Last November, as the worst monsoon flooding in over 50 years submerged Thailand’s homes, businesses and farms, Zach and Henry Zimmerman came up with a great idea to help with the recovery effort! In particular, Zach — a Holt adoptee from Thailand — wanted to help his former foster mom rebuild her house. So Zach, 5, and Henry, 9, put together a poster about the Thailand floods to bring to their school’s International Night — an annual event to celebrate diversity. Together, they raised $83.50 for Holt’s Thailand Rehabilitation Fund, which will help us repair and rebuild homes for the many Holt foster families displaced by the floods. Thank you Zach and Henry for your extraordinary efforts!
A Q&A with Mariia Zimmerman, mom of Zach and Henry
Henry (left) and Zach (right) with the poster they made to help raise funds for Thailand flood relief.
How old are your boys and what grade are they in?
Zachary is 5 and started Kindergarten this fall. Henry is 9 and in the 4th grade.
How long did Zach live with his foster mother in Thailand?
Zachary lived with his foster mom for 16 months. We adopted him when he was 18 months old.
What does he remember about his foster mom (and foster family)?
Zachary doesn’t remember very much, but we talk about his culture and history with him. He’s very curious to know about it all and asks lots of questions. We have pictures of Zachary with his foster mom that Holt sent to us while we were waiting the nine long months between referral and being able to go over to Thailand and bring him home. These are part of Zach’s adoption book, which he likes to read and discuss all the photos.
One of the stories we like to tell is that his foster mother lived very close to a Buddhist temple, which had an area for children to play soccer in the courtyard. Zachary spent a lot of time there when he was a baby, watching the children. His foster mom told us he always had a laugh when they played soccer and he learned to kick a ball shortly after he could walk. When we met Zachary, he already had really good soccer skills and to this day he loves to play. It was one of the things that we did a lot of when he first joined our family, since his older brother also enjoyed playing and it didn’t require either knowing how to speak the other’s language.
Help us find a family for these beautiful siblings from Africa
*Alex, Keith, Mark and Sadie don’t need fancy clothes. They don’t want iPods, iPads or a new computer. They have no desire to eat at the finest restaurants, vacation to tropical destinations, or play the latest and greatest video game.
There is something they do want, though. It’s not something that can be found in stores or bought online. This gift doesn’t come in a package, or through the mail. But it’s a priceless, precious gift. Something they want more than anything else:
“All they want is a family,” says Pat McConnell, Holt’s director of services for Africa, who met the sibling group of four in 2011. “They are so used to having so little. They want to be
Alex
able to eat. They want to go school. And they want a family. That’s all.”
Life for these siblings —three precocious and soft-spoken boys and a 3-year-old sister who they adore — hasn’t been easy. They lost their parents to HIV/AIDS three years ago and
currently live with their impoverished grandparents in a tiny, one-room house. The grandfather has fallen ill. The grandmother is losing her vision. They are no longer able to provide the care their grandchildren need.
All four children have tested negative for HIV.
“The children are in good health,” says Pat. “We need to find these children a family together. We do not want them to be separated from each other. They have a very strong bond.”
Mark
Alex, 11, Keith, 11, and Mark, 7, enjoy playing soccer. Alex loves school. His favorite subjects are math and science. Mark enjoys taking care of his grandparents’ garden, and Keith likes writing. At 3 years old, Sadie likes listening to stories and asking questions.
“They are all bright, well-behaved and active,” says Pat. “They look forward to having a family one day, and know that a family might be out there for them.”
All they want is a family.
We hope we can find them one. It may not be easy. But, with your help and prayers, we know that it’s possible.
Keith
Please share this story with your friends and family.
*names have been changed
*To adopt these siblings, Holt prefers that prospective adoptive families have experience with older child/sibling group adoption. We also prefer that interested families have no young children in their home.
Sadie
Couples must also be between the ages of 25-44 and married for at least 2 years.
If you are interested in adopting this sibling group from Africa, please contact Erin Mower with our Waiting Child program at erinm@holtinternational.org
A message from Michael Tessier, youth services manager and camp director:
Hey, everyone. I wanted to give you an opportunity to learn about camp straight from the mouths of our biggest participants. What follows is an interview I conducted — with an adoptee on camp leadership staff — that will hopefully help you learn more about the program.
Michael: Hey Tracy! You and I worked closely this summer, but the readers aren’t familiar with you yet. Can you tell us a little about yourself?
