I just got back from a wonderful, whirlwind weekend in Seattle, where I attended the Imagine AHOPE conference for AHOPE for Children. I was one of about 16 people who joined together to share dreams and make plans for AHOPE's future. People traveled from all over the U.S., Canada and Ethiopia, and the dedication and passion was overwhelming and incredible.

What has left the biggest impression on me, is how much good has been done and how many children are having their lives changed for the better. What started because one adoption agency was tired of dumping the children referred to them who tested HIV+ back into government run orphanages with no hope for a future, has transformed into an incredible organization (through lots of twists and turns, as well as an amazing amount of love and hard work by an extremely dedicated few people).

Today, AHOPE for Children is not only providing a loving children's home for orphaned HIV+ children and providing those children with medication, education, opportunities, love and many other essential resources, they are also finding ways to bring those resources to HIV+ children and their families in the community. With their current programs having great success and the need for assistance for more and more children ever-pressing, there are plans and hopes to not only expand the current programs, but to replicate them in other parts of Ethiopia, and maybe some day other parts of Africa.

Where not very long ago the best that could be done was to try to help children live as well as possible while they were dying, now there is hope for long, full lives. Children are thriving. Some will transition into being adults in their communities. Some will be adopted and once again know the love of a family. The amount of hope that exists where there was once none, is incredible.

Now I realize that not everyone feels passionately about HIV+ orphans and I realize that not all transracial adoptive parents feel passionately about Ethiopia. The point is not that everyone needs to jump on board and support AHOPE (although please feel free to do so!) My point is that as transracial adoptive parents, I believe we have an obligation to give back some how.

Be passionate about something. Find a cause in your child's country of birth, or our own country or anywhere you feel drawn, and find a way, even if it feels very small, that you can do something. I know firsthand that often the "problems" of the world seem so big and so overwhelming that it seems there could not possibly be anything that we could do that would make much of a difference. That simply is not true. Helping even one child or one family is a very significant thing, and even the smallest act of charity can have significant and lasting impacts on a person, a family, a community and ultimately, a country. And oftentimes, small acts and small ideas blossom into things much bigger than we ever could have imagined in the beginning.

I have said before the way to helping others and attacking issues like poverty, disease, famine, etc. is much like eating the proverbial elephant. We need to go at it one small bite at a time.

I challenge you all for National Adoption month to find a way to dig into the elephant. Take a bite. Find something you can do to be passionate about that will benefit others. What a wonderful way that would be to not only celebrate National Adoption Month, but this holiday season of Thanksgiving.


*If you have not yet participated, make sure you visit this post and enter the fun giveaway for National Adoption Month thanks to Curls.

* Photo from Liquid Library