A Day to Honor Angels

by Sally Dunbar, Holt Family Recruitment Specialist

Seoul, Republic of Korea—Holt International’s 2008 Korea Christmas Gift Team held a reception party today to honor the Korean foster mothers who care for relinquished, orphaned or abandoned babies.

Today’s party at the offices of Holt Children’s Services of Korea (HCS) was the 40th Annual Celebration for Holt’s foster mothers. Nearly 80 foster mothers, representing a combined total of over 300 years of service, came to Holt’s office in Seoul where they were honored by Mr. Park, Heung-keun, director general of Social Services; President Min, Kyung-tae of HCS; Molly Holt, board chair of HCS; Paul Kim, director of programs for Korea of Holt International Children’s Services; and Kim Hanson, Holt International board member, adoptee and adoptive mother.

Mr. Park, Heung-keun opened the ceremony with these words: “Today is a day to honor angels—the children who are our angels and their foster mothers who are their guardian angels.” As I looked at the children’s precious faces and into the eyes of their loving foster mothers, I silently asked God to bless their everlasting bond with one another.

People often say to me how special it must be to work for the agency through which I was adopted, and that is true, but I always say that it would still be a great honor even if I had not been adopted through Holt. Holt is recognized and respected by world leaders, practitioners, educators, parents, adoptees and many others for being the finest children’s service organization in the world. Harry and Bertha Holt were not only pioneers for intercountry adoption, they were revolutionaries and passionate advocates for children’s best interests. They firmly believed that a family was better suited to care for children than even the best institutions and so they created Korean foster care. Many other countries have since implemented the same model. Seeing the foster mothers, their love for the children, and the tradition of honoring them in an annual ceremony reminded me of the great honor that it is to be an employee of Holt International.

Twenty-one foster mothers were honored for giving five years of service each. Nine foster mothers were honored for their 10 years (each) of service. Three have given over 15 years of service each. Receiving very high honor in particular were three foster mothers who served 20, 28 and 35 years. One foster mother shared her gratitude for the ceremony and for the opportunity to foster Holt’s children. She said she thinks of the children as her daughters and sons, stays up with them through the night if they are sick or scared, and prays they will be adopted by loving families. She said it breaks her heart and brings her many tears when the children leave, but she is overjoyed to see their pictures later on or to get to see the children again. She said she doesn’t know how long she can continue to foster children because of how much it hurts when they leave, but for now she thinks of it as her God-given mission to work for children.

Two girls who are members of the Gift Team had the opportunity to see their foster mothers at the reception. Tears flowed down the cheeks of these foster mothers as they hugged these girls, passed along gifts, and shared memories of the tiniest of details about the girls. I can only imagine the hearts of these foster mothers broke again as they left the room just the same as they did over 10 years ago when the bus drove away from the Holt office carrying the girls to their new homes across the ocean.

HCS’s post adoption staff located my own foster mother. She could not attend the ceremony as she is 85 now and lives far from Seoul, but I prepared for her a gift, photos, and a letter that HCS will deliver. I consider myself exceptionally lucky to have three mothers: my adoptive mom, my foster mother and my birth mother. I know I have an unbreakable bond with each one of them. Most of all, I am deeply grateful to Holt for pioneering the structures and processes that allowed me and all those who came before and all who’ve gone after to have the blessing of families.

Holt International’s annual gift team to Korea includes Holt adoptive parents, adoptees, and staff who travel overseas to host Christmas parties for children in Holt’s care. It is primarily a service trip where team members interact with the children that Holt International serves. The 2008 Korea Christmas Gift Team consists of 13 people: six adoptive parents, two adopted children, an adult adoptee, two adoptive relatives, and Holt staff Paul Kim and myself (I am a Holt staff member and Holt adoptee).