich because they have lots of money. “But I’m the richest man in the world, because I have you.” ■ Becoming a Father Wednesday, 9 a.m. May 22, 2002 The Waiting Room The sun is bright, the air clear, and we can see the ridges on the nearby mountains. The fragrance of jasmine mates with the orange tree and the resulting scents crawl into the house. Gia makes a batch of lemon poppy seed scones. I brew a pot of coffee. Classical guitar is this morning’s music of choice. Austin, our golden retriever, takes notice of our anxiety and instinctively stands guard near the outside patio gate. We wait. The Delivery Our Holt social worker arrives a little after 9 a.m. He wears a bright yellow golf shirt and a huge smile. He is a good man, warm and comforting. We gather around the dining room table and go through the motions of obligatory small talk. Gia and I talk, but don’t hear what we’re saying. Our focus is on the dossier, prominently displaying our name, which at the moment resides under our social worker’s left elbow. He asks how we’ve been since last meeting with him in November. We say something in response, but it’s all a blur. Finally he reaches for the dossier. One might compare his A Father’s Rite of Passage In 1998, Warren and Kelly Volkmann of Corvallis, Oregon, traveled to Vietnam to adopt a 7-month-old girl named Tam. At the time, Vietnam required both parents to travel to the country and stay for two weeks. The Volkmanns, avid adventure travelers, decided to go for two months so they could spend time with their soon-to-be daughter while the adoption papers went through. Here is a recently discovered journal entry from their time at the Dong Da orphanage in Danang. Not even the thundering rain on the eves of the Dong Da Center could drown out the unhappy wails of the little boy standing alone and unhappy in his crib. Seeing an opportunity to try out my fledgling fathering skills, I stepped up to answer his cry of distress. (Perhaps if I were more comfortable with babies, our daughter would be more comfortable with me.) “What’s the matter, little guy?” I soothed, picking him up under his pudgy little arms. “Are you feeling left out?” I perched him in the crook of my arm, like a little cowboy straddling the saddle of my love handle. He stopped crying immediately. I felt a flush of confidence, a surge of competence—the Master Dad, stepping in to handle the situation, making everything A-OK. My new little friend looked up at me, gave a wide-eyed, toothless grin, and proceeded to pee all over my shirt. In the heat and helpless humidity, I was so soaked from sweat that I didn’t notice the wet warmth spreading down my side until it was too late to rescue the papers in my pocket. Collapsing back into paternal incompetence, I held my soggy charge out at arm’s length and yelled for help. determination with that of the doctors in a hospital delivery room at the precise moment they suddenly get serious and focused. His hands appear to slightly shake... indicative of the fact that this is no ordinary meeting. He pauses to say a few words. Some prefer to say that we’re now presenting you with the “match” or the “assignment.” I prefer to say “baby.” He slides the file toward us. Our focus immediately gravitates toward the two color photographs stapled to the top of the two-inch-thick deck of paperwork. This is the point where words cease to capture moments. We immediately fell in love with the soul behind the photo. Only 2 months old, he awaits us on the other side of the globe. Paternal instinct and emotions instantaneously materialize. Things that were once important now hardly exist. The world becomes a better place. Nicholas “Ethan” Anderson was born March 21, 2002...6 lbs. 8 ozs. and 47 cm. long. —by Scott Anderson Orange County, Calif. Ethan Anderson at 4 years old. “Xin loi! Xin loi!” I called urgently. (“Excuse me! Excuse me!”) The Vietnamese staff came to my rescue, laughing and chattering, delighted by my distress. One of the oldest boys in the orphanage left his crayons to dash out for some dry pants. I handed off the baby and quick-stepped down the hall to rinse my shirt in the sink and contemplate the significance of this fortuitous event—I had been peed on by a baby. Perhaps this ignominious incident, this body-temp baptism was really a rite of passage—a defining moment that heralded my membership into the Order of Fathers. While it wasn’t my own baby’s pee that I wrung from my shirt, it didn’t really matter. Pee is pee. I had been anointed as a new father. I had passed one of life’s most meaningful milestones. Students graduate. Pilots solo. Athletes go pro. And dads? Dads get peed on. Feeling that initial flush of competence returning, I rebuttoned my sodden shirt and strode back to the nursery, ready to engage the next challenge. Warren Volkmann with daughter Tam at the orphanage in Da Nang, Vietnam, 1998. Not even the tropical downpour could dampen my spirits this day. Glory hallelujah! I’m a dad! —by Warren Volkmann/ Corvallis, Oregon www.holtinternational.org 17 family tree Andrew Zylstra, 2, Korea—Pella, Iowa Kenneth Sharpless with daughters Caroline, 3, and Suzanna, 5, both from China—Dallas, Texas Send your photos to Family Tree! Mail original color prints to: Holt International magazine Family Tree P.O. Box 2880 Eugene, OR 97402 holtinternational.org/submissions Finalization Day: Kaden Oren, 10 months, Korea—Haviland, Kan. 18 Spring 2007 Above: Chelsi, 1, Korea; Chase, 6; Kaelin, 4, Korea; and Cole Forck, 9—Jefferson City, Mo. Throughout the year we need photos for Holt International magazine, our calendar and other productions… and we’d love to consider yours. Send us your best child & family photos. Please send glossy photographic prints or e-mail high resolution digital images. We cannot use studio photos or prints from digital files. Because of the many photographs we receive each month, we are able to publish only a small percentage. We keep all photos on hold for possible future publication and will contact you if one of yours is selected. Holly Gottschalk, 1½, Korea— Hillsboro, Ore. Kevin and Renee Fink with twin sons Eli (l) and Gideon, 