Names: Towie and Lowie

Lucas (Lowie) and Eli's (Towie) referral photo

First featured in Holt International magazine:  Winter Issue, 2009

Names Today: Lucas and Eli

by Michael and Lori Pickle — Logan, Iowa

Two years ago this month, our family started a journey with Holt to bring our sons home from the Philippines. Our boys actually joined the Holt family months earlier when they were featured in the Waiting Child section of Holt International magazine.

As we look back at that first picture of two little guys holding on to one another, it is amazing to see our growing sons who have grafted into our family so strongly. The physical changes as well as the emotional growth have been monumental.

Anticipating and preparing for older child adoption was a crash course in examining our parenting skills and views on many fronts — discipline, cultural education, family concerns, and even our ages. We have three biological daughters — Alison, 26, Rachel, 21, and Sydney 18 — so the decision to adopt two older boys was definitely a family decision.

When preparing for adoption, one of the many things an adoptive parent learns is that the story of your adoptive child is theirs to share when they are ready. In the case of our sons, Lucas and Eli, they chose early on to embrace their lives in the Philippines and share almost everything with those who were interested.  They also gave us permission to share about our experience with prospective adoptive families.

Lucas and Eli today

Eli and Lucas were 8 and 9 years old when we traveled to Manila to bring them home, having spent five years in an orphanage on Mindanao in the Philippines. They spoke a few words of English, but primarily spoke in Visayan and Tagalog. Within six to eight weeks, they had a very practical grasp of English. As English Language Learning (ELL) students, they continue to delve deeper into more complex words and sentence structures. Academic language comes at a slower rate for most ELL students, but Lucas and Eli are gaining in this area as well.

My boys are now in 3rd and 4th grade. They love playing on the school basketball team and also play summer baseball, Lucas as pitcher and Eli in centerfield.

Learning to be a part of a family is an ever-changing process. Suddenly, Lucas was no longer the oldest, and Eli remains the youngest – much to his dismay. They have both learned what it means to have older sisters. Barring the usual sibling issues, all five of our kids have cemented a relationship with one another that is as fun to watch as it is amazing.

From meeting two fragile and scared orphaned brothers on a hot day in Manila to raising two increasingly independent and confident sons, we are so very grateful for the opportunity to love and live life with our family.

We asked the boys: If you could tell people something about adoption what would you say?

Lucas wants people to know that he still remembers the Philippines and the people he knows there. He also wants people to know that he likes living with his family and his new friends…oh, and baseball is great! Eli, who has turned into our philosopher, says: “I just know that I have a family that I never had, and you take care of me. I like my friends and school. I am smart and I am happy. I have a home.”

Lowie and Towie with their family

Interested in learning more about older children waiting for families in the Philippines?  Click here

A group photo at the ambassador reunion.

Date of Birth: 9/13/97

From the Philippines

Christopher* is just an easygoing, even-keeled kid.  Yesterday was his 14^th birthday.

Mike Noah, Holt’s director of services for the Philippines, had the chance to meet Christopher last May while traveling with the Philippines Ambassador program.  Over five days, six volunteer ambassadors and two Holt staff got to know 11 older kids from the Philippines who need families. They visited theme parks and tourist sites, played “chicken” in the pool and held a banana-eating contest – all in the interest of getting to know the kids so they could better advocate for their adoption.

Christopher always had a smile on his face and got along well with everyone on the trip. He particularly appreciated personal attention from the ambassadors.  “If you gave him some attention, he would quickly sidle up to you,” says Mike. “Then he would let you initiate (the interaction).”  Although he knows a little English, Christopher understands more than he speaks.

At times, Christopher seemed a bit shy.  He enjoyed horsing around in the pool and would laugh at the other kids’ hijinks, but overall he’s more quiet and reserved than the other boys.

Christopher attends a Catholic chapel, where he is training to be an altar boy. “It seemed to mean a lot to him,” says Mike.  He’s also an honors student at school, where he’s in the 7^th grade.

