Banding Together for the Orphans

Adoption TODAY, August/September, 2004

Reaching out to the children left behind

"We have all thought about the children who didn't leave with us on that day we were first united with our own children," says Gary Ciavola, Wide Horizons For Children board member and founder of a parent-led fundraising committee for orphanages in China. "I believe there are many of us who would like to try to do something significant for these children."

With international affairs receiving less than two percent of total U.S. charitable giving, agencies are challenged to find new ways to meet the enormous needs of orphans overseas. Adoptive parents are arguably the most effective advocates for these children. Through Wide Horizons For Children's worldwide humanitarian aid programs, concerned parents are able to direct vital support to thousands of children still waiting for a family.

In addition to their own personal philanthropy, many parents are encouraging those outside the adoptive community to get involved. Each year, Wide Horizons For Children raises and donates more than $1 million in humanitarian aid support. Increasingly, many of these contributions are coming from non adoptive families inspired by the cause.

Two years ago, adoptive parent Gus Demeo formed Jack's Team, named after his son who was born in Moldova. Family, friends and business associates sponsored Demeo in a half-marathon, giving more than $30,000 that eventually resulted in Jack's orphanage and another in Ukraine being renovated. Demeo recently repeated these wonderful efforts, and has also formed a parent-led committee dedicated to raising funds for children in Moldova.

"Jack is 6 now and robust and healthy. I can't say the same for the children and babies left behind," Demeo said. "The conditions for orphaned children in Eastern Europe continue to be extremely challenging. Too many of these babies never get adopted. They live their childhoods institutionalized until they are 16, when they are released with little more than the clothes on their backs. With no families and limited resources, many of them don't survive. One of my dreams is to find a way to provide a safe haven and life skills training for these children."

Adoptive parents Michelle Novelle and Sarita Uribe have formed a committee called Amparo, "refuge" in Spanish, to support Wide Horizons For Children's efforts in Colombia.

Since 1998, Novelle and her husband, Robert Ruddy, have made three trips to Colombia to bring home a sibling group of six children. The unexpected joys and heartaches related to the adoption of older children and siblings have fueled Novelle's desire for advocacy in this area.

Uribe was born in the United States to Colombian parents and has made numerous trips to Colombia. However, when she and her husband, Martin Hall, went to Colombia in 2002 to bring Sofia home, the emotional reconnection to her heritage evolved into a desire to improve conditions for those children who remain in the system there.

"There is so much that needs to be done in Colombia," say Novelle and Uribe. "It's almost hard to know where to begin. There are some really basic needs — like medicine, clothing and school supplies. And then there are some bigger projects we'd like to help fund."

Wide Horizons' humanitarian aid is not limited to those countries currently open to adoption. For example, two adoptive parents of children born in Cambodia are raising support for the benefit of orphans there.

"There are some 2,000 orphanages in Cambodia," says Michael Paolucci, whose children, Justin, Mark and Derek, were adopted from Cambodia. "So much can be accomplished in Cambodia with so few dollars," Paolucci adds. Through the years he has organized 12 groups of volunteers that have conducted weeks-long work projects refurbishing orphanages throughout the country. "For the volunteers who join me on these trips, and many of them are high school students, the experience is priceless and transforming," Paolucci said.

Carolyn Ogren whose daughter, Anna, was born in Cambodia joins Paolucci in this new endeavor. "This is really something I've longed to do, to get personally involved in improving the conditions of orphanages in Cambodia. I must say that I am both humbled and a bit daunted by such a task. Nevertheless, my husband, John, and I have been involved in pediatric health care for quite some time and currently I'm a grant writer for a local charity. I know that we can get others involved and truly rally support for these beautiful children."

"To adopt a child is a blessing received. To provide for the orphaned children of a nation is a blessing we can give," Ogren said.

"We have already identified our first project in China and we are very excited about this opportunity," Gary Ciavola continues. "We are helping to fund the construction of a new orphanage for approximately eighty children in Jiangxi province."

Currently, these orphans live in a decrepit building in the midst of an industrial center. The doors and windows are kept shut to keep out the dust and noise, forcing the children to "...live like birds in a cage," according to Wide Horizons' Chinese liaisons. The new orphanage will be located on 330 acres at the foot of a majestic mountain in the Shenshan Temple Forest Park. There will also be a botanical garden, an ethnic culture garden and a leisure square for the children.

The Sui Chuan authorities have secured more than 60 percent of the funding and have requested $150,000, which represents about 40 percent of the total funding required and the only funding to come from outside of China. "This is the first project goal for our committee and should be readily attainable," Ciavola said.

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