Revisit our most read, most shared, most liked adoption, adoptee and international program stories from the past year!
Top 5 Adoption Stories
Why International Adoption Is Still Needed
Until we live in a world where every child can grow up safe and loved in a permanent, loving family, Holt will continue to provide and advocate for ethical, child-centered international adoption.
A Miracle for Gracie
Four-year-old Gracie was weeks away from traveling to her adoptive family in the U.S. when COVID-19 hit Haiti. With a heart condition and suppressed immune system, she urgently needed to be on the last known flight leaving Haiti. But no one expected it would take an army of compassion, and a miracle, to get her here.
Healing the Hurt Child
When Brett and Noelle Hersom adopt a 9-year-old with a history of abuse and neglect, they soon realize that given the right combination of love, commitment, patience and flexibility, every child has the potential to heal.
How Our Family Became the Subject of a Documentary
When a documentary filmmaker approached Elizabeth and Jud Curry about filming their lives as a multiracial, international adoptive family of 12, they hesitated. But then their 9-year-old daughter, recently adopted from China, asked a question that so surprised them, they decided to say yes — welcoming viewers inside their lives and home.
In Good Hands: A China Adoption Travel Thank You Message
When the Kennedy family arrived in China to adopt their daughter Mia last year, some things did not go as expected. But John Feng — Holt’s site manager in Guangzhou, China — went above and beyond to care for them and meet each need that they and their daughter had.
Top 5 Adoptee Stories
2020 Holt Adoptee Scholarship Winners!
This year, we asked applicants to submit a creative work based on the theme, “A Portrait of Me: An Adoptee.” They each won a $500 scholarship.
Thankful for Silver Linings
Last year, while grieving the loss of her mom, adoptee Lee Henggeler discovered a box of adoption paperwork that helped her reconnect with her through the journey she took to become a mother. It also sparked an idea for a journey she herself would take to honor her late mom.
For My Korean Sisters
Holt adoptee Kate Pyle shares what inspired her to launch a campaign raising over $16,000 for the Holt Morning Garden shelter for single mothers and their children in Korea.
I’m an Adoptee and This Is My Story
Chinese adoptee Grace White shares about her life as an adoptee, and how she found a community — and a stronger identity — at Holt Adoptee Camp.
An Act of Kindness
As a baby in China, Callie Ware had a sponsor who helped care for her while she waited to come home to her adoptive family. Now 17, she’s continuing her sponsor’s act of kindness by sponsoring another child in need.
Favorite 5 International Program Stories
A Look Inside Orphanages in 2020
Since the pandemic first began spreading in early 2020, it’s changed life for everyone — but especially children in orphanage care. Here’s what life looks like now for children in orphanages from China to India to Thailand.
Update: How You’re Helping Children & Families During COVID-19
From giving emergency food, water and medical supplies to supporting tele-counseling and more, you are doing amazing things to help children and families during this global health crisis. Here are the latest updates from the field.
The Children Left Behind
When a news story broke in China about children who died by suicide after their parents migrated without them, it became clear this was more than a crisis of poverty. It was a crisis of loneliness and loss.
Keeping Kids Connected During COVID-19
In Delhi, children felt isolated, bored and disconnected from their Holt-supported community during their city-wide lockdown. But then, they started a vlog to connect with each other — and it’s been more meaningful than they ever expected.
Thank You For Helping Me Come Home
One boy’s story of life in a Cambodian orphanage, and how Holt sponsors and donors helped him come back home to his family.
