Here is one way you can help orphaned, abandoned and vulnerable children in Holt’s care this holiday season….

When you enter amazon.com through Holt’s website all purchases you make through Amazon will benefit children in Holt’s care. ….Click here to go to the site and for more details

A 13-year-old girl raises funds after viewing the loving care of foster families in China

Danica Ruud traveled with her parents, Keith and Joan, in 2008 to welcome the newest member of their family, Lilah, into their family. Lilah had lived with a foster family in China for almost all of her 16 months of life, where she received attentive care until she entered into the loving arms of her permanent family.

While in China, the Ruud family had the opportunity to visit an orphanage in Nanchang, where Danica was especially moved by what she saw.

Due to loss of funding and the tough economic times, many children in the care of loving foster homes were in danger of being sent back to orphanages and institutional care. Holt, committed to keeping these children with their loving foster families and out of institutional care, asked for funds in July that would help foster families provide for the children until permanent families could be found for them.

“When Holt appealed to Holt families for donations to keep children with their foster families, Danica was very moved and hoped to raise enough money to fund at least one child,” said Joan.

Danica started her very own “Campaign for Chinese Foster Care”, and to date has raised just over $2,000 for children in Holt’s care in China and the foster families who take care of them.

Caring and generous people, like Danica, who is now in 7th grade, truly make the difference in the lives of orphaned, abandoned and vulnerable children. Because of Danica’s selfless giving and loving heart, children in China are receiving the care they need.

Lilah was able to receive the care she needed when she was in China, but there are so many other children  who are in desperate need of the most basic necessities .  One way you can help these precious children, is by providing them with a Gift of Hope this holiday season, and funding critical items that will keep them safe, warm and give them the hope of one day having a permanent family of their own….

Give a Gift of Hope to a child in need this holiday season….click here to learn more.

Foster mothers from South Korea visit Holt Headquarters

Two foster mothers from Seoul, South Korea, made the long journey to Holt’s headquarters in Eugene, Oregon in November for a very special day that would reunite them with the children they had said goodbye to so long ago.

Mrs. Jang, Woo-kyung and Mrs. Lee, Chung-sun have dedicated their lives to orphaned, abandoned and vulnerable children for over 15 years, each selflessly taking care of 40 and 38 children, respectively, some of whom have special needs.

On that same day, seven adoptive families, some from as far as the Midwest, also traveled to Holt’s headquarters to reunite their children with the foster mothers and show their appreciation to the women who had cared for their children and prepared them for a lifetime of love with their new families.

“When we arrived at Holt’s headquarters, Mrs. Lee turned and saw Trent. In a voice that was part sigh of relief, but completely joyous, she said, “Hyo-sung!” said Dawn Reed, mother of Trent, one of Mrs. Lee’s foster children. “Hyo-sung was Trent’s Korean name, and Mrs. Lee knew him. This woman, who had only mothered my son for two months, recognized him 6 years later. She told us that she knew his eyes.”

When children come into care at Holt Korea, it’s the foster mothers, like Mrs. Jang and Mrs. Lee, who wrap them up and give them comfort and warmth for most likely the first time in their lives. They love the children as if they were their own and provide for them until they go home to loving families.

During the emotional visit to Eugene, the foster mothers and adoptive families got the chance to visit Harry and Bertha Holt’s home in Creswell, and spent some time in the place where the legacy of love and caring began over 50 years ago. The children were allowed to play on the property and bond once again with the first mothers they had ever known. Read the rest of this entry »

A love of Africa paves the way for twin boys to be adopted

by Sunshine Schmidt

Africa has always been in my heart and will continue to be forever. I think the idea to adopt started to take sprout when my husband and I lived in Johannesburg, South Africa. Seeing such an amazing country face such huge obstacles touched us in a way that cannot be forgotten.

Because of our connection to southern Africa, and love and appreciation of the people and culture, we looked to that region for our adoption. After our research we determined that we would need to look to other African nations with more stable and developed international adoption legislation. As an anthropologist and natural researcher, I enjoyed learning more about the different countries, and Ethiopia stood out as a proud and beautiful country. Our decision was made; our children would come from Ethiopia!

We received our referral in September of 2008 for 10-month-old twin boys. Abdurahamen (Abdur) and Nursun were going to be our sons!

21 weeks and what felt like a lifetime later, we met our boys for the first time in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Kissing the faces of our children and holding them in our arms for the first time is an indescribable feeling and one that I will never forget. Read the rest of this entry »

President of the United States Barack Obama recently urged Americans to “obverse National Adoption Awareness Month by reaching out to support and honor adoptive families, as well as to participate actively in efforts to find permanent homes for children.”

