This post is from a family friend who used to work with my mum and dad at Elks Camp Moore! Born in Lincolnshire, England, Jenny worked for many years with children and young adults with disabilities in a variety of settings, including residential schools with children with cerebral palsy; group homes and summer programs with deaf/blind clients; nanny to children with cerebral palsy; a school for teenagers with challenging behavior; and a summer camp for children with a variety of special needs. She married her husband Randall, and moved to South Dakota, in 1997. For the past 13 years Jenny has been self employed, running an inclusive daycare, and raising their now 10 year old son (who is quite the soccer star!).
A few years ago I read an article in People magazine, about an organization called Reece's Rainbow who, in a nutshell, advocate and find adoptive families for orphans with Down Syndrome and other special needs. Children who would otherwise spend their lives in orphanages and mental institutes, hidden from the world. They raise adoption grants and promote awareness. Since 2006, over 1000 children have been adopted internationally through Reece's Rainbow.
| | The first children to catch my eye were “Heath” and “Brady”(their RR pseudonyms, real names are not listed in order to protect privacy). They were living in a mental institution in the middle of nowhere, in an Eastern European country. An adoptive mom who had been at the same institute, adopting her son with arthrogryposis , wrote about Heath and Brady in her blog, and my heart just about broke. At the time, I just couldn't get the two boys – two little boys with Down Syndrome – out of my mind. Thankfully, Brady was adopted pretty quickly – but Heath wasn't so fortunate. I wasn't in a position to adopt, so what could I do ? I started to advocate for Heath and the other children listed for adoption on Reece's Rainbow. I shouted for them on Facebook, I donated when I could, and I cheered when families stepped up to adopt. |
At the time, the older children listed (over the age of 6) had a collective grant – when a family stepped forward for an older child, they received the whole grant, which was then reset to zero. Thankfully, this soon changed, so that each child had their own, individual grant, meaning you could donate to a particular child. Unfortunately, this also meant that over 100 children suddenly had a grant with ZERO in it. I couldn't just sit back and let that be – seeing a zero on a child's profile was like a kick in the face to me – every child is worth SO much more than that, and I wanted to show that, by donating to a child and zapping that zero, that someone, somewhere, cared about that child.
So began my blog, and my advocating for the least of the least – those children with zero in their grants, the older children who had been passed over again and again. My Zero The Zeros blog (www.zerothezeros.blogspot.com) doesn't have a huge readership, but it is a work of love, and is ongoing. We DID manage to get all of those zeros zapped back in 2011 – but, as more and more children are listed for adoption, then more and more children start with zero. It is an uphill battle, but, to me, it is so worth it. To see those grants grow, and to see those children adopted, is just priceless!!
| | Why advocate for these children ? Why not leave them where they belong, in their own country ? The sad fact is, that in many countries around the world, children born with disabilities are seen as broken, as unworthy. There is no education available for them, no therapies, no help for families, and little medical care. They are mostly abandoned at the hospital at birth, or given up at an older age when families realize they are not “perfect”. These children live in “baby houses” for the first few years of their life, and then are transferred, as early as four years of age – to mental institutions. Those that can walk fare slightly better – those unable to walk spend their lives laying in a crib, doing nothing. The orphanages and institutions are usually extremely short staffed, so the children receive minimal care – resulting in malnutrition, sickness, and often death at an early age. |
Children that in the USA would receive the best of medical care, and therapies, and education, are left to waste away and die. Children that in the USA can grow up to be productive members of society – living and working a normal life – are deemed unworthy, and cast away. THIS is why I advocate. THIS is why I shout.
I shout for those who cannot shout for themselves.
Remember Heath ? I wasn't the only one to see him. Many people around the country – and the world – shouted for Heath and so many other children – and within a couple of years, Heath was “fully funded” - meaning, if an adoptive family stepped forward for him, their costs would be fully paid for !! Yet still he waited. And waited. Until, finally, just about a year ago, a family saw him and said “YES” !!! They claimed him as their son, and, after working through the adoption process, they were able to bring him home around Thanksgiving 2013. His new name is Boden, and he is absolutely thriving – the love of a family has no bounds !!
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