6, Guatemala— Stratton, Neb. Mia, 4½, and Ellie DeVault 2½, China— Atlantic Beach, Fla. Jack Shannon, 8, Korea—Guttenberg, Iowa, and cousin Andrew Gastineau, 8—Urbandale, Iowa. Olivia Beach, 4, Mongolia—Potomac, Md. Maria Spallinger, 4, Ecuador—Columbus Grove, Ohio, with best friend Riley Garmatter, 5—Rawson, Ohio Above: Chloe Wohlgemuth, 6, China— Rockaway, N.J. Left: Ainsley, 3, and Anna Bauman, 6, China— Sioux Falls, S.D. C.J., 14, Philippines; Robby; Olivia; Bethany, 9, Philippines; Denise and Bobby Valderrama—San Jose, Calif. Rebecca Cullen, 33, Korea— Winchester, Mass. Robert Anderson, Korea, with his bride, Bach Ly—Minneapolis, Minn. Michael Sloan, Korea, with bride, Chandra—San Diego, Calif. Lilly, 3, China, and Christian Van Loon, 4, USA—Vulcan, Mich. www.holtinternational.org 19 from the family God’s Plans, Not Ours I “Our adoption journey began years before we even realized it.” by Kathy Booms Ruth, Michigan Above: Kathy and Philip Booms with daughters Kara and Megan on the shore of Lake Huron. • Kara with little sister Megan. It seemed unfair that everyone around us was starting a family, enjoying their children... and we were getting left behind. This was not in our plans. Why was God allowing this to happen to us? Then out of the blue, we were struck by the idea of adopting a child from China. It was simple things like seeing a segment on a morning television show, reading an article, hearing about a family moving to China. Living in a rural area as we do, we learned that not only did we need patience for the wait, we needed patience with our community. They did not understand international adoption. We needed to educate, as we learned ourselves. Each step of the journey was shared with those close to us—coworkers, friends and family members. Each step prompted more questions from others and led us to find out as much information as we could. After 18 months of paperwork and waiting, we received the call that we had a daughter. And six weeks later, when a caretaker in China placed our beautiful daughter, Kara Rose, in my arms, I knew the effort was worth it. The months of waiting vanished with that first breath I took as a mom. The years with Kara seemed to fly by. She blossomed into a beautiful, inquisitive, intelligent little girl. And she kept begging for a little sister. We told her she was special and would be our only child, because the process to adopt her had not been an easy one. I knew my husband did not want to go through the process again. But Kara was determined, and she kept praying every night for a baby sister. I returned to work part-time as a nurse for a local 20 Spring 2007 hospital in January 2001. I worked in the nursery a lot then, and rocking those babies just made me want to rock another daughter of ours. After three months of rocking babies, I approached my husband with the idea of going back to China once more. I was shocked when he agreed. So began the process once more. This time it was easier for us. Much easier. Kara was impatient with the waiting, as any 5-year-old would be. I was in no hurry for the referral, as I still had questions in my mind and wondered if I could give all to this child that I had to Kara. I had waited 18 years for Kara, and she filled a void in my life. For our second daughter I would wait only 23 months. Would I be able to love her as much as our first? Another adoptive mother from Kara’s travel group helped answer my question and was a tremendous help throughout the process. Kara and I were home together when the referral call came. I let her make some of the phone calls to announce the arrival of her little sister. When the FedEx envelope arrived and I had that first glimpse of the bald, chubby baby from China, that was all it took for us to fall in love all over again with another daughter. All my fears and worries were swept away. People often tell us that our girls are lucky. My husband and I feel that we are the lucky ones. To be blessed with two beautiful, healthy daughters and have the chance to parent them, love them, and experience life through their eyes is a miracle. As Kara tells me every day now, ”The Booms family is complete Mom!” And I have a feeling she is right. ■ Kids from Haiti Cookbook While waiting for her three children to come home from Haiti, a mother compiled a benefit cookbook. Natasha Hixon has been helping people tell their stories for more than six years in her role as a founder of QuicKutz, a company that manufactures diecutting tools for the scrapbooking and craft industry. When she and husband Mark began the process of adopting Katiana from the Holt Fontana Village in Haiti, Natasha wanted to create a memory book for Katiana and the other children at the Holt Fontana Village. The idea grew when Mark and Natasha realized they wanted to donate funds toward building homes for more children to live at the village. Kids from Haiti Cookbook Meanwhile, she and her husband fell in love with a brother and sister in another Haiti orphanage and began efforts to adopt them as well. The Kids from Haiti Cookbook contains more than 250 recipes and dozens of photos of life at the Holt Fontana Village. Contributors include Peter and Shay Fontana, founders of the Holt Fontana Village; families adopting children at the Holt Fontana Village; staff members of Holt International; the Hixons’ friends from the scrapbooking and craft industry; and QuicKutz friends and families. The Kids from Haiti Cookbook costs $20. All profits from the sale will help build houses and support at-risk children at the Holt Fontana Village. For more information or to order, go to the QuicKutz website: www. quickutz.com/kidsfromhaiti The Hixon family—daughter Marisa, Katiana (soon to be adopted from Haiti), Natasha and Mark. Maria and the Monarchs Each year, my family looks for monarch caterpillars in the fields and around the ponds. We care for them by feeding them milkweeds. When the caterpillar is ready it goes into a chrysalis. We wait about 10 days as it changes into a monarch butterfly. One day, we had seven hatch. Maria held as many as possible on her arms and in her hands. As one took flight