MY STORY

I was abandoned in a street in Seoul, S. Korea when I was one month old. On April 20th, 1967, I was taken to City Baby Home; an orphanage run by Holt International Children's Services. I spent several months in the orphanage, and then with a foster mother. On November 29th, 1967, When I was eight months old; I was on a plane bound for Seattle, Washington. A business man held me on the flight and handed me to my waiting parents in the Seattle/Tacoma International Airport.

This picture is of me when I arrived at City Baby Home. No name, just a number pinned to my little chest.



After I was given a physical (by Dr. Cho), and taken in by Holt, I was given the name "Kim, Chang-Hee" and a birth date was decided on as well. The sir name "Kim" came from the man running the orphanage at the time.

My first trip back to Korea was with my parents in 2000. Holt set-up a meeting for us with Dr. Byung-Kuk Cho. She was the head pediatrician at the orphanage back in 1967. It was an amazing link to my past. It was conveyed to my parents that I was probably Amer-Asian or half-Korean. My documents said I was a "Korean White Female."  I asked Dr. Cho what she thought? She looked right at me and without hesitation said, "you are full Korean." She explained how back then, they would say we were "white" or "fair skinned" in order to get us adopted.

Myself, my parents and Dr. Cho went to a tea house to sit and talk. All the time she touched me, hugged me, and told me I was one of her babies! which I very much felt like.

(my mother, Dr. Cho and our interpreter/guide Kee-Chol)

At the end of our visit, Dr. Cho gave me a small pair of silk shoes. She told me these were to symbolize the journey I made back to Korea and into her arms again. Dr. Cho is the "godmother of adopted children." She has since retired from her medical practice, but still volunteers with Holt to this day.

I am hopeful that during this trip, I will be reunited with Dr. Cho; and I hope to make her proud that I came back to volunteer at Ilsan Center.

A LEGACY OF LOVE IN KOREA

Holt’s legacy began in Korea when Harry and Bertha Holt adopted eight beautiful children in 1955. The Holt’s understood that children need families more than anything else, and they could not forget the thousands of children who remained in orphanages. In 1956 the Holts established an adoption program in Korea.

Today Holt International Children’s Services in the United States and Holt Children’s Services of Korea continue as partner agencies assisting the homeless children of Korea, until they can go home to loving, permanent families.

Holt’s foster care program in Korea is an international model for loving, temporary care of children. In addition Holt has an extensive array of programs such as a world-class center for the care and development of disabled children, a highly developed post adoption services program and Heritage Tours for adoptees and their families.

ILSAN CENTER

The Holt Ilsan Center is a residential care facility, which began as a modest set of buildings built by Harry Holt after the Korean War, to care for disabled and homeless children. Several of the structures that he built are still in use today. Currently, Ilsan serves the needs of approximately 300 residents, ranging in age from toddlers to adults. Most of the residents have some sort of disability, and receive therapy and training to overcome obstacles that they may face. They live in group-home settings, and receive care from dedicated staff, and our overseas volunteers assist the residents and staff in daily activities, outings, and special events.

Volunteers live on-site, and may work with resident staff, but are primarily given responsibilities that they carry out without constant supervision. Volunteers must be able to serve in Korea for one to three months. Volunteering is a tremendous opportunity to help others, to learn about Korea, and to make a difference in the world.