A May 17 article on The Denver Channel website described the efforts that Michael and Kimberly McGehee have made to ensure that their adopted children remain connected with the culture into which they were born:
Though their biological parents died from AIDS, the two children tested negative for the virus. Jenna and Stephen have adjusted well to life in Colorado, but Michael and Kimberley were determined to ensure the kids didn't forget their roots.When the family traveled to Uganda in January, the money that was contributed during a number of community- and school-based fundraisers paid for a feast for the villagers, 500 pairs of shoes, and the construction of a new playground.
"We've always wanted to keep the kids connected to their culture, so we knew we had to do something," Michael said. The village in Uganda, where Jenna and Stephen were raised, is in the heart of a ghetto, covered in trash. Much of the population has been stricken by the AIDS virus and can hardly afford to eat meals regularly or clothe themselves. Despite the cost, the McGehees decided to raise money to help their children's homeland and make the trip to Uganda as a family.
Even families whose adoption stories are less dramatic than that of the McGehees are likely to experience issues related to their circumstances through which their adopted children joined the family. For teens who are continuing to struggle with these types of issues, Mount Bachelor Academy (a private boarding school in Prineville, Oregon) provides an innovative and effective therapeutic program for adopted students.
Labels: international, adopted children
Posted By: Aspen/CRC