it returned to her on her nose. I adopted Maria from Ecuador in 2003. She is absolutely the most wonderful child. She has a personality that can light up a room. Her foster parents would be happy and pleased with the way she is growing in grace. She has a deep love for the Lord, and her prayers are precious. Maria has a heart of gold. She is truly a miracle in my life, and I do not know what I did when she wasn’t here. I thank God daily that He has brought us together. —by Barbara Klein, Dubuque, Iowa Maria Klein, age 5, enjoys interacting with the natural world in the Iowa countryside. Adopted through Holt from Ecuador, she brought with her “a personality that can light up a room,” says her mom. www.holtinternational.org 21 from the family Blessed Be the Tie that Binds An older brother joyfully remembers the adoption of his three sisters. by Ben Sullivan Cedaredge, Colorado Top right: The six Sullivan siblings, from left to right: Vera, Michelle, Jacob, Ben, Josh and Ashley. • Top left: The Sullivan family as they appeared in the 1989 Holt Calendar for the month of August—that’s Michelle being held aloft by her father. • Bottom left: Cindy and Scott Sullivan bring Vera, 11, home from Russia (Hi Families, Jan/Feb 1992). W We waited for the phone to ring as eagerly as any expectant mother waits for her first contraction. Every time it sounded, we held our breath. Then it finally happened. I was only 8 years old, but I still can envision my mother nearly stumbling as she clutched the receiver to her ear, reacting to the news with a strange mixture of tears and laughter. was frightened easily, and she struggled to get her bearings. After we left the airport, Michelle, who by then was 3, was eager to make her new sister feel right at home. She brought along a brand new Garfield doll with big, googly eyes and tried to give it to Ashley. Ashley responded as if she were being dangled over a snake pit. Someone from Holt International was calling to let us know that our little sister, Michelle, was ready to come to her new home from South Korea. We had never met her, but to three older brothers, she was our sister immediately. We eventually went through this process three times, and three new sisters resulted: Michelle, (now) 20, Ashley, 17, and Vera, 26. Born in 1980 and raised in an orphanage in Moscow, Vera was 11 years old when she received word she would be coming to America. She was one of the first children in Russia to be adopted with the full knowledge and blessing of both governments. She didn’t understand a word of English, and we knew very little Russian. Michelle was 3 months old when she was carried off the plane, and I can declare with utter impartiality that she was the cutest child on the flight. She slept constantly, waking up only to take nourishment. She had the plumpest cheeks anyone ever saw. She smiled a lot, and she still does. The transition was difficult. Vera knew virtually nothing of basic life skills such as preparing food, washing clothes, using money, and even personal hygiene. She now remembers little of her former life, and only vaguely recalls being sent to the dorms when she was “bad” with no supper and a pill that made her stomach hurt. Ashley was wide-awake when she arrived at age 7 months. She wrapped both her arms and legs around our mom, taking to her immediately. The difference between a 3-month-old and a 7month-old was astonishing. Michelle had been relatively clueless as to her radically new surroundings. Ashley, however, seemed old enough to know she was in a different place with different people. She 24 Winter 22 Spring 2007 As far as everyone is concerned, Michelle and Ashley may as well have been carried home from a local hospital as Stapleton Airport. And a hint of an eastern European accent is the only clue Vera gives of being born and partially raised in Russia. Most importantly, all three were adopted into a home filled with the Light of the World. ■ The Day My Little Sister Came Home This teenager already had two brothers adopted from Korea, but she begged for a little sister. As I climbed down the newly assembled ladder attached to our bunk beds, I took one last long gaze at the neatly made bed below me. The stuffed animals were lined up neatly against the wall, the taller brown bears in the back with the smaller white rabbits in the front. The purple patchwork quilt that had once adorned my bed now lay neatly on top of hers, and it smelled of the fabric softener that my mom had used to clean it by hand. Her dresser stood tall, already jam-packed with an array of clothes and hair bows of all sorts. The white doll beds were already filled. Many of the dolls had been mine, yet their hair had been neatly brushed and pulled back and their clothes straightened and stray buttons reattached to give them new life. As I walked out of my room, the last time I would be able to call it that, I remember smelling the coffee that my uncle was brewing in the kitchen. At the Airport We waited and waited, and finally I could see the top of my dad’s head. He was carrying my little sister, who had on a pink striped jogging suit. My mom followed pulling the carry-on luggage and bearing a tired expression. I ran to my dad as I could already hear my sister’s sweet laugh. Her eyes sparkled like the stars. I pressed her delicate fingers into mine and gave her a hug, the first of many. Lily Nan She has been in our hearts since the day she was born. Her smile lights up any gloomy day and her laugh would soften stone. My room has become our room, yet all the changes have been for the better. The lonely dolls that once sat in the corner of my room now have a mother, and the little girl who once lived in China now has a family that cannot imagine how they managed so long without her. —by Laurie Delatour Berkeley Heights, New Jersey Laurie hugs her little sister, Lily Nan. Celebrate Christmas in the Philippines Join Holt International’s 2007 Philippines Gift Team Holt’s Philippines program has operated in partnership with Kaisahang Buhay Foundation (KBF) since 1975. Through KBF Holt supports a variety of services for children and at-risk