Tracy: Well, my name is Tracy, and I grew up in Sharon, Massachusetts — a small suburban town with only 3-4 other Asian Americans in my school. I have a younger brother who is also adopted, Robbie. I am currently acting, and lived in LA after college. I am now living in Atlanta with my husband, and pursuing my acting career here.
M: Awesome! And you volunteered with camp this summer, too! What was your position and what did you do?
T: It was my first time at Holt camp! I originally applied to be a counselor, but then I became leadership [staff managing the counselors]. Being around that many adoptees was amazing — it was an amazing time in my life. As leadership, we were in charge of training and supervising the counselors. We helped design the overall curriculum of the camps and helped find new ways to support camper identity. I found myself being a counselor, mentor and sister to the campers and counselors. I will remember the experience for the rest of my life. It has profoundly changed the person I am. It has given me strength and foundation.
M: That’s really cool. What did you think of the experience?
T: It was my first time with other adoptees, so it was overwhelming and life-changing. It made me feel like I was a part of a community — a community I had no idea existed up until that point.
M: What do you think the campers enjoyed the most? What did the counselors enjoy?
T: I think the campers just loved being in a fun environment where they felt safe and loved. They were a part of a community that made them feel like they could be themselves, some for the first time. They could relax and look around, and see so many others who could understand what they were feeling — a bond unlike any other in their lives.
[Feeling like] a mentor to younger adoptees was a common feeling among counselors, who used their own life experiences to support campers. The counselors also found new friendships among the other counselors. I saw a lot of love among the counselors and great friendships being made, which, in turn, extended to the campers.
M: Would you recommend camp to young adoptees? Why or why not?
T: Of course I would recommend camp to young adoptees. I only wish I knew about these camps when I was younger! It is an invaluable experience! Even if campers don’t want to talk about identity, racism or adoption [one component of camp], they can be around others who they can relate to.M: Lastly, any words of wisdom you’d like to impart to your young adoptee readers regarding adoption or camp?
T: Working with Holt this past summer has given me a family. I walked away with sisters, brothers and best friends, who will be a part of my life forever. I felt safe and loved around people that could relate to me. It’s indescribable, having this environment where you feel relaxed, comfortable, and supported. I don’t know what it is about these camps — and the time we share with other adoptees — that bonds us in a way I’ve never experienced before. I can only hope that every adoptee gets to experience these camps.
Just know that you are not alone! You are unique, beautiful and amazing. And there’s a community out there just waiting to embrace you. We are only a phone call, text, FB message away!
Two years ago — On January 12th, 2010 — I walked into Holt’s office with a heavy heart. News reports of the devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Haiti were difficult to watch. 230,000 people had lost their lives. Millions more were left homeless and struggling to survive.
Today, the tremendous need remains. Two years have passed, but little has changed in Haiti. Buildings are still in shambles. Families are still without homes. Children aren’t getting enough to eat.
Haiti is still in a state of emergency.
I ask you to pray that God’s healing hand be on the sick, hungry and helpless children and families, and that He would continue to bring the people of this devastated country peace, courage and strength. We, as an organization, are grateful that God has used us these past two years to bring hope to the people of Haiti.
Your donations and prayers have truly made a difference in the past two years! Through your support, we’ve continued to provide temporary care to children at Holt Fontana Village and helped families get back on their feet.
But there is still a lot of work to do! And now, we ask for your help once more.
We remain committed to our work in Haiti. But we can’t bring about hope — we can’t bring about change — without your help!
We will continue to count on your prayers and donations as we move forward for the children of Haiti.
by Jennifer Goette, director of services for South and Southeast Asia
Working closely with Holt’s partners in South and Southeast Asia, I have the opportunity to travel frequently and see first-hand the significant impact of our work with orphaned and abandoned children. Whenever possible, I spend time with children in our care centers and foster programs who are waiting to be matched with adoptive families — families who will provide permanent, loving homes. One of the most rewarding parts of these visits is that I am able to spend time with children in Holt’s Waiting Child program. By talking with caregivers, learning about each child’s needs and personality, and taking photos and videos, I hope to give each child a better chance to connect with their forever family.
During a visit to India last month, I met a little boy who really touched my heart. *Hudson’s sweet smile and cheeky grin have stayed with me. Although Hudson is unable to move his legs, he is quite active and has learned to use his arms to pull himself along the floor with ease. He loves to play with toys and is quick to engage with the world and the people around him. He adapts well to new situations, and is described as friendly and cheerful by his foster mother. Watching him interact with others, it’s clear that Hudson loves attention, and particularly enjoys being carried.
