Gifts of Hope

As the holidays approach, I hope that you are surrounded by family and friends and are blessed with warmth and love in this season and always.

I also hope that the children in Holt's care and around the world will be in your thoughts, especially in this season of love and generosity. I pray that we can help these children receive some of the most basic necessities to help them survive and grow.

Below is a list of items that you can fund, which will give critically needed items to orphaned, abandoned and vulnerable children through Holt's "Gifts of Hope" program. You can bring hope to children in our care around the world. These items also make especially meaningful gifts in honor of someone you care about.

I wish to thank all of you for the love, help and commitment you give to children. I hope that as the new year approaches more and more children in Holt's care will go home to their permanent families, but until then, I pray that we can help them have a joyful holiday filled with love, nutrition, comfort, warmth...and Hope.

Sincerely,
Kim S. Brown, President and CEO

Two Gifts from Ethiopia

I think in some way, Africa has always been in my heart and will continue to be forever. Whenever the seed to adopt was planted, I think it started to take sprout when my husband and I lived in Johannesburg, South Africa. Seeing such an amazing country face such huge obstacles touched us in a way that cannot be forgotten.

A year or so after our wedding, we started talking about how to build our family. We spent a lot of time discussing adoption and even more time attempting to decide on a country. Initially, because of our connection to Southern Africa, we looked to that region. After some research however, we determined that we would need to look to other African nations with more stable and developed international adoption legislation. As an anthropologist and natural researcher, I enjoyed learning more about the different countries, and Ethiopia stood out as a proud and beautiful country. Our decision was made; our children would come from Ethiopia!

We had our first meeting with Holt in Portland. We drove up to Seattle directly from that meeting, excitedly talking the entire way about the journey that lay before us. We knew we wanted siblings...would they be boys or girls? Maybe one of each? How old would they be? We dreamt of names, of walks to the park, trips to the beach and to our cabin in Montana. We continued to dream for the next 11 months, until the caller ID said "Holt International", and my husband heard our sons' names for the very first time...read more

Interested in adopting a child from Ethiopia?...click here to learn more.

A Celebration of Strength and Love

Two foster mothers from Seoul, South Korea, made the long journey to Holt's headquarters in Eugene, Oregon in November for a very special day that would reunite them with the children they had said goodbye to so long ago.

Mrs. Jang, Woo-kyung and Mrs. Lee, Chung-sun have dedicated their lives to orphaned, abandoned and vulnerable children for over 15 years, each selflessly taking care of 40 and 38 children, respectively, some of whom have special needs.

Mrs. Lee's attentive and loving care for children, like Trent (shown here), prepares them for a lifetime of love with a permanent family

On that same day, seven adoptive families, some from as far as the Midwest, also traveled to Holt's headquarters to reunite their children with the foster mothers and show their appreciation to the women who had cared for their children and prepared them for a lifetime of love with their new families.

"When we arrived at Holt's headquarters, Mrs. Lee turned and saw Trent. In a voice that was part sigh of relief, but completely joyous, she said, "Hyo-sung!" said Dawn Reed, mother of Trent, one of Mrs. Lee's foster children. "Hyo-sung was Trent's Korean name, and Mrs. Lee knew him. This woman, who had only mothered my son for two months, recognized him 6 years later. She told us that she knew his eyes."

When children come into care at Holt Korea, it's the foster mothers, like Mrs. Jang and Mrs. Lee, who wrap them up and give them comfort and warmth for most likely the first time in their lives. They love the children as if they were their own and provide for them until they go home to loving families ...read more

Introducing Ticket 10!

$10 can buy you a ticket to a movie...a couple of lattes...or it can help change the life of a child in need forever.

Ticket 10, a ministry of Holt International, gives people a chance to make a difference and get involved in something that matters..by helping orphaned and abandoned children in desperate need of the most basic necessities.

For the average cost of a movie or concert ticket, $10, you can help provide homeless children with basic needs like:
   • Food
   • Shelter
   • Clothing
   • Attentive Care
   • Medical Treatment

...And most of all, the hope of one day having a secure, permanent family.

Tony Nolan, dedicated advocate of Holt International and Ticket 10, holds a baby at the Nanchang Orphanage in China, one of many vulnerable children in Holt’s care who need the care that Ticket 10 can provide.

Instead of a monthly donation that links you directly with a child in care, your $10 monthly gift will be pooled with others to care for children in orphanages and foster care around the world.

By joining Ticket 10 today, you will be giving hope to homeless children and providing them with a chance for a better future. You will also receive a free beanie after your third month as our way of saying: "thank you for joining and helping children in need."

"Without the generous people who provide the funds to support Holt programs, these children don't stand a chance," said Tony Nolan, dedicated advocate of Holt International and Ticket 10. "Giving is so important in the lives of children in Holt's care, it allows foster parents and caretakers to take such good care of them...it truly is something to celebrate."

Join Ticket 10 and start changing the life of a child today!