One Month After the Quake

Children from Holt Fontana Village come home to their permanent families

14 Children prepare to leave Holt Fontana Village and unite with their permanent families.

On February 2nd Holt Fontana Village staff in Haiti gathered around to say goodbye to 14 children departing to Miami to unite with their permanent families. This was the first group of 21 children from the Village who would be leaving that week.

"There were lots of tears," said Holt Vice President of Adoption Services, Lisa Vertulfo, who accompanied the first group of children to Miami. "The caretakers sang a hymn and then the staff broke into "How Great Thou Art" in Creole."

The children, already matched with adoptive families prior to the horrific earthquake in January, had their adoptions expedited. Seven more children arrived later that week.

"We arrived at the Village about 7:30 on Tuesday morning. When we drove in, the kids who were leaving with us that day were all dressed in their nicest clothes. The girls had their hair newly braided," said Lisa. "Two days later, the children were united with their families, and the Holt families got together at the hotel for all the kids to see each other together again." It seems even in the most devastating of circumstances, there is always a reason to give thanks and to have hope.

After such tragic events, Holt has truly seen the power of people's ability to step up and help in times of crisis and do all they can for children. We feel deep gratitude for the hundreds of Holt families and dedicated supporters who donated funds and answered the call to help children and families in Haiti. And we find hope in the 21 children who now have a family to call their own. We now look to the future and how we can help the many children in Haiti who remain.

The following are thoughts from Holt adoptive mother, Rebecca Moore, whose daughter, Nephtalie, was one of the 21 children who came home to the United States from Holt Fontana Village.

Sisters Together Again

By Rebecca Moore

"You came." Those were Nephtalie's first words to her big sister, Martine...read more

Help the Children and Families in Haiti

Sponsor a child in Haiti

We Hoped for a Son

Will, a China Child of Promise, comes home to his permanent family

We wanted to add another son to our family and, through Holt's China Child of Promise program, we brought Will home just one year and one day after we signed the papers to begin our home study!

When we started to discuss adding a final child to our family, we realized that we had several prerequisites that made it challenging to locate a program that fit all of them. We wanted a son--that was the easy one. We also wanted our child to come home at under two years old, and the clincher was that we wanted him to be about 18 months younger than our youngest child at the time. This meant that we would need to complete an adoption in about a year. How in the world could this happen when adoption time-lines are increasing in so many programs?

Answer: Holt's China Child of Promise program. After talking to Holt's China staff, we became very excited about the potential addition to our family of a child with a minor to moderate need. When a staff member asked me if we were open to either gender, my heart sank...."No, we are only open to a son," I replied. The excitement and joy in his voice reassured me immediately as he exclaimed, "Really? You want a son? This is great! We have so many boys that need families! Your referral will come very quickly!" ....read more

Learn more about the China Child of Promise Option and view the Minor/Correctable conditions checklist

Holt Adoptee Camps

"The Holt Adoptee Camps are about creating an adoptee community. International and transracial adoptees come together and get a chance to be around people who understand them," said Holt Youth Services Coordinator Michael Tessier, a former camper and camp staff member.

Every summer Holt manages five camps around the country. Run by trained camp counselors, who are also adult adoptees, these camps give Adoptees, age 9-16, the chance to learn more about themselves, discuss adoption, race and identity issues and, most of all, have fun. "We don't learn about our birth culture at camp," said Michael. "The camps are about learning and creating the culture of adoption and the adoptee community."

Michael began his relationship with the Holt Adoptee Camps as a camper when he was nine years old and now serves on the leadership staff, planning activities and providing support and encouragement to the campers...read more

Sign your child up to attend a Holt Adoptee Camp!

Winter Jam

Help Change a Child's Life Forever

With six weeks remaining in Winter Jam 2010, Christian music artists like NewSong and Third Day are making tremendous strides in gathering help for homeless children through Holt International's Child Sponsorship program.

We want to thank the almost 3,000 generous Winter Jam attendees who have taken on the commitment to help orphaned, abandoned and vulnerable children to have families of their own. Because of your faithful monthly support, homeless children around the world are receiving the food, shelter, clothing, care and medical treatment they so desperately need.

We also express our gratitude to the artists for speaking out for these children through their encouraging words, and to the volunteers who help those answering the call to help a child.

There is still time to support Holt's mission to children through Winter Jam and hear Holt advocate and Holt adoptive parent, Tony Nolan, share his story. You can sign up to be a Holt volunteer at a 2010 Winter Jam concert near your home, or you can attend one of these exciting concerts. To keep up on the latest information for Winter Jam events, go to jamtour.com

Read about how Tony Nolan adopted a China Child of Promise from Holt