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