families, preventing abandonment and performing successful reunifications. KBF is a pioneer in the development of foster care services in the Philippines and also provides housing, counseling, prenatal care and post-delivery services to pregnant single mothers. Volunteers will host parties with children in Manila and Cebu—all while experiencing the culture, cuisine and special beauty of the Filipino people. Gift Team Details • Travel: November 30–December 9 • Registration deadline: September 7 • Estimated cost: $2,500-$3,000 (includes airfare, lodging, gifts and party expenses) • Meals are estimated at about $30 per day per person • For more information, call Debbie Francis at (541) 6872202 or e-mail: [email protected] Above: Children enjoy one of the Gift Team-hosted parties. Left: Glenis Levine hands a boy in a community daycare setting a meal. Team members provided meals to all the children, and some of the children in turn shared their meals with other members of their families. www.holtinternational.org 23 Hadley Seong-min Amir Waiting Children Special needs, special blessings Every day around the world children come into Holt-supported programs. Their stories are different but have a thread of commonality—the children all need a home of their own. These children have suffered abandonment, the death of loving parents, or a natural disaster. Sometimes they have additional challenges that prevent many families from adopting them. They may be older than 2 years, part of a sibling group, or have a medical condition that may be easily correctable or need multiple interventions. We call these our waiting children, and they deserve to have families of their own. Den Mark The children shown here represent just a few of those who need parents. Because Holt’s website provides a more complete listing and can be updated daily, we ask you to view additional children at www.holtinternational.org/waitingchild. If you would like more information about a particular child, please contact Katie Poff in our Waiting Child Program. She would be happy to share more information with you. You can request a Waiting Child Application either by calling the Waiting Child Program at (541)687-2202 or through our website: holtinternational. org/waitingchild. These descriptions of waiting children are based on information available to Holt from caregivers and medical personnel in the children’s country of origin. Holt cannot guarantee the accuracy of these descriptions or that the medical and psychological diagnoses of the children are correct or complete. Kazakhstan. Holt is now looking for families for children in Kazakhstan who have special healthcare needs. If you are interested, please contact the Waiting Child Program. ■ Seong-min Amir Sachin This cute baby boy can roll over, coo and laugh and is able to grasp large objects. He has delayed development and mild hypotonia but receives physical therapy and is doing well. His birth mother smoked cigarettes and used alcohol during the pregnancy. Alert and playful, Amir is friendly with other children and his caretakers. He was diagnosed with spastic cerebral palsy, primarily on his right side. He can walk and climb stairs independently and responds well in learning new tasks and activities. He has some delays and may have hearing loss. A cheerful, inquisitive little boy, Sachin is always interested in learning new things and enjoys playing with his peers. He tested positive for chronic hepatitis B, but his liver functions have been normal and he is receiving medication. Sachin expresses his emotions openly, speaks clearly and is doing well in school. Kelli Leann Kelli loves dancing and playing with other children. She has hepatitis B and also hearing loss in both ears. She is described as a good little girl who is close to her foster family. Leann is a sweet little girl in foster care who loves to play outside and dance to music. She had one surgery to correct a ventricular septal defect and may still have an atrial septal defect. She is significantly delayed in all areas, including motor, speech and social skills. Born in Korea, July 24, 2006 Den Mark Born in Philippines, December 18, 2002 An active, playful boy, Den Mark gets along well with the children in his neighborhood. He is delayed in all areas but is showing some improvement with therapy. Den Mark has a short attention span, alternating esotropia and limited vocabulary. He has been with his foster family for about a year. Hadley Born in China, May 3, 2004 A handsome little boy, Hadley enjoys playing outside with friends and singing to music. He likes his foster family. Hadley has deformity of both external ears, poor hearing and speaks with a limited vocabulary, but he is healthy and developing well. 24 Spring 2007 Born in India, April 19, 2004 Born in China, October 1, 1999 Shreya Born in India, April 15, 2005 A beautiful little girl with Down syndrome, Shreya is active and in good health. She enjoys singing to herself, playing with her foster sisters, and being with other people. She has a $5,000 grant available from Brittany’s Hope.* Born in India, June 25, 2000 Born in China, December 13, 2004 Ngan Born in Vietnam, March 1, 2005 A cute 2-year-old girl, Ngan smiles when she is spoken to and cuddled. She has a brain disorder called schizencephaly. Ngan shows developmental delays in all areas but can roll over, clap her hands and search for dropped objects. A $5,000 grant is available from Brittany’s Hope.