When our time together had come to an end, Hudson waved goodbye with a bright grin. It was impossible not to feel a rush of emotion for this spunky 2-year-old with an ear-to-ear smile.
I returned from India a couple days before Christmas. As I celebrated the holidays with my own family, I found myself thinking about Hudson, wondering: How long will this little boy wait before he can celebrate holidays with his forever family? Will he spend another Christmas with his foster parents, or will there be a family in the U.S. that recognizes his potential?
With the hope that comes with a New Year, I believe this will be the year that Hudson finds a family. I know there is a family waiting to welcome Hudson into their arms. At times this family will carry him, and at times, this family will support him as he learns to navigate the world.
Do you know this family?
Maybe it’s you.
You will need a username and password to access Hudson’s information and adorable photos. Call 541-687-2202 ext 150 for more information
Welcome to our first post in the “Children Who Give” blog series! In the coming weeks and periodically throughout the year, we will feature stories about children who raise funds for Holt, and parents, grandparents and others who raise funds on behalf of the children in their lives. As Mary Li Creasy illustrates so well in the following story about her son, Hunter, children are a gift — a gift that often inspires us to give back. In this story, it is Hunter who was inspired to give back. His love and appreciation for his family inspired him to write an award-winning essay about Holt, to which he then donated his winnings so that we can help more children have families of their own. Thank you Hunter, and thank you Mary Li for sharing this beautiful story!
Hunter in July 2011, age 8.
One year to the day we adopted our daughter, Lily – from China through Holt – we got the call about a 4-year-old boy named “Hung” in Vietnam. Holt thought he would be a good match for our family. We had applied to the special needs program only a few months earlier, knowing we wanted to adopt an older child and also that we did not want to wait the 13 months it took to bring our daughter home from China between 2005 and 2006. We had gone to committee once before, but Holt’s social workers decided another family was a better fit for that child. After that, we felt greatly discouraged and weren’t sure we would ever be matched.
We were shocked to receive the call only a month later about Hung.
With a 10-year-old and 2-and-a-half-year-old at home, 4 seemed on the lowest end of the age spectrum we would consider. And we knew nothing about the Vietnam program. After praying about it and talking it over as a family for a few days, we requested the file.
One look at Hung’s beautiful brown eyes and we were in love.
In September of 2008, fifteen months after we accepted Hung’s referral, the U.S. and Vietnam decided not to renew their Memo of Understanding regarding adoptions and subsequently suspended all international adoption from Vietnam. We managed to endure the next seven months with the help of weekly telephone calls with Holt staff, hundreds of supportive e-mails, and several visits with our online Holt Vietnam friends and Dong Nai waiting parents group. After our case was finally resolved, we traveled to Bien Hoa, Vietnam, where on April 13, 2009, we met and adopted our son Hung, who we named John “Hunter.”
Shen Ying, 10, and Shen Jia, 9, grew up in the same foster family. We are seeking a family to adopt both of them. They are this week’s featured waiting children.
DOB: 8/1/01 and 3/3/02, Jilin, China
by Robin Munro, Senior Writer
Shen Ying (left) and Shen Jia (right) grew up together as foster brothers.
Two years ago, in November of 2009, we received the following email from Sue Liu, Holt’s (beloved) office manager in Beijing:
Two weeks ago, I went to Jilin (province) where we have had a foster care program for three years. I met three boys whose files are in the CCAA now… All their information has been released many times online, but, for some reason, they have not been matched. All these boys have very good personalities, they like to help others, like to share, like to go to school and get along well with other kids.
All three of the boys were older, and two of them – Shen Ying* and Shen Jia* – grew up together in the same foster home. About these two boys, Sue wrote:
I saw them at their foster home, and both of their foster parents were at home also. They are very close to their foster parents, especially their foster mom. They told me they just call their foster mom “Mom”, and foster dad “Dad”. Every day, after school, their foster mom stays with them and watches them finish their homework. Then they have dinner together. Then, they go walking. All the people think they are a family. Shen Jia and Shen Ying are very good friends, and they call each other “brother.” They are good at math. Like all the boys, they love to play with cars and so one.
At the end of her email, she wrote that she would visit them again soon. She also asked us to help advocate for their adoption, writing, “I do hope we can find families for them, Please!!!”
In March, she wrote again, inquiring about our progress in finding families for these boys. No luck so far.
