“Your legacy is every life you touch.” – Dr. Maya Angelou
For John and Laura White, a nearly decade-long dedication began with a simple question: how can we help? Laura was teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) classes to middle schoolers when she learned that one of her students had been adopted from Russia through an organization called Kidsave. She and John were intrigued and inspired and began doing some research to see how they could get involved. During the summer of 2017, Laura and John took the leap and became a Summer Miracles host family to a young boy from Colombia named Franki.
There were challenges that summer. Laura recalled them saying, “It’s not all rainbows. Kidsave does well at preparing you, but there’s still an element of understanding the trauma the kids have gone through. That was one of the big learnings we had.”
Despite the challenges, the Whites persevered, and an adoptive family was found for Franki. Years later, Franki reached out to thank John and Laura for their help and apologized for giving them such a hard time that summer. His life was just one of many impacted by the Whites.
From 2017-2023, the Whites hosted 9 children in their home, dedicating countless hours of their lives to helping orphans find loving adoptive families. Each year, they told Kidsave staff to just let them know which children needed to be hosted the most, and they would take them in.
In 2018, the Whites hosted sisters, Mariana and Michelle. Mariana suffered from muscular dystrophy and had to attend multiple medical appointments during her stay over the summer. It’s often difficult to find adoptive families for sibling sets and even more difficult to find families for children with disabilities, but the Whites were determined to help them. They advocated for the girls all summer, and just as time was running out, Laura made a last-ditch effort and created a post about the girls on social media. A family in Missouri saw the post, and the connection was made.
In an interview that year, Laura said, “Our family is committed to Kidsave. We have seen firsthand how the opportunity to participate in the Summer Miracles program is a game changer for the kids. Our family is much more aware of the need for older children to experience the love and support of a family. We also have learned that the process is emotional and not always easy…but it is worth it.”
Year after year, the Whites went above and beyond, opening their hearts and home to children in need. Even after John was diagnosed with cancer, they continued hosting. It was only after Laura was diagnosed with cancer and suffered a stroke that the family had to stop volunteering. But they remained an active and much-loved part of the Kidsave family.
In 2025, at the Kidsave Miracles Gala, Kidsave honored the Whites with its annual Champions for Change award for their years-long dedication and multi-generational impact.
Later that year, John White passed away from cancer. Laura joined her husband of 30 years on December 31, 2025. They are survived by their two sons, Alex and Anthony, and leave behind a legacy of love for children in need.
“John and Laura White were lovely, kind people who changed countless lives through their dedication to the Summer Miracles program,” said Kidsave’s CEO Randi Thompson. “I am so glad we were able to honor them as Champions for Change in 2025 as it was a truly deserved award.”
Kidsave’s Vice President and Director of Family Programs Lauren Gordon said, “John and Laura’s legacy spans far beyond the lives of the kids they hosted, but also with the countless other children who were positively impacted by their work.”
See Laura and John White’s Champions for Change Announcement.