* See more children at Nolan Kelli Sachin Shreya Leann Ngan Amanda Son Born in Vietnam, October 27, 2004 Son is a responsive little boy who loves being held and cuddled by his caretakers. He was diagnosed with hydrocephalus, and a neurologist concluded that surgery will not be necessary. He has some motor and language delays but can walk, say a few words and follow instructions. Oregon Waiting Child Agencies reduce fees for the adoption of a child in state care, and financial assistance may be available. To learn more, call the Special Needs Adoption Coalition at The Boys and Girls Aid Society at (877) 932-2734 x 2392, or DHS at (800) 331-0503. Also visit www.boysandgirlsaid. org and www.nwae.org for information and photos of waiting children. Nolan Born in SE Asia, September 12, 2000 Nolan loves to climb and play soccer. He is doing well in school and is described as happy and developmentally on target. He has been with his foster family for over three years. His birth mother is HIV-positive, and although he tested positive in early 2001, he has had three subsequent negative tests. Amanda Born in the Caribbean, Sept. 3, 1994 A hard worker, Amanda follows through with her work and is a big help to her housemother. She is organized, neat and loves to braid her friends’ hair. She is often the leader of the group and is in good health. *Brittany’s Hope grants are available for nine months from their granting date, which varies by child. Find out more at www.brittanyshope.org holtinternational.org/waitingchild Deanna, age 10 Son Deanna sparkles when showered with nurturing, individualized attention. She is ready to be a family’s shining star. In counseling treatment, Deanna has been working hard to leave behind childhood trauma and move forward into a healthier and happier place. She is slightly behind developmentally in some areas due to hardships she has endured. She has a keen eye and appreciation for fashion. www.holtinternational.org 25 adopting Adoption Medicine How can an adoption medicine specialist help you? by Mary Masterson, MPH, MPA Program Manager and Meg Hayes, MD, Medical DIrector OHSU Adoption Health Services A Adoption medicine is a new subspecialty in medicine that was born out of a recognition that children adopted internationally have a unique set of medical issues and needs. With 20,000 plus internationally adopted children arriving in the United States each year, there has been a growing need for adoption medicine specialist physicians and other healthcare providers who have experience and expertise diagnosing and treating these children. Here are some common questions, along with answers to these questions, that will help you better understand what adoption medicine is and how an adoption medicine specialist can help you before, during, and after your adoption process. Q.What is adoption medicine? World health for children is one definition (MedicineNet.com). Toward the end of the last century, adoption medicine began to emerge in response to the kinds of medical problems that presented in children born overseas and adopted into North American families. A specialist can provide pre-adoption counseling and evaluation based on a child’s medical records, and then follow with postadoption consultations, and often, primary care of an adopted child. Some of the medical conditions adoption medicine specialists look for include fetal alcohol syndrome, tuberculosis, hepatitis B and C, and intestinal parasites. Even if a child has a record of immunizations, it may not be reliable. Adoption medical specialists can determine whether or not children need to be reimmunized. Q.Why should you use an adoption medicine specialist for your international adoption? Pre-adoption phase During this phase, adoption medicine specialists can provide you with a broad range of services that include agency required physical examinations for adoptive parents as well as completion of the associated paperwork. Adoption medicine specialists can explain what a medical report from Kazakhstan, China, Ethiopia or Guatemala says and explain it in terms that you can understand. They can assist you in determining what additional information might be needed, or to arrange for further medical evaluation or treatment before you travel to bring your child home. They can provide you with in-depth counsel regarding children with special needs. These special needs may include hepatitis B, tuberculosis positive cases, congenital issues such as cleft lip/palate, ear deformities, heart conditions, malnutrition and a host of other concerns. Adoption medicine specialists can review photos and video footage to help assess the child for potential fetal alcohol problems or developmental delays. Some adoption medicine specialists are willing to prescribe medicines that you can take with you on your adoption trip both for the care of the child and for care of the traveling family members. Hep B Conversion Our prayers have been answered. We went to the international adoption and infectious disease specialist yesterday at OHSU to have our daughter checked out and her blood work looked at, and the specialist let us know that our daughter does not have hepatitis B. The doctor said that her body has converted it, so she basically now has a natural immunity to it. She said that we were very lucky—only 10 percent of children born to hepatitis B–positive mothers are able to do this, so it is very rare. Our daughter’s exam went fantastic. She is perfectly healthy in every way. —Angelinna Moffitt Left: Jaili Moffitt toddles along with the help of her father, Shane. 26 Spring 2007 Left: Holt Children’s Services of Korea offers excellent medical attention to children before adoption. Here, a staff pediatrician at the Seoul clinic examines a baby‘s umbilical stump during a regular well-baby checkup. The baby is in the care of an experienced foster mother and supported by Holt Sponsors. your whole family. They are able to counsel you on special issues for attachment and sleeping problems. They are well-connected with other specialists for specialty referrals and counseling needs. Q. Why should you use an adoption medicine specialist for your domestic adoption? Adoption trip Adoption medicine specialists are available to you, by telephone or e-mail, during your adoption trip to answer any and all types of questions you may have about the health of your child, or yourselves. Post-arrival/post-adoption phase Adoption medicine specialists are experienced in evaluating your child during those first few weeks after you return home to help assess your child’s health, both physically and developmentally. They understand the need to evaluate your child(ren) as “new” to our U.S. environment and culture and determine what tests are needed to determine your child’s level of immunity to communicable