| What makes a single mom struggling to start up a | | | | everything was completely destroyed, including the |
| new business, adopt a hard-to-place, "special needs" | | | | children's beds and toys. |
| child from another country? Why would a perfectly | | | | Now what was the connection and motivation that |
| happy, healthy, and content family take on a Down | | | | moved the Buckley's to adopt these two young girls in |
| syndrome child with heart complications, when the | | | | the first place? Lorraine's dad was doing some |
| boy's own mother chose to give him up at 6 weeks of | | | | volunteer work to build a home for an old Air Force |
| age? And why would a New York family rescue | | | | buddy, who had later turned to missionary work. While |
| three frail and traumatized orphans from the ravages | | | | swapping time with other contractors to save his |
| of Liberia's second civil war? | | | | buddy money, Lorraine's father met yet another |
| We asked ourselves these questions as our | | | | missionary family in the area. That family had already |
| foundation's Board reviewed the grant requests from | | | | adopted one of the children from that Liberian |
| these families. When most people hear the term | | | | orphanage, by the name of George. George had been |
| 'adoption,' we tend to think about couples faced with | | | | spared from the attack on the orphanage by being in |
| infertility, or couples who are trying to put their | | | | the US on tour with the Liberian Boy's Choir. It took a |
| step-families together to strengthen their family bond. | | | | year for George to get up enough courage to ask the |
| These first three grant requests to The Orphan | | | | missionary family to try to find his sister, who was also |
| Foundation bore no similarities to those stereotypical | | | | living in that orphanage. The family was in shock. They |
| images. | | | | never even knew he had a sister! The family agreed |
| The Smith Case - California | | | | immediately, found his sister Mala, and brought her to |
| Madeleine Smith, the first recipient of an adoption | | | | the States. |
| assistance grant from our Foundation, is a very | | | | When the Buckley's went to visit Lorraine's parents |
| interesting woman. She describes herself as having a | | | | during the December holidays of 2004, they also met |
| big heart, with an even bigger pile of bills. When she | | | | the other missionary family, and the reunited siblings, |
| found her way to our Foundation, she was in the | | | | George and Mala. The plight of these children thrust |
| process of adopting Dang Jian, a "special needs" child | | | | them into motion. Mala asked the Buckley's if they |
| from China. The name she chose for the 4-year old | | | | would help find her two roommates from the |
| boy is "Elijah." She describes Elijah as a wonderful child | | | | orphanage, Patience and Naomi. The Buckley's not |
| who loves to play outside, and is especially fond of toy | | | | only found them, but by October 2005, the girls were |
| cars. His fifth birthday will be in December, so she's | | | | on their way here to their new home with the |
| planning a very big celebration when he arrives. | | | | Buckley's in New York. |
| But that is only a small piece of the story. Dang Jian | | | | As fate would have it, when Lorraine's father and |
| was placed in the "special needs" category by his | | | | husband went to pick-up the girls, Naomi's parents |
| China orphanage, and given to an adoption agency in | | | | brought her brother Abrous to the Liberian orphanage |
| Oregon to place. Dang Jian is missing his right ear, | | | | when they came to see Naomi off. Abrous' parents |
| which is accompanied by marginal hearing on that side. | | | | asked that the Buckley's take Abrous as well as his |
| Adding to that malady are various urinogenital and | | | | sister Naomi. It wasn't safe for any of them in Liberia, |
| colorectal problems. These factors, along with his age, | | | | and the parents were not only living in abject poverty, |
| also put him in the "hard-to-place" category of | | | | their situation was made even worse by Abrous' |
| adoptions. And what does that mean? He was given | | | | father being severely injured in a work accident. But in |
| this one last chance to be adopted before he would | | | | that first round of adoptions, the Buckley's only |
| be permanently institutionalized in China. | | | | succeeded in bringing the 7 and 9 year old girls back to |
