Seven Taiwanese orphans to get a taste of Utah
| Seven Taiwanese orphans to get a taste of Utah | | |
| Brittani Lusk - DAILY HERALD |
| Seven Taiwanese children are on their way to Utah to experience America and all that Utah has to offer, from fossils to families. The children, who arrive in Salt Lake City today, have been sent here by Kidsave, a child advocacy organization. They'll spend five weeks in Utah with a host family, four of which are from Utah County. The hope is that the children, who come from either orphanages or foster care, can be adopted. The children, ages 5 through 11, face a particular challenge on the road to adoption. "Most families want babies," said Chris Ivins, an event organizer. "It's safer." Ivins has two older adopted children from two different countries. "It's not as hard to adopt older kids as people think, but it takes time," Ivins said. The children have no idea they could potentially be adopted. They have been told it is just a summer vacation experience. The families they stay with could choose to adopt them or advocate for them by helping the child meet other families who may be interested in adoption. "They don't know anything about adoption. We don't want them to come over and be disappointed or have undue pressure," said Carissa Nosack, the Utah community coordinator for Kidsave. Kidsave supports the program every summer across the country. About 1,300 children -- more than 90 percent of participants -- in the program have been adopted. Bruce and Marilyn Bunderson of Highland read about the program in the newspaper a few months ago and are now expecting to host a 6-year-old boy. The Bundersons have five children ages 8 through 17. They're hoping to teach their guest to swim and pick up a bit of the language. "I'm hoping that before he leaves we can have few words in Chinese and he'll learn a few English words," Marilyn Bunderson said. She's also hoping her children learn that there are people in the world who need help, and that they should help them. In addition, she's hoping her guest gets a taste of an American home. "I would like him to see what it's like to live in a family and just to have the experience of being over here. Hopefully the end result is that he will find a permanent family and be adopted," Bunderson said. Dini Burton, another host mother from Highland, is excited for her visit with a 9-year-old girl. During her conversation with the Daily Herald, Burton was buying books to teach her guest English. "I have been wanting to do something like this for a long time," she said. Burton said she has three grown children and isn't ready to give up the young stages of motherhood, so adoption might work for her. "I felt like there's so much more to give. I'm not ready to give up motherhood yet. I'm not ready to retire," Burton said. She's planning a craft class, trips to museums and visits to the park for the five weeks she and her guest will have together. Each weekend during their stay, the children and their host families will meet together as a group for outings across the Wasatch Front. They'll be swimming, hiking, fishing and playing games. It is at these activities that the children could meet potential adoptive families. The children visiting Utah are part of more than 80 children participating in the Summer Miracles program in cities across the country. More information about the children can be found at www.kidsaveutah.blogspot.com, or contact the group at kidsaveutah@gmail.com. This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it • Brittani Lusk can be reached at 344-2549 or at blusk@heraldextra.com |