 By Julie Sharp
(Updated: Thursday, August 16, 2007 10:09 AM PDT)
Seven-year-old Valeria arrived at LAX with a backpack, a smile and arrangements to live with a Manhattan Beach family for six weeks. She left the first week of August with a family from Long Beach pursuing her adoption.
She was one of a group of Colombian orphan and foster children who spent part of the summer in Southern California with designated host families through the Kidsave international program.
Mark and Cory Sprague of Manhattan Beach, anxious to adopt yet frustrated with the domestic adoption process, decided to host a Colombian child this summer in a foster care-type capacity through Kidsave, which operates out of Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.
Much like a dating service that matches couples based on compatibility potential, Kidsave links families to orphan children based foremost on the child's best interests, then to the families' unique dynamics, according to Kidsave CEO and co-founder Randi Thompson. Unlike a dating service, the screening process and preparations are lengthy and very in-depth. All of this is ultimately designed to find a permanent home for the child; for the Spragues, they wanted to share a portion of their life with Valeria and hoped she would make a connection with a family that would want to adopt her.
Within the second week of her arrival, Valeria was attending Vacation Bible School at the Spragues' church and caught the attention of a camp volunteer. “She asked me, ‘Who is this beautiful little girl?' I told her about Valeria and she and her husband started an adoption process,” said Cory Sprague.
Swimming, bike riding, going to the beach, taking showers and playing with 3-year-old Ryan Sprague seemed to be Valeria's favorites. Mark Sprague said Valeria told him that his son was her best friend, and Ryan Sprague still sings the Spanish songs she taught him. Valeria left her imprint on the Sprague family and those who had a chance to be around her. Mark Sprague described the farewell dinner that they had for Valeria in the Metlox plaza as a night of tears. “Someone had given Valeria a goodbye card, and a friend of ours read it to her in Spanish and she started crying. I started crying, everyone was crying,” he said.
Thompson said that Kidsave needs more families like the Spragues, whether their intent is to adopt or help to connect the child to an interested party. She said children need these families.
The application process for Kidsave is in-depth since approval has to be met by national standards for fostering children and by Colombian government standards. Thompson explained that Kidsave has staff working in Colombia with the government, and also provides chaperones that travel with the children to the United States . Much like a social worker, the chaperones evaluate the interaction between the host family and the child for a few days before leaving the child to live with the family for the six-week period.
“They warned us that the child may be withdrawn and have some difficulty adjusting to the environment, but Valeria came here from the airport, brushed her teeth, went to bed and woke up the next morning ready for breakfast,” said Cory Sprague. “After that, she was up first thing in the morning ready to play with Ryan and ready to swim.”
The Spragues requested a child who would enjoy being active, and they got one. Mark Sprague said Valeria's biography stated she enjoyed swimming and bike riding, but really did not know how to do either when she arrived. After a few swimming lessons at the Spectrum Club and bike-riding lessons from Mark Sprague, Valeria fulfilled her biography statement.
Valeria returned to Colombia to her foster mother and three foster brothers whom she currently lives with. The Long Beach couple who met her at church and spent time with her while at the Spragues' house now must face the lengthy adoption process. This begins with a letter of intent to the Colombian government and along with all of the paperwork, a trip to Colombia for four to six weeks to spend time with Valeria is also required, according to the Spragues.
Out of the 77 Colombian children who arrived in the United States this summer, Thompson said that about 60 percent were adopted and 20 percent of the families are still considering.
Along with the international programs, Kidsave also offers domestic programs for families interested in fostering children on a limited basis. Much of the information can be viewed on the Web site, www.kidsave.org . “Each day a child spends in an orphanage is too long, and we want children to be connected to stable adults and families,” said Thompson. |