Last May, the ambassadors held a reunion for the 11 kids in the program.  During the visit, an ILEA scholar led an art activity. ILEA is the name of an independent living program for older children aging out of institutions in the Philippines. This particular ILEA scholar is the first one since the beginning of the program in 2000 to pass the University of the Philippines entrance examination, and he is now enrolled in the College of Fine Arts.

Mike with a few of the kids at the reunion.

Christopher needs a family who will help him rise to his potential, and support his continued involvement in the Catholic Church – if he wishes.  Ideally, Christopher should also be the youngest child in the family.  To adopt Christopher, there must be no more than 47 years age difference between the younger parent and the child.  See country criteria for complete requirements.

To learn more about Christopher and read the ambassador trip blog, click here to fill out a form. Once the form is successfully submitted, you will receive an email with a username and password as well as the web link to the Ambassador Program main page.

If you are interested in adopting Christopher, please contact Danielle Walter at daniellew@holtinternational.org.

Help us advocate for children like Christopher during National Adoption Month!

Every weekday throughout November, Holt will feature a different waiting child on Holt’s blog. Repost the child’s story on Facebook and Twitter, print prayer cards to guide prayers for the featured children, and/or download a bulletin insert to share at church.

For more info on how you an help change the conversation this November, click here.

* name changed

Birthday: 5/11/97

 From the Philippines

She may have been outnumbered, but Casey wasn’t intimidated.

Karen Barnes' husband, Mike, with a few of the Ambassador kids

In May, six volunteer ambassadors from the United States traveled to the Philippines to meet 11 older children – 10 boys and one girl. After getting to know the children, the ambassadors returned to the states and began advocating for the children’s adoptions at their churches and through presentations in their area. Already, the ambassadors have helped 5 of the children find their families. Six children remain.

14-year-old Casey is one of them, and she is today’s featured waiting child.

“It didn’t seem to bother Casey at all that she was the only girl in the group,” says Mike Noah, Holt’s director of services for the Philippines, who traveled with the volunteer ambassadors. “She was happy and got along well with everyone, even joining the boys and the ambassadors in a game of basketball.” Mike says that Casey enjoyed participating in all the activities and liked the attention given to her by the ambassadors. “She was very friendly,” he says.

An eighth grader, Casey’s social worker reports that she does well in school, but needs a lot of motivation to complete her work. She accepts discipline and responds to it best if it’s presented in a calm way.

Casey entered into care at five years of age. It is suspected that she suffered abuse in her home and as a result will need a permanent family aware of and sensitive to her past.

Karen Barnes, one of the ambassadors, met Casey on the trip and describes her as lively, energetic and easy to get along with.

“She is a very athletic girl and did very well in the activities,” says Karen. “Casey is eager to please and was comfortable around adults and the other kids. She was able to follow directions and stay within the boundaries set by the group. She is somewhat clingy at times but that is common behavior for Filipino girls.”

Casey had a rough start in life. Now, she needs a family to show her that life can be different. She needs a family to show her that a home can be safe and stable, loving and warm.

Karen and the rest of the volunteer ambassadors look forward to the day when they can report that Casey has found that loving family. That safe home.

We look forward to this day too. But first, we need your help!

Please help Casey find a family today!

*name changed

*To adopt Casey, there must be no more than 47 years age difference between the younger parent and the child. Applicants must be married for at least 3 years. Up to 3 children in the home, 4 on a case-by-case basis.

To learn more about Casey and read the ambassador trip blog, click here to fill out a form. Once the form is successfully submitted, you will receive an email with a username and password as well as the web link to the Ambassador Program main page.

If you’re interested in adopting Casey, contact Danielle Walter at daniellew@holtinternational.org.

Every weekday during November, Holt will feature a special waiting child on Holt’s blog. Print prayer cards to guide prayers for the featured children, and download a bulletin insert to share with your church.

For more info on how you an help change the conversation this November, click here

A group photo of the kids at an ambassador reunion in August.

Date of Birth: 5/11/97

From the Philippines

Many of the children we advocate for have never had a family. They have never rested their head on Mom’s shoulder, or climbed into Dad’s lap for a story. They have never had a grandma to spoil them.  Or older brothers and sisters to laugh with, to look up to, and to look out for them.