The following summer, in July of 2010, I traveled to Jilin province with Sue Liu and Jessica Palmer, Holt’s waiting child program manager. Here, we met Shen Ying and Shen Jia. In the months since Sue first wrote about the boys, she had visited them again several times, and they had grown very fond of each other. Upon seeing her, Shen Ying and Shen Jia – dressed exactly alike in matching striped Polo shirts – ran up to Sue and threw their arms around her. They then ran off to play with the other children in the room. Continue reading A Dynamic Duo, Still Waiting
Molly Holt, daughter of Harry and Bertha, helps celebrate 50 years of the Holt Ilsan Center in Korea
By Robert Lee (robert@heraldm.com)
Published in The Korean Herald, 12/11/2011
Molly Holt (left) gives a special thanks to Debbie Dunham, with her adopted son Drew (right), for their support of the Holt Ilsan Center in Gyeonggi Province on Thursday at the center’s 50th anniversary. (Holt Ilsan Center)
ILSAN — She’s known by many names, from the Mother Teresa of Korea to the Mother of all Korea’s Orphans — and 55 years on she is still living up to them. Molly Holt, chairwoman of Holt Children’s Services, was not only a witness to the nation’s rise from the ashes of the Korean War. Because of her selfless heart, she was knee deep in it. “I kept on delaying my college, because there was so much to do here, so much poverty, so much ignorance and so many babies died,” said Holt, referring to when she first arrived here in 1956. “The Busan city asked me to go to this one orphanage where they had a lot of deaths,” said the daughter of Harry and Bertha Holt, who founded the nation’s largest adoption agency at the time. Armed only with her nursing skills, a pure heart and a selfless will to care for others, Holt simply could not leave the country in need, which is why she decided to spend the rest of her life here. And at the Holt Ilsan Center’s 50-year anniversary on Thursday, volunteers, residents and special adoptee guests recognized how far the organization had come and what Holt has done for it.
“We truly appreciate her dedication, just like her parents,” said Kim Hanson, a 44-year-old adoptee. “The whole focus of her life is what will be good for the children. That is the only thing that she thinks about. If it is good for the children she will be absolutely all over it,” said Lee Soo-yeon, a director at the center. And it is that focus which means she will do anything for her residents. According to some at the center, Holt has slept on the floor and given up her bed for residents in need. “She is an angel, to have such a big heart to reach out to so many needed individuals, we cannot put into words,” said Kimberly Armstrong, unable to finish the sentence as she fought back tears. The 55-year-old from Oregon is one of the first wave of Korean adoptees. Living at the center, Holt still utilizes her medical expertise and love to help the some 300 adults and children with disabilities living at the center. “She is part of the medical discussion when we first receive residents as to whether or not they require surgery or other special considerations,” said Lee. “We have what we call evaluation clinics, where we determine what is for their (residents) future, because we want as many of them to become independent,” said Holt, who personally overseas the clinics. And since she is the chairwoman of the board, the clinics are only the tip of the iceberg.
In April, Ian will turn 14 and become ineligible for international adoption from China. Eligible and interested families should immediately contact their agency. Holt families should contact Jessica Palmer at jessicap@holtinternational.org. See eligibility requirements below.*
Ian (name changed) entered institutional care when he was 4 years old, in May of 2002. A healthy boy with a “sunny” disposition, Ian was also rather quiet upon admission and tended to stand back and observe his surroundings. At the institute, caregivers quickly enrolled him in a program to help him adjust to his new environment. Here, he got along well with his classmates, and quickly became more talkative and active in the group. The following year, he began primary school near his home at the child welfare institute. He became a diligent student who listened well, eagerly answered questions in class, and regularly completed his homework after school. His teachers all liked him a great deal.
After five years in the institute, Ian went to live with a foster family in July of 2007. Then 9, Ian developed a loving bond with this family, in whose care he continued to grow strong and healthy. He developed a taste for spicy food, honed his basketball skills, and became interested in computer games and remote control toys, as well as drawing and playing the guitar. Described as bright and extroverted, Ian has many friends. His foster mom describes him as “sensible and good.”
Now 13, Ian is in junior high school. He is a serious student with grades that always put him at the head of the class.
Although close to his foster family, Ian understands that his situation is not permanent. Initially, he felt fearful of going to a new place – of feeling lonely, and missing his foster family and friends – but he has grown to understand what it means to join an adoptive family, and now embraces the idea of international adoption.
