Guatemala 900 / Izzie Visits the Big Apple!

Hi Friends,

I hope you are enjoying your summers!

Last weekend, Jaimie, Izzie, and I spent an awesome weekend in New York visiting our great friends Ellora and Gary and their three kids, who were all adopted from the same orphanage as Izzie. Izzie had an absolute blast playing with her old friends. After leaving their apartment on the first night of our visit, Izzie shouted "Fun!" as the door closed behind us. It was so indescribable to enjoy the company of our friends in a relaxing setting right where we should be - the good old U.S.A.! What a sweet reward after enduring months of intense stress and truly scary times together in Guatemala!

Of course, our free and easy feeling was tempered by disbelief and anger that about 900 American families are STILL - yes, STILL fighting to get their children home. These families' adoption processes were supposedly "grandfathered" when Guatemala closed down in 2007; however, their children continue to be stuck in the incredible mess that Guatemalan adoption has become.

I have a true admiration for Gary and Ellora because although all three of their kids have made it home, they are continuing to spearhead the fight to get ALL the remaining children to their rightful homes. They have created an initiative called "The Guatemala 900," which is a multi-pointed plan of action to influence lawmakers in the U.S. as well as those that hold power in Guatemala to do the right thing by these precious kids. Somewhere along the way, many powerful people lost sight of the fact that these children are human beings who deserve to go to the permanent, loving families that are anxiously waiting for them. These kids are getting older and older in temporary foster care or in institutions, which is obviously not a healthy way to grow up.

I know that so many of you campaigned and wrote letters during Izzie's arduous journey home, and that we all heaved an enormous sigh of relief when she finally made it here. I am humbly asking that you help once again by participating in any way you can in The Guatemala 900. Depending on where you live, there are opportunities for participating in candlelight vigils, a march, and of course, letter writing. Please visit the website www.guatemala900.org and explore the various ways you can help. There will be a big push between June 15-19 to influence our U.S. Congress, so please check the site as soon as you can.

Thank you so much for continuing to follow our blog. Jaimie, Izzie, and I got our happy ending, but I deeply feel the anguish of my friends who are being denied theirs. I think of the kids I lived with in the orphange who are simply not allowed to go home, and it makes me crazy with anger and frustration. Please help them!

Thank you! To say that you have been angels to these children is no understatement!

Love,

Kathy

P.S. - (To see more pictures of our adventures in the Big Apple, you can access my Facebook album here.)