| If China and the adoption world considered Elijah's | | | | New York. Abrous had already been relinquished to |
| problems as significantly daunting, why would a single | | | | the orphanage, but he was on a waiting list to get in, |
| mom struggling to grow a start-up music services | | | | and of course there was the mound of official |
| business, step in to rescue him? Good question. But | | | | paperwork required, and all the money that had yet to |
| wait, there is still another page to this story. | | | | be raised. Imagine that - on a waiting list to get into an |
| Elijah will be Madeleine's third "special needs" child that | | | | orphanage! |
| she has adopted! And she also has a 22-year old | | | | When they brought the two girls home to New York, |
| college student son, Donovan. Madeleine's other | | | | Abrous returned home with his parents to wait for an |
| adopted children include her 7-year old son Michael, | | | | opening at the orphanage. Luck finally prevailed, and at |
| from Bulgaria, and her 3-year old daughter Hana, from | | | | the end of August, Abrous was one of 100-plus |
| Guatemala. And just to make this random act of love | | | | children admitted to the orphanage. The Buckley family |
| more difficult on her, Madeleine decided she had to | | | | immediately went into motion trying to raise the money |
| move from her 2-bedroom apartment to a 3-bedroom | | | | they needed to rescue Abrous, and once again, they |
| apartment to make sure that there was enough room | | | | reentered the adoption process. Nearly 14 months later, |
| for Elijah in his new home. | | | | in December of 2006, their documents were finally |
| Madeleine discovered Dang Jian, when a friend | | | | clear to send to Liberia, and the monies were almost all |
| emailed her that she saw Dang Jian's story on an | | | | in place to cover the country fees and other adoption |
| adoption agency's website, and described his | | | | costs. As of July 2007, they are still waiting for word |
| impending fate. Madeleine found out that someone had | | | | on the case, and final passport clearance. The |
| put up an anonymous donation to help offset part of | | | | Buckley's are hoping that the adoption petition is either |
| the adoption expenses, and that started Madeleine's | | | | in the Liberian courts or will be there very soon. |
| wheels in motion. With domestic adoptions averaging | | | | What did they want from The Orphan Foundation? |
| $18,105 currently, and almost double that internationally, | | | | Financial help to complete the adoption. The families |
| due to travel costs, document translations and other | | | | were all asked to go through the same United States |
| country specific requirements, this was the opening | | | | adoption agency, which resulted in additional processing |
| break she needed. This was her chance to give Elijah | | | | fees of $1,800. The Buckley's were now running out of |
| a home, and she'd worry about the rest of his living | | | | sources to tap for quick financial help, and were |
| and medical needs when he was in her care. | | | | becoming more anxious and desperate in the eleventh |
| Madeleine has since arranged for the UCLA | | | | hour of Abrous' rescue. Another unanimous vote from |
| Craniofacial Center to replace Elijah's missing ear. All | | | | the Board, and another lost child in the world was sent |
| she wanted from The Orphan Foundation was enough | | | | a lifeline. |
| money to finish her legal paperwork with the State of | | | | These were definitely not the stories that we |
| California, get the legal documents translated into | | | | expected to see in our first three grant requests. |
| Chinese and certified, and have enough left over to | | | | Where was that stereotypical family that was starving |
| pay her travel expenses to China to bring "Elijah" | | | | for a child of their own, but left barren by some cruel |
| home. | | | | twist of biological fate? Where was that known |
| When we asked her why she was doing this, she | | | | connection between the parties that used adoption to |
| simply repeated what she said earlier - she has a big | | | | solidify a new marriage and family? These weren't |
| heart. The only anchor on that big heart seems to be | | | | childless parents looking to fill an empty space in their |
| that big pile of bills she's managed to build in the | | | | heart, or stepparents coming in to secure the bonds of |
| process. Our Board could not have agreed more, and | | | | their new family. These were a whole new breed of |
