brighten the life of a child in Korea this Christmas

Holt needs volunteers to sign up for this year’s Gift Team trip to Korea. Every December volunteers on Holt’s Korea Gift Team deliver gifts and host celebrations for the children, foster mothers and caregivers at the Ilsan Center and Jeonju Babies’ Home—A tradition that the children look forward to every year.

All year long the children, of all ages, make gifts and practice songs and skits as they prepare to entertain for the Gift Team’s arrival.

Members of the Gift Team also get the chance to tour the grounds and cottages of the Ilsan Center, and learn more about the history of Holt’s work in Korea.

If you would like to join the Gift Team to Korea and help bring some holiday cheer to the children in Holt’s care, please contact Ann Marie Pentacost at annmariep@holtinternational.org  for more information and to receive a registration form.

Travel: December 1-8

Registration Deadline: October 4th

Estimated Cost: approx. 2,800-3,330 per person to include airfare, hotel, ground transportation in Korea, most meals.

Amy Weinkauf and her family share in the experiences of Holt-Korea adoptees traveling to Korea for the first time

By Amy Weinkauf

It is the end of day seven, and I understand that I have an interesting position on this Holt Heritage Tour. I don’t have any adoptees to immerse in Korean culture, or to go over files with at the Holt office in Seoul, or to rejoice with in meeting a foster mother for the first time, or to prepare to reunite with a birth family. Yet, in my own life, the mission of Holt has profoundly impacted me.

I have a beautiful sister-in-law, Emily, who was adopted from Korea when she was a toddler. She is the younger sister I never had. She is smart, talented, funny, and wise. She is a great mother, sister, wife, and friend. My life would not be the same without her.

I also have a dear friend, whom I call my “sistah.” Kim and I are on our third trip with Holt. We first met not quite three years ago on a gift team trip to Korea. Our husbands traveled with us then, and we had an instant bond. We quickly discovered that we have the same quirky sense of humor. At a deeper level we found that we share a desire to see the story and legacy of Holt carried to the next generation. This has bonded us for a lifetime. It has made us a family in a way only made possible through adoption.

I am here again in Korea Read the rest of this entry »

by Sally Dunbar, Holt Family Recruitment Specialist

Jeonju, Republic of South Korea—Few things are more precious than a child’s face on Christmas. The 2008 Holt International Gift Team hosted the annual Christmas party for infants and children at Jeonju Babies’ Home on Saturday. Jeonju is a homelike care center for infants and children whose birth families cannot care for them for a variety of reasons. Some children have been brought to Jeonju by their birth parents or relatives; social service workers have brought others. Regardless of how the children arrive, the goal for them is to help stabilize their families to make reunification possible, find domestic adoptive families when reunification is not possible, or find families through intercountry adoption when it is in the best interest of the child. About half of the 60 children at Jeonju will eventually be reunified with their birth families.

The Christmas party at Jeonju is the children’s biggest party of the year. The staff begins preparing for next year’s party as soon as the current year’s party ends, and this year was no exception. The children performed an entire program of folk and modern songs and dance.

As our bus approached the city of Jeonju, our team noticed a big celebration or festival going on. We learned that the children of Jeonju Babies’ Home have become quite popular in the community for their musical and dance talents and had been invited by the governor of the province to perform in the city’s celebration, but the children respectfully declined because the celebration was the same day as our visit, and staff felt our visit was more important.

The 5- and 6-year-old boys and girls performed several perfectly choreographed songs and dances including a traditional Korean drum orchestral performance.  I was impressed at the concentration and memorization their performance required and understood why they’re so popular in the community. They were truly good! After their performance, Santa arrived to pass out toys to each boy and girl. At first the children sat patiently across the room for their names to be called, but with every name called, the children scooted in closer and closer to Santa until they were all but reaching in Santa’s toy bag to find the present with their own name on it. Read the rest of this entry »

by Sally Dunbar, Holt Family Recruitment Specialist

Ilsan, Republic of South Korea—It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas at Ilsan Center, known affectionately as Holt Ilsan Town! Today was the annual Christmas party at this residence center for homeless, disabled children and adults, some of them now in their late 50s and who have been here since Harry Holt first developed this site in the early 1960s. I couldn’t tell who was more excited: the 270 residents or the Holt International Korea Gift Team.

Molly Holt welcomed the Gift Team into her home, the last original structure that Harry Holt built at Ilsan with his own hands, and told us how much the residents have been looking forward to this day. It wasn’t long before our group was off, each donning a Santa hat, carrying bags and bags and bags of gifts, delivering them to every residence home at the center. The residents were so excited that some of them burst outside to greet the team before we arrived at their doorsteps. We shared a few Christmas carols and exchanged many hugs, but that was only the beginning of the festivities.

Once every home had received a bag of gifts, the residents, staff, volunteers and guests made their way to the gymnasium (home to Holt’s wheelchair basketball team and site of the annual Holt Cup Games) for the main Christmas party. Two members of the Gift Team (a mother and daughter) had the privilege of meeting their sponsored child, a 6-year-old boy, and walking hand-in-hand with him into the Christmas party. The happiness and excitement that was in the air instantly came over us as we walked into the gym. Residents young and old filled the room, beaming from ear to ear and talking excitedly in words I couldn’t understand with my ears, but understood perfectly well with my heart. Read the rest of this entry »

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. Read the rest of this entry »