(KUTV) SALT LAKE CITY A life changing experience for a group of Utah families and children from the Ukraine.
Looking to make a difference in a country with 60,000 homeless children the “Save A Child Foundation,” focuses on placing children ages 6 through 15 into homes.
24 children from the Ukraine have just arrived here at the Salt Lake City International Airport, it has been a long trip. They were delayed by two days and while they are excited to meet their host families, this is still a pretty scary experience for some of them.
“Welcome kids...I’m excited, you will have a good experience, I love you,” says Elizabeth Garrett in Russian. Elizabeth was adopted out of the Ukraine and felt at one time much like these children do.
The Save A Child Foundation has paired up children with host families with the hopes that many will be adopted.
“We were exposed to the need over there,” says Vern Garrett from the Save A Child Foundation.
The Garrett family, who has adopted two girls and plan to adopt a third from the Ukraine, created this opportunity for the children.
“Our host families are our diamonds,” says Vern. “Without them we can’t do this.”
Some are already thinking adoption.
“We are very open to that,” says Jenae Price one of the host families. She has a family of all boys who are excited for a sister.
“Because sisters help you a lot and they aren’t messy,” says 10-year-old Tyler Price from one of the host families.
“I’m very excited,” says Elizabeth. “I don’t know them, but I’m just shaking!”
“I’ll take such good care of you!” says one potential parent.
“That’s her in the green!” says another excitedly.
“They’re so precious,” says another hopeful mother.
‘The birth of their child’ are words used to describe the feeling here.
Though most of them will face a language barrier it doesn’t matter. To simply say “family” is nothing compared to feeling it.
Elizabeth Garrett describes how it felt when she first met her parents, “It was very exciting. I was happy to have parents because it was my whole life’s dream, to have parents.”
The children will stay with the families for a couple of weeks. Then, due to legalities, they’ll have to go back to the Ukraine. But the families will then have the option to pursue adoption of the kids they met today.
The same group hosted families last year and more than 90 percent of the children were adopted after the visit.
For more information visit: www.saveachild.cc
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