Tomorrow courthouses across America will celebrate National Adoption Day by simultaneously finalizing hundreds of adoptions.

The finalization of an adoption symbolizes many wonderful things, one of which is the completion of a complex and emotional process that began with a carefully made decision and commitment of the heart.

“This month, we celebrate those families brought together by adoption,” said President Obama. “And we renew our commitments to children in the foster care system.”

If you are interested in more information how to build your family through the wonderful journey of adoption, Holt International invites you to join us for an upcoming Webinar to learn about our unique, child-centered approach to intercountry adoption. Also learn about timeframes, the steps involved, travel, costs, and receive your questions throughout the live Webinar.

Or if you are ready to begin the adoption process, you can apply online today.

Feel free to call Holt with any questions you may have. 888-355-HOLT or e-mail us.

Click-here-to-read-President-Obama’s-entire-proclamation

Holt Ambassadors participate in the Omaha Marathon

Holt runners and aid station volunteers came together to participate in the Omaha Marathon 2009 to raise money and awareness for the Holt Ethiopia program. Nearly 15 Holt runners participated in the 10K and the half marathon portions of the event, and another 10 volunteers helped out by directing runners along the route and handing out Holt items at the finish line.

Through the team’s hard work and passionate efforts, runners were able to raise $3,565, making the event a huge success! This money will go to provide the children in Ethiopia with much needed medical supplies.

The race began at 7:00 AM, and as the Holt team began the first mile, minds were focused not so much on the physical race that the team was running, but on the figurative race – the race to bring medical supplies to the children who are waiting in Holt’s care in Ethiopia.

Every child deserves a home, and while these children wait for their forever families, the team focused their minds on Holt’s dedication to providing a safe and healthy environment for them. Some runners wore pictures of their own children on their Holt t-shirts, those waiting to come home and those who have already come home, and this helped add a very personal touch to the race. The mood was festive, but everyone was keenly aware of the seriousness of the cause.

“Several runners commented on the picture I pinned to the back of my shirt of my son Jack wearing his most infectious grin! It helped open the door to conversations about Holt and our cause,” said Holt mom Cathy Morin. Read the rest of this entry »

Susan Cox, Holt International’s Vice President of Public Policy and External Affairs, will be a guest speaker on the Creating a Family radio show with Dawn Davenport on Wednesday, November 11th. The topic will be “Adopting from South Korea” and will discuss the future of adoption in South Korea, as well as information on the process of adopting a child from this country.  The radio segment will air at 9:00 a.m.

You can listen to the program live Here

Or listen to the segment after it airs Here

Other guests will include: Nancy Fox, Executive Director of Americans for International Aid and Adoption, and Duk Kyung Um, Korean Program Director for Dillon International.

Click here to learn more about Creating a Family

Learn more about Holt’s Korea adoption process

November is National Adoption Awareness month. This is a wonderful time to spread the word about children throughout the world who need loving families, and acknowledge adoption as one way to build a family.

Many Holt adoptive families have found a great way to raise awareness about adoption and help more children find families through the Holt Ambassadors program.

The Holt Ambassador Network is composed of people who share the Holt story and raise awareness in their communities about the urgent needs of homeless children around the world by: organizing fundraisers, speaking at churches, schools or civic groups; or volunteering at Holt events. One of these families is the Burns family…

Brad and Liza Burns are the proud parents of eight children, five of whom were adopted from China. When Brad and Liza adopted their first daughter, Faith, their eyes were opened to the great need for adoptive parents for children in China.

“After seeing the difficulties these children face, we felt called to look into adopting another child, and that’s how we got our second daughter, Hope.” says Brad. “Hope was five years old when we adopted her. She lived in a state run institution, and her room, which she shared with another child, was eight by five feet with a small bed on the cement floor and a Red Cross blanket. The workers do wonderful things with what they have and truly have a heart to help children, but the fact is, they just don’t have enough resources.”

Brad and Liza later adopted Grace and Joy, and most recently, Jewel, who was 14 years old at time of placement.

Brad and Liza shared their experience of adopting older children with 30 attendees in last month’s Holt Webinar titled “Adopting Older Children – Information for the Decision.” The Webinar attendees were prospective adoptive parents considering an older child through Holt’s Journey of Hope program.

The Burns family talked candidly about the grief process the children went through as they adjusted to their new lives in the United States. They shared how they helped their daughters adjust and become the resilient, happy, vibrant young ladies they are today. Read the rest of this entry »