Most of all, they have never had parents to love and support and encourage and guide them, whatever the path they choose.  They have never had a place to belong, and always be accepted.

Some believe you can’t miss what you never had. But that’s not true for many of these kids. Many of them know all too well what they’re missing.

Last May, six volunteer ambassadors joined two Holt staff members on a trip to the Philippines. Here, they met 11 older children hoping to be adopted by loving families in the U.S. Over five days, the ambassadors visited theme parks and tourist sites, played “chicken” in the pool and held a banana-eating contest – all in the interest of getting to know the kids so they could advocate for their adoption.

One of the kids they met was a sweet, easygoing, 14-year-old boy named Mitchell*.

“He’s a great kid, very friendly,” says Mike Noah, Holt’s director of services for the Philippines and one of two traveling staff members. Mitchell was also a bit shy, and palled around with the ambassadors more than the other kids.  He showed kindness to the younger children, though, and enjoyed participating in the activities. When playing in the pool, he helped the one child who didn’t know how to swim by pushing him around on an inner tube.

Mike with a few of the boys at the reunion in August.

“The kids knew why we were there, and also that we couldn’t make any promises,” says Mike. When the issue of adoption came up, especially when the ambassadors were leaving, Mitchell would often get tears in his eyes. “I think deep down, he really, really wants a family, but doesn’t think it’s going to happen,” say Mike.

Mitchell is entering the 6^th grade and does well in school.  He is also a talented artist, and hopes to become a fashion designer some day. Although his hearing is fine, he has an ear deformity; one of his ears is more pronounced than the other.  This could likely be corrected with surgery, but Mitchell doesn’t seem to mind it.

Mitchell needs experienced and open-minded adoptive parents.  Ideally, Mitchell would also be the youngest child in the family, and the family will be able to provide corrective surgery for his ears, if he wishes. To adopt Mitchell, there must be no more than 47 years age difference between the younger parent and the child. See country criteria for complete requirements.

To learn more about Mitchell and read the ambassador trip blog, click here to fill out a form. Once the form is successfully submitted, you will receive an email with a username and password as well as the web link to the Ambassador Program main page.

If you’re interested in adopting Mitchell, contact Danielle Walter at daniellew@holtinternational.org.

* name changed

MoneyGram presents a check to KBF, Holt's partner in the Philippines.

Kasem lives in the Philippines with his mother, father and younger sister.  His mother does not work. To care for his family, his father collects and sorts garbage at night, selling the recyclable items the following morning.

Without support from Holt International and Kaisahang Buhay Foundation (KBF), Kasem’s family would not be able to send him to school.  Kasem attends one of KBF’s six daycare centers, which provide nutrition, medical assistance and learning activities for children in several low-income communities of Metro Manila.

Recently, Holt and KBF made another valuable partner in their mission to keep Kasem – and hundreds more at-risk children – in school.  MoneyGram International, Inc., a leading global money transfer company, yesterday announced a $35,000 donation to support Holt’s education programs in the Philippines and Thailand.

Through its annual Global Giving Program, MoneyGram provides grants to support education programs around the world.  “As a money transfer provider, we know first-hand how important small sums of money are to individuals working far from home to build a better life for themselves and their families,” says Juan Agualimpia, MoneyGram’s chief marketing officer.

The $35,000 grant to Holt will not only increase the number of children Holt serves in some programs, but also broaden the services many children already receive.  In KBF’s daycare centers, MoneyGram funds will support a new school lunch program for the approximate 300 children in their care.

Children supported by KBF also attended the Philippines event.

In the Philippines, MoneyGram funds will also support high school and college students in KBF’s Independent Living and Educational Assistance Program (ILEA).

“MoneyGram’s support for a full school year for at-risk families ensures many children will continue their education next year,” says Rosario (Cherrie) dela Rosa, executive director of KBF. “We also provide education to students who are entering adulthood and were abandoned at very young age, grown in the institutions/orphanages and entered school late.  The education will ensure a better and decent life.”

