Community helps family dig financial tunnel to Chinese orphan
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RONAN – Community members are chipping in to help a family that has spent much of the past year scraping together every penny they can in hopes of giving a foreign orphan a chance at having a family.
Heather and Barnaby Smith of Ronan had thought about adoption in between having birth daughters, Helen and Hailey, but the schoolteachers didn’t seriously commit to the idea until another local family brought home a young girl from China.
“It never seemed like the right time,” Heather said.
The girl was an older orphan on a track to likely not be adopted and “age out” of the system by age 14 or 16, as many foreign orphans do, without ever having experienced the love and nurturing of a family. Studies done by UNICEF indicate these children are more likely to not get an education, be trafficked into slavery, be perpetually homeless or forced into marriages if they age out of the system.
The young lady brought back to Ronan by the Smith’s friends was thankful for her new family, and she wanted to pay her fortune forward by sharing her story, and the story of older orphans like her, with her church.
The entire Smith family was in tears by the end of the presentation, and especially moved by the story of a Chinese orphan named Emily. In a video, Emily talked about how families came to the orphanage and always left with the cute babies, many times without ever even looking at the rooms full of older children.
“She said the older orphans kept wondering ‘when is it going to be my turn?’” Heather said, tearing up at the memory.
Everyone in the Smith family agreed that adopting Emily was the right way to go, despite the $48,000 price tag attached to the adoption.
“We talked to our friends and they pointed out that if you wait because of finances, it will never be the right time,” Barnaby said.
So the Smiths started fundraising and put in an application with the intent to adopt Emily. By that time, Emily had found a home with another family, but the Smiths still felt called to give an older child a home. Heather began homeschooling the children and the family knew raising the funds on a single-income would be tough, but they got creative.
Barnaby is an art teacher for the Ronan School District and while teaching at summer camps, he got the idea of selling some block printing work that he had been teaching the kids to do. He also sold other clay and pendant art.
The Smiths have had garage sales and manned fairs and festivals to help with the cause. The family seasoned popcorn with sriracha lime, smoking sweet chili, cocoa chocolate cookies, and rhubarb raspberry, and sold the creations for the adoption fund.
Helen, 12, made more than 100 bracelets that were sold, and the girls put up signs around the neighborhood saying they would be willing to do yardwork.
People around the Smiths took note.
“I have been really humbled in how the community has been so supportive,” Heather said.
The family had a Chinese New Year feed and folks came from all over to donate. A friend gave rare African sculptures from Zimbabwe to be sold. Church members organized fundraisers.
The Smiths likened it to the old catch phrase about digging to China.
“People give us $5 and say it isn’t much, but it is a huge help,” Heather said. “It is another shovelful to get us to China.”
By early 2016, the Smiths hope they can travel to an orphanage to meet and bring home their 10-year-old girl, who will get to pick an American name once she comes to Ronan.
Once she gets to the United States, there will be a lot of adjusting, including overcoming language and cultural barriers.
“With an older child you don’t have to worry about changing diapers, but there are other challenges,” Barnaby explained.
But the family believes all the toil for fundraising and the huge stack of paperwork they have to go through will be worth getting to see their new daughter and new sister. They have $41,000 left to raise, and hope to have one or two events per month in the fall and winter to help raise funds.
In addition, folks can donate to the Smith Adoption fund at Glacier Bank or through the website at http://www.youcaring.com/barnaby-heather-smith-12-yrs-old-orphan-girl-in-china-382797
Church members have also organized a mom-dad’s night off, where parents can pay to leave their children at Lighthouse Christian Fellowship in Ronan on Friday, Aug. 21 from 5 until 9 p.m. Cost is $20 per child aged 1-11, or $50 for a sibling group of three or more. Cost will include dinner and fun activities. Contact Leah Johnson at 406-381-0185 with questions or to reserve a spot for your child/children. Reservations need to be made no later than Aug. 20.
More information about the adoption can be obtained by contacting Barnaby at Barnaby_23@hotmail.com