diseases and exposure to infectious diseases and environmental poisons such as lead. They understand the stress that you are under as a new adoptive parent and how an adoption can impact Your Child’s Pediatrician If you have selected a pediatrician for your child who is not an adoption medicine specialist, consider setting up an appointment with him or her to review your child’s medical information before your child comes home. Even if you’ve already consulted an adoption medicine specialist at time of child referral, it’s also a good idea to meet with your local A specialist who has expertise with domestic adoptions can be an invaluable resource to assist you with reviewing birth parent medical and social histories and to counsel you on the issues with prenatal exposure to alcohol, drugs, and communicable diseases. They can provide you with a second medical opinion on a child’s medical report if need be. Some adoption medicine specialists provide services specifically for birth parents. Q.How do I find an adoption medicine program/specialist? Your adoption agency is a good resource. There are several websites that list Adoption Medicine programs and specialists for your area: • • • www.holtinternational.org/ waitingchild/resources.shtml Joint Council on International Children’s Services (JCICS)—Clinic Directory—www. jcics.org/Membership Directory by Category. htm#MEDICAL CLINICS ComeUnity.com’s Directory of International Adoption Medical Clinics—www.comeunity.com/ adoption/health/clinics.html Q.What is the usual process for a pre-adoption consultation? The following is a general outline of the pediatrician to review your child’s information. Meeting with your pediatrician before your child’s arrival will not only help your pediatrician become knowledgeable about your child’s health and developmental history, but it also allows you to establish a relationship with the pediatrician before your child’s first checkup. —Susie Doig, MSW Giardia We waited anxiously in our hotel room in Changsha for a doctor to arrive and help us with our daughter’s diarrhea. This was our third day with her and she was not drinking or eating very much. We had hoped to purchase something the day before to help with her diarrhea, but this was a challenge because of the language barrier. It would have been comforting to us if we could have called or e-mailed an adoption medicine specialist in the United States to help us determine if our daughter’s condition was serious and to get advice on how to manage the situation. Upon our arrival home, and several months later, our daughter had a continuing problem with diarrhea. We mentioned this to our pediatrician at each visit. Our daughter was tested for the presence of “routine” parasites, but it was not until we sought the services of an adoption medicine specialist that she was tested for the not so routine parasites and diagnosed with Giardia lamblia. She started to improve shortly after starting treatment for this intestinal parasite. —an adoptive mom process many adoption medicine programs offer. You should always contact the clinic to learn what their process is. • You can contact the specialist via telephone or e-mail • You can e-mail, fax, mail, or handdeliver the materials that you want to have reviewed by the specialist • A consultation can be scheduled within two to four business days from when you deliver the materials • A consultation can be done in person or via phone or e-mail, or a combination of both. ■ Author Mary Masterson, adopted from Korea, is also the mother of two girls adopted from China through Holt International. www.holtinternational.org 27 Photo provided by Peter Saddington adoptees today Motherland Revisited A college student goes to Korea on the Motherland Tour— and comes full circle in the adoption process. by Katrina Craven / Bloomington, Ind. A All 23 of us had to find the strength to turn and walk away from the children lying on the ground, kicking, screaming and crying for us to pick them back up. The children at the Sung Ae Won Orphanage in South Korea had lost the security of a biological family and longed for the one-on-one attention Holt Motherland Tour The 2006 Motherland Tour was a two-week trip to South Korea for Korean adoptees through Holt International. The tour provided me and 22 other participants with our first opportunity to experience the culture of our biological ancestors, and offered a glimpse into what life would have been like had we not been adopted. Each of us grew up in upper-middle-class white families in schools and communities that had little diversity. We considered ourselves American, but also longed to learn about our Korean roots and heritage. The tour took us through historical landmarks in South Korea and taught us a background of the country’s history, current political and social issues, and practical lessons of Korean culture. Katrina holds a boy at Sung Ae Won. • Top: A little girl gazes through a window at the orphanage. that parents would normally provide. They loved to be carried and give high-fives and peace signs. They loved to laugh and sing and see pictures of themselves develop on a Polaroid picture. But they hated letting go. And so did we. 28 Spring 2007 We visited the Demilitarized Zone, palaces and burial sites of late kings, the Korean War Memorial and folk villages, and we stayed with a host family. Each day, we sampled different kinds of Korean food and learned to bargain in the busy Korean street markets that boasted an endless variety of goods. But most importantly, the trip offered a chance for adoptees to learn about Korean culture in a way that shed light on the reasons adoption is so prevalent within the country. Adopted children grow up with a natural curiosity about their birth parents and the reasons for their adoption, lacking an opportunity to see the situation through the eyes of the other side. During our two-week stay, we visited places such as an unwed mothers home where single pregnant women were preparing to relinquish their child to adoption, and orphanages where infants and children were waiting for homes and families. The Orphanage Visiting the orphanage was the first opportunity my group had to interact with children ranging in age from newborns to 6 years old. Upon arrival, Paul Kim, our tour leader, reminded us to treat each child fairly. He said to remember that the cutest child might not be the one in need of the most help and to be conscious of the children who sit alone in the corner. He warned us of the emotional impact the morning might have on us, and advised us to be prepared before we went to the children. The first floor I visited had 2-year-olds. My attention immediately fell on a little girl in the corner of the room. She wasn’t crying, but her brown eyes were filled with tears. Her name was Sa-rang (“love” in Korean), and she was much smaller than the rest of the kids her age. I helped her eat a cupcake, and she took it eagerly. We built block structures and knocked them down at the height of their glory. I stayed with her for almost a half hour. When I left the room, Sa-rang followed me to the door, stood at the window and pressed her hand against the glass. But she didn’t cry. On another floor, I picked up a little boy and danced with him as he sang words I couldn’t understand. When I put him down he screamed and cried and wrapped his body around my legs so I wouldn’t leave. I helped another little boy wipe his nose, and they both threw fits when I diverted my attention from either. I had to carry one on each hip and continue dancing. A tour member grabbed me around the waist and pulled me away, explaining, “You have to let them go. You have to walk away.” Downstairs everyone gathered again. I was sobbing thinking of the innocent children upstairs that only wanted something as simple and natural as the love of a family. I felt guilty that I had taken advantage of the comfort of my own family’s relationships, and felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude through my devastation. I prayed for the children we had left upstairs to be afforded the opportunity like the one I had been given through the gift of adoption. But my friend was right. We had to walk away. We had to realize that we couldn’t save them all right at that moment, but we could keep hold of the feeling we were experiencing to drive us to make changes however we could in the future. The Unwed Mother’s Shelter The Salvation Army in Seoul sponsors a Seoul Women’s Home where single, pregnant women can stay during the duration of their pregnancy while they decide whether or not to relinquish their child for adoption. Our tour guide told us that Korean society is not accepting of women who become pregnant out of wedlock. It is almost impossible for a mother to raise her child alone in Korea, and she is strongly encouraged to give her child up for adoption. We entered the shelter and sat around tables arranged in a circle. After the presentation, the mothers came in the room and sat around us. Translators from our tour walked around to assist in our communication with the women. “Do you hate your birth mom?” one woman asked my table. “No,” I responded. “I’m grateful that she had the courage to do what you’re about to do. I’ve had a great life and I’m happy and I admire the fact that she had so much love for me that she could give me away knowing I’d be better because of it.” The mother cried and looked down as the translator told her what I said. When she looked back up, she just nodded at me and rubbed her hands over her pregnant belly. In her face, I could see she was torn. She had no guarantee that her child would have a better life, but she knew the chances were greater than if she kept him or her. The strength that she showed through her teary eyes was greater than any I had ever witnessed before. grown up to be what she expected me to be. I couldn’t believe I was sitting down with the only woman who knew me when I was still in Korea. She wasn’t my birth mother, but she knew me better than my birth mother ever had, and I loved her for what she had done for me. I couldn’t imagine the love that a mother has for her child being so great that she would sacrifice their relationship together for the sake of the baby. Before we visited the shelter, I always thought that if I met my birth mother, it would be important for me to ask her why she gave me up. But now, it didn’t matter. If I met her, I would assure her that there was only love and admiration in my heart for her and the strength she showed in letting me go. We exchanged gifts after lunch. She wrapped a silver cross necklace around my neck and told the translator to tell me that she prayed for me everyday, and hoped I prayed for her too. My Foster Mother I cried as I watched her walk away. She was the only mother figure I had before my own mother, and I realized that letting me go must have been just as painful to her as it was for my birth mother. I pray for her everyday, hoping that somehow she will know how grateful I am for her care then, and her care now. I didn’t have the opportunity to meet my birth mother on the trip, which was something I knew beforehand. According to my records, my mother relinquished me to Holt Children’s Services of Korea two days after my birth, and I went into foster care with a woman named Nu, Yam-jun. Mrs. Nu cared for me for the three months I was in Korea before I was adopted to the United States. After I left her, she sent me letters and pictures of the two of us, which served as the only forms of memory I had from Korea growing up. Holt Children’s Services of Korea arranged for me to meet with her again. I had never heard anyone call me by my Korean name before, but I smiled and nodded and hugged her as she spoke rapidly in my ear. My heart was beating in my throat and my palms were sweating as she held my hands. The author with her foster mother, Mrs. Nu. Processing “Are you Christian?” was the first question out of her mouth. She smiled with relief when I nodded my head toward the translator. “Are you happy? Is your family Christian? Was your brother good to you?” These were the questions she asked me during our lunch as she fed me food from across the table. The whole time she was talking, I