ILEA helps these young scholars develop independent living skills. While pursuing their education, they live in apartments paid for by Holt and KBF.  Until MoneyGram recently offered to help, Holt provided the majority of funding for the ILEA program – including the cost of textbooks, supplies and tuition fees for the scholars.  With this grant, MoneyGram eases the burden on Holt and KBF, freeing up funds for other vital services.

In Thailand, the grant will support and expand education programming through the Holt Sahathai Foundation (HSF).

ILEA scholar Romnick Toledo on his high school graduation day. ILEA is one of the programs Moneygram will help support in the Philippines.

Like KBF in the Philippines, HSF partners with Holt to provide services for vulnerable families and children in Thailand.  HSF provides everything from counseling and vocational training to educational sponsorship and income-generating projects.  The MoneyGram grant will extend HSF’s reach, enabling many more children to go to school.  In particular, the funding will provide school uniforms, textbooks and supplies for children in preschool through the 9^th grade.

“For us, this is new to support education of this magnitude in Thailand,” says Goette.

Both HSF and KBF have already assessed family situations and identified children most in need of support – children like Kasem. In total, the $35,000 grant from MoneyGram will support more than 750 children during the 2012-2013 school year.

“We know that helping with tuition and other education expenses is an important key to building a better life,” says Agualimpia of MoneyGram.

This is a point not lost on the families Holt supports.  Recently, Kasem’s father told a KBF daycare worker that he will try to earn more money selling recyclables so that his son can continue to go to school.  “He believes,” says a KBF staff member, “that education is his son’s assurance of a decent future.”  With MoneyGram’s support, Holt and KBF can help him get there.

Interested in helping more children receive an education? Give a Gift of Hope this holiday season! Click here to learn more.

ILEA scholar Romnick Toledo on his high school graduation day.

Growing up in an orphanage from the age of 7, Romnick did not have a permanent family to provide love, care, guidance and preparation for adult life.  He had dreams of becoming an architect, but as adulthood loomed closer, it was unclear how Romnick would achieve the self-reliance he craved.  For most children, “aging out” of an orphanage means a struggle to transition from life in an institution to an independent life, often without the educational or vocational skills needed to survive.  But with the ongoing assistance of the KBF’s Independent Living and Educational Assistance (ILEA) program, Romnick has achieved incredible success in high school and is planning to enroll at the University of the Philippines later this year.

With his university degree, this ambitious young man hopes to become a successful architect so that he has the money to help other orphaned and abandoned children. “Children are the key to success,” says Romnick.  ”I want to help other children just like me to know abandonment is not a burden.”  With his own finances, he hopes to create a program similar to ILEA with branches in other countries.  “Not having a family did not stop me [from continuing] my life,” he says.  “I have been successful in pursuing my goals – and other children can be too.”

Each scholar is unique and each has his or her own story to tell.  Although the majority of scholars were raised in institutions without families of their own, a few scholars have been rescued from abuse and exploitation.  Precious Valencia* came to the Nazareth Single Mothers Home, another KBF program, at the age of 14.  After escaping an abusive home, she arrived at KBF pregnant, with nowhere to go and little hope for her future.  With counseling and support, Precious made the difficult decision that she was not ready to be a mother.  She gave birth to a son, who was adopted by a family in another country, and she resolved to continue her education.  KBF accepted her into the ILEA program as a second-year high school student and has provided support ever since.  Precious is now a poised 18-year-old pursuing her Bachelor of Science in Social Work at the University of Rizal.  She says her goal is to “help others like KBF helped me…I want to show my gratitude and work at KBF someday.”

With funding from Holt International Children’s Services, KBF currently supports between 13 and 16 promising scholars with educational assistance, group housing, case management, group social work and job placement support. Since its inception in 2000, the ILEA program has empowered 76 young adults from unique circumstances to achieve independence and self-reliance.  While some of these scholars have worked toward a high school diploma and then opened their own businesses, nearly half of the scholars have graduated from vocational courses or completed four-year university degrees.

Romnick with Rosario de la Rosa, the executive director of Kaisahang Buhay Foundation.

* name changed

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