Children's Hope International Timeline

Fifteen Years of Giving Homes, Health and Hope

1992- China opens up to international adoption. While moving from Beijing to Tulsa , Dwyatt Gantt, along with  Melody Zhang in China , finalizes 14 adoptions.

1993-  Gantt moves to St. Louis , Missouri and Zhang immigrates to the United States, to help continue and expand adoptions of Chinese orphans to American families.  Due to a Chinese moratorium, only 20 adoptions were completed.     

1994-  Out of a St. Louis apartment office, adoptions triple to 66.

1995-  Additional staff is hired and moved into new space for Children’s Hope International headquarters. 240 Chinese orphans are united with their forever families.

1996-  Added several branch offices across the United States . Also added a Russian adoption program. Total international adoptions: 304

1997- The Cascade Adoption Agency in Portland becomes a part of Children’s Hope. New programs for India , Guatemala and Vietnam are developed. Adoptions for the year, 349.

1998-  Some changes in China ’s adoption procedures drops adoptions to 220.

1999-  Adoptions edge back up to 257 as the Chinese open up again and new international programs pick up steam.

2000-  Children’s Hope International is one of the first agencies accredited in Russia . More staff is added to handle 389 adoptions.

2001-  New Branches are added in four cities as the staff grows to 71 in the United States and internationally. Colombia is a new CHI country. Children’s Hope Foundation launched to handle humanitarian projects.  513 adoptions

2002-  The number of adoptions this year totals 689 with over $1.7 million going to orphan and humanitarian needs in all six of our countries.

2003-  While 718 children were placed with loving families, Children's Hope laid the ground work for new program in Kazakhstan that opened on January 1, 2004 .

2004-  With 443 adoptions from China and 230 Adoptions from Russia , Children’s Hope found homes for 816 children in 2004.

2005- Office building purchased in St. Louis for CHI headquarters, as well as Nashville, TN and Beijing China.  Expansion of our child sponsorship program. For the year 744 children were placed in loving homes. Of those nearly 500 were children from China.

2006-  Launch of Children’s Hope’s Orphan Sponsorship program while completing 715 adoptions.