stared at her wondering if I had As the two-week trip was coming to an end, my mind started processing all that had happened. The babies at the orphanage, the unwed mothers at the shelter and my own foster mother had put things into a much greater perspective for me. Adoption was something that goes full circle. Love and attachment can be separated through a greater need for a better life. With each relationship you form during the process, each person has to find the strength to walk away and know that it is for the for the better. ■ egister ltinte ww.ho ne: w Go onli to r p. /camp tee Cam p o d A 2007 al.org rnation www.holtinternational.org 29 neighborhood calendar July 29–Aug. 2—Holt Adoptee Camp in Ashland for adoptees 9–16 years old. Contact: Steve Kalb at (541) 687-2202 or [email protected] New Jersey August 3—Holt Day at the Steel Pier in Atlantic City, a family fun day for Holt families, noon to midnight. Hosted by Anthony and Chris Catanoso. Contact: New Jersey Branch Office at holtday@ holtinternational.org Sept. 8—Holt Family Picnic at Pine Park in Lakewood. Contact: Sally Dunbar at sallyd@holtinternational. org or 1-888-355-HOLT x137 A Korean pediatrician uses a suction machine on an infant who had recently undergone heart surgery. The child is being held by his foster mother. Donations toward purchase of nebulizers and suction machines were raised through a garage sale held by parents associated with the Holt Midwest Office in Omaha. Arkansas Illinois June 2—Quarterly Meeting at Little Rock for prospective and existing adoptive families. 1 p.m.-4 p.m. Location to be announced. RSVP to (501) 723-4444 for details. August 25—Holt Family Picnic at Ty Warner Park in Westmont. 11 a.m.–3 p.m. Contact: Sally Dunbar at [email protected] or 1-888-355HOLT x137 California Iowa May 5—Holt Family Picnic at Benicia Community Park in Benecia, at Rose Drive and Dempsey. 11 a.m.–3 p.m. Contact: Sally Dunbar at sallyd@ holtinternational.org or 1-888-355-HOLT x137 Sept. 15—Holt Family Picnic at LeGrand Community Park, LeGrand. 11 a.m.–3 p.m. Contact: Sally Dunbar at [email protected] or 1-888355-HOLT x137 May 19—Holt Family Picnic at Royer Park in Roseville, 190 Park Drive. Noon–3 p.m. Contact: Sally Dunbar at [email protected] or 1-888355-HOLT x137 Kansas / Missouri June 23—Holt Family Picnic in Southern California. Location to be announced. Contact: Sally Dunbar at [email protected] or 1-888-355HOLT x137 Aug. 5–9—Holt Adoptee Camp in Dobbins for adoptees 9–16 years old. Contact: Steve Kalb at (541) 6872202 or [email protected] Florida May 19—Holt Family Picnic at Moss Park, 12901 Moss Park Rd., Orlando. 11 a.m.–2 p.m. Contact: Sally Dunbar at [email protected] or 1-888355-HOLT x137 Sign up today for the new Holt e-newsletter *For up-to-date news on adoption, inspirational stories of children and families. *When you sign up, your Holt International e-newsletter will be delivered to your e-mail address. Go to holtinternational.org/enews October 6—Holt Family Picnic at Harmon Park in Prairie Village, Kansas. 11 a.m.–2 p.m. Contact: Sally Dunbar at [email protected] or 1-888-355-HOLT x137 Nebraska Oregon May 11—Colors of Hope Dinner Auction at the Valley River Inn in Eugene to benefit the children of Vietnam. Contact: Caroline Toy, Holt Events Manager, at (800) 451-0732 or carolinet@ holtinternational.org July 22–26—Holt Adoptee Camp in Corbett for adoptees 9–16 years old. Contact: Steve Kalb at (541) 687-2202 or [email protected] August 4—Holt Family Picnic at Camp Harlow in Eugene. 11 a.m.–3 p.m. Contact: Sally Dunbar at [email protected] or 1-888-355-HOLT x137 August 4-11—Holt Honeyman Campout at Honeyman State Park in Florence. Immediately following the Holt Picnic. Contact: Patricia Billups at (503) 6973219 or Kathy Johnson at (503) 620-7242 August 12—Holt Family Picnic at Cook Park in Tigard. 1 p.m.– 4 p.m. Contact: Sally Dunbar at sallyd@ holtinternational.org or 1-888-355-HOLT x137 May 19—Garage Sale in Omaha to benefit children in Holt care. Contact: Midwest Branch Office at (402) 934-5031 for information about dropping off donation items, and for location. See related report, p. 4. Oct. 20—Colors of Hope Dinner Auction in Portland to benefit the children of Haiti. Contact: Char Woodworth, Event Chair, at (503) 638-2518 or [email protected]; or Caroline Toy, Holt Events Manager at (800) 451-0732 or [email protected] June 30—Holt Family Picnic in Omaha. Noon–2 p.m. Contact: Sally Dunbar at sallyd@holtinternational. org or 1-888-355-HOLT x137 Pennsylvania Aug. 12–16—Holt Adoptee Camp at Starlight for adoptees 9–16 years old. Contact: Steve Kalb at (541) 687-2202 or [email protected] sponsorship Orphaned, abandoned and vulnerable children around the world need food, shelter, clothing and medical treatment... essentials your sponsorship of $30 per month will help provide. Choose a child to sponsor from Holt’s website: ur Sponsorship can... www.holtinternational.org/sponsorship or call 888.355.HOLT finding families for children www.holtinternational.org 31 specialty garment styles for 2007 kidÕs l aye shirt red adult t-shir& kid ts international finding families for children die p-ho o i z t l adu kidÕs p ho oded usll- over weatshi rt r r ingeent garm ut families nÕs cfinding e m o w t n for children e garm finding families for children Post Of fice Box 2880 E u g e n e finding O Rfamilies9 7 4 0 2 for children Change Service Requested finding families for children in io n at ter nal *New designs are available online at: holtinternational.org/store various sizes & styles for the entire family! Nonprofit Org US Postage Paid Eugene OR Permit No. 291
Similar documents
from the family - Holt International
Senior Advisor, Korea David Lim Board of Directors Chair Kim S. Brown Vice-Chair Will C. Dantzler President Emeritus Dr. David H. Kim Secretary Claire A. Noland Members Andrew R. Bailey, Julia K. B...
More informationi was hungry and you gave me food
Senior Vice-President of Marketing & Development Phillip A. Littleton Vice-President of Public Policy & Advocacy Susan Soon-keum Cox Vice-President of Finance & Administration Kevin Sweeney Vice-Pr...
More information