For 50th Anniversary of Holt Ilsan Center, Molly Holt Honored « Holt International – Blog

For 50th Anniversary of Holt Ilsan Center, Molly Holt Honored « Holt International – Blog:

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Molly Holt, daughter of Harry and Bertha, helps celebrate 50 years of the Holt Ilsan Center in Korea

By Robert Lee (robert@heraldm.com)

Published in The Korean Herald, 12/11/2011

Molly Holt (left) gives a special thanks to Debbie Dunham, with her adopted son Drew (right), for their support of the Holt Ilsan Center in Gyeonggi Province on Thursday at the center’s 50th anniversary. (Holt Ilsan Center)

ILSAN — She’s known by many names, from the Mother Teresa of Korea to the Mother of all Korea’s Orphans — and 55 years on she is still living up to them. Molly Holt, chairwoman of Holt Children’s Services, was not only a witness to the nation’s rise from the ashes of the Korean War. Because of her selfless heart, she was knee deep in it. “I kept on delaying my college, because there was so much to do here, so much poverty, so much ignorance and so many babies died,” said Holt, referring to when she first arrived here in 1956. “The Busan city asked me to go to this one orphanage where they had a lot of deaths,” said the daughter of Harry and Bertha Holt, who founded the nation’s largest adoption agency at the time. Armed only with her nursing skills, a pure heart and a selfless will to care for others, Holt simply could not leave the country in need, which is why she decided to spend the rest of her life here. And at the Holt Ilsan Center’s 50-year anniversary on Thursday, volunteers, residents and special adoptee guests recognized how far the organization had come and what Holt has done for it.

“We truly appreciate her dedication, just like her parents,” said Kim Hanson, a 44-year-old adoptee. “The whole focus of her life is what will be good for the children. That is the only thing that she thinks about. If it is good for the children she will be absolutely all over it,” said Lee Soo-yeon, a director at the center. And it is that focus which means she will do anything for her residents. According to some at the center, Holt has slept on the floor and given up her bed for residents in need. “She is an angel, to have such a big heart to reach out to so many needed individuals, we cannot put into words,” said Kimberly Armstrong, unable to finish the sentence as she fought back tears. The 55-year-old from Oregon is one of the first wave of Korean adoptees. Living at the center, Holt still utilizes her medical expertise and love to help the some 300 adults and children with disabilities living at the center. “She is part of the medical discussion when we first receive residents as to whether or not they require surgery or other special considerations,” said Lee. “We have what we call evaluation clinics, where we determine what is for their (residents) future, because we want as many of them to become independent,” said Holt, who personally overseas the