*Ian has less than four months before he turns 14, at which time he will become ineligible for adoption. Due to the short timeframe to adopt, families must already have a dossier in China or have adopted from China within the past year and have a current USCIS 1800A approval. An ideal family for Ian will have parented past his age and also have previous adoption experience.
Holt adoptive mom Mary Leigh Brown has adopted twice — both times coming home from Korea with a child who has a special need. To help advocate for other children who need families, she regularly blogs about the children on Holt’s waiting child photolisting (at someshadesofbrown.blogspot.com). This week, Mary Leigh has written a special guest post for us about Nolan, our featured waiting child. This is a special treat to have an adoptive mom write about waiting children, as she also reflects on her own experience adopting children with special medical needs. Enjoy!
Born April 23, 2007, China
I have a passion for waiting children, but I didn’t start out feeling that way. Just a few years ago, I would often look at the children on Holt’s waiting child photolisting and think, ‘Aw, I hope they find their family, but that family isn’t mine.’ We always said we would adopt children one day. When that day came sooner than we thought, we knew we wanted to adopt a child as young and healthy as possible.
When we started the process to adopt in June of 2008, we were led to the Korea program. I was a tad hesitant – well, maybe “terrified” better describes my emotions. Because we didn’t live in one of Holt’s branch states, we would have to be in the “waiting child/special needs” part of the program – a requirement of Korea’s central authority, which oversees all international adoption from Korea. To me, at that time, a “special needs” child meant a child in a wheelchair, who might not be cognitively or physically able to do “normal” activities.
That was a lot to swallow, especially for first-time parents dreaming of a “perfect” child.
But the Lord, in his faithfulness, put a family in our path to calm our fears. This family told us their story of adopting two children with special needs. Our agency is GREAT, but sometimes a momma just needs to hear from another momma. When the mother of this family told me about her son’s special need, my fears were calmed. We really just needed to hear someone say, “It’s okay to adopt a child with special needs. ‘Special needs’ just means special needs, not broken or defective or never able. Just SPECIAL.”
I knew we could handle “special needs.”
I marvel at the way God opened our hearts and our minds and then led us to our Bates on Holt’s waiting child photolisting!
Mary Leigh and Nick Brown with their two adopted sons, Bates and Brodie.
Now, three years and two special needs adoptions later, I know of no other way to grow our family than by adopting a waiting child.
My husband has jokingly (I think) banished me from the photolistings! I could spend hours pouring over those children’s
pictures, reading their bios, and praying for them. Some of these children simply need a voice, someone to be their champion…
Meet Nolan*. Nolan means “champion.” From what I’ve read and seen of Nolan, this kid is a born champion. All he needs is a mom and a dad who will always cheer him on.
Nolan is described as a “cute, resilient preschooler who is smart and a well-behaved child.” “Cute” doesn’t do this kiddo justice. He’s got dimples that will just make your heart melt! Nolan has some physical delays due to his limb differences, which include a missing right hand and forearm, missing/webbed fingers on his left hand, and left clubfoot. I’ve seen Nolan in action on video and he doesn’t let anything slow him down. Just by watching that short video, I can tell that whoever is holding that camera wants to show the viewer how well Nolan is doing. He asks him to walk around, ride a scooter, and put a vest on and off.
I imagine that caregiver praying as they recorded that video, praying for a champion for Nolan.
Nolan likes basketball. Nolan needs a family to believe in him. He needs a loving parent to coach his peewee basketball team while others cheers for him on the sidelines. He needs a family to go out to ice cream with after the game.
Nolan’s smile lights up his entire face. I can just imagine his face lighting up the first time his family takes him to a basketball game!
Nolan will more than likely need corrective surgery on his foot. I think of my son Bates, who was born at 2 lbs with a hole in his heart. He needed surgery at one week old, and again after he came home to us. I picture my son in those very cute hospital scrubs when he had surgery. I feel the warm tears on my cheek as they took him back, and I remember not breathing until they told us we could see him. It was all I could do not to run past that nurse in recovery and scoop up my son. I pray that when that day of surgery comes, Nolan will have a mother and father by his side. Parents who are his champions.
One thing I was afraid of missing by adopting an “older child” was missing the firsts – first steps, first words, first everything. You know what, with Nolan, you will get to experience so many firsts. His first basketball game. His first steps on his corrected foot. His first campout. And you get to experience them all while looking at those bright brown eyes, those round cheeks, and indescribable dimples!!!
I know it’s a scary step, waiting children. Trust me, I was there once. But there are hundreds of thousands of children – children like Nolan – waiting for families. Just waiting for someone to be their champion.
