Holt president Phil Littleton shares a message with Holt’s child sponsors.
This month, I thought I’d share a few short sponsor stories with you — stories about what inspired these sponsors to care for a child in need. I smiled as I read them, thinking about what an incredibly loving, kind and generous group of people you all are. You truly are the best of humanity, and I’m so grateful that you chose to work alongside us in pursuit of a world where every child has a loving, secure home. I hope these stories make you smile, too.
“My husband and I adopted our daughter through Holt in 1974 when she was 16 months old. Years later we considered adopting another child, but decided that it wasn’t feasible at that time, so we began sponsoring a child and have continued to this day. We have sponsored many children. Most of them have found their forever home and have been adopted by parents like us who wanted to help a child have a better life. Our daughter is now grown and the mother of four beautiful children. They love to see the pictures of my sponsored child and her picture shares a space beside theirs. Many times our charitable gifts go to nameless, faceless recipients, who definitely need our help, but it is especially satisfying to know that our sponsorship has a name and a face.” — Lois Westfall, Omaha, NE
“I have been sponsoring a child from Thailand for I believe over 25 years. In 1989, my husband and I were third on the list to adopt a toddler from Thailand when at 37 I found myself pregnant for the first time. At that time, our local agency or the state of Maine had a policy where you had to wait a year after adding a child to your family by birth or adoption before you could adopt again. I had wanted to be a mother my whole life and to be pregnant was a wonderful thing, but I also felt a little sad. I waited until I was five months pregnant but had to tell the agency that we could not go through with the adoption. So the little boy who would have gone to us went to another family. My son was born in 1990 and he has been the light of our lives. I still sponsor a child from Thailand in honor of that child I never got to see, who I hope had a happy life with his adoptive family.” — Melissa Baltz, Brandon, MS
“I went to Winter Jam back in 2012, and saw the presentation from Holt. Valentine’s Day was still over a week away, and I hadn’t come up with a good gift that year for my wife. We had talked in the past about wanting to sponsor children in need. I took the opportunity to pick out a cute little girl from China at the table outside the coliseum. Valentine’s Day was a hit that year. I surprised my wife with her favorite candy, flowers and a gift that warmed her heart — helping a child in need. About a year later we learned that our little girl from China had graduated out of Holt’s program, and was in a good place to support herself and her family! We were pleased to continue our support for another child in need — this one a little boy from China.” — Brian & Valerie Goad, Mebane, NC