| voted unanimously to grant her the money. | | | | parents, with a whole new agenda and view of life. |
| The Cancilla Case - California | | | | Our 12-person Board looked at each other in |
| Mary and Warren Cancilla, along with daughter | | | | astonishment. We just could not get our heads around |
| Annalise, seemed truly overjoyed about 6-week old | | | | this left-turn in our world views. We were seeing |
| Harrison's arrival. Harrison would be that new brother | | | | entirely different passions at play, complete with an |
| for Annalise, and the perfect one boy, one girl family | | | | unfaltering commitment to see the long arduous |
| would arrive in a small, quiet California town. However, | | | | adoption process through to the end, so that they |
| this family portrait turns out to be a bit more unique | | | | could then begin on the really hard part of all this - |
| than that. Harrison was born with Down syndrome, | | | | raising children with some very special needs. |
| with the added rare heart complication called tetralogy | | | | We told all three of these families that they are the |
| of Fallot. | | | | real heroes out there. Forget Superwoman, Batman, |
| Mary, a sign language interpreter, told us that they had | | | | and Spiderman. Meet Madeleine, the Cancilla's, and the |
| been on the Down Syndrome Association of Greater | | | | Buckley's. These are the kind of quiet heroes we pass |
| Cincinnati's waiting list for 2 years. This seemed hardly | | | | on the streets each day, and had no clue that they |
| a "spur of the moment" decision. When the association | | | | even existed. They're made of the same mettle as |
| called to tell the Cancilla's that Harrison's mother | | | | those courageous people, who rush into burning |
| decided to give him up, and they were on the top of | | | | buildings to save children, rescue a fallen soldier from |
| the list to receive a Downs syndrome child, they were | | | | enemy fire, or run down a thief who snatched an old |
| overjoyed that their long wait was finally over. | | | | woman's purse. And then they want to quietly |
| What did they want from The Orphan Foundation? | | | | disappear behind their private lives, shying away from |
| Just some financial help with their adoption costs so | | | | the cameras and lights of a press eager to exploit |
| that they could free up some money for the medical | | | | their bravery and courage. These families don't even |
| needs that Harrison will be facing. | | | | seem to know what all the fuss is about. Wouldn't all |
| Another unanimous vote, and another unnoticed | | | | of us do the same? |
| random act of love from just a regular kind of family | | | | Perhaps it was that small quote, nearly hidden at the |
| who chose to love a very special boy. | | | | top of our home page that led them to us ( |
| The Buckley Case - New York | | | | "We ask that you not judge our success in terms of |
| When we talked with Lorraine Buckley she told us all | | | | "bottom lines." Instead, we ask to be measured by the |
| about the incidents that led up to their finding Abrous, | | | | number of "lifelines" we extend to the homeless |
| the brother of one of the two girls that they had | | | | children of this world." |
| already adopted from an orphanage in Liberia - an | | | | Perhaps we were never alone in our mission to find |
| orphanage that had been overrun by soldiers during | | | | these children a family to love them, to cherish their |
| Liberia's deadly civil wars. A badly beaten orphanage | | | | worth, and to give them hope. Either way, bear |
| director managed to save the children from harm, by | | | | witness to the birth of a whole new breed of family. |
| convincing the soldiers that some of the children might | | | | Meet the new "tutelaries of hope," the real guardians |
| be their own. The soldiers confiscated all of the | | | | of our world's children. They know no bigotry, no |
| orphans' food, but allowed the children to vacate the | | | | deception, nor bias of thought that would ever prevent |
| orphanage. The children walked for two days in | | | | them from the simple act of loving a child that would |
| search of shelter, with at most, a handful of rice for | | | | otherwise be lost to the world. We think this is a bright |
| each day of their journey. The UN came to their | | | | and shining light in the distant skies, and we choose to |
| rescue, and stepped in to provide them with blankets | | | | call that light "hope ascending. |
| and food. Eventually the orphanage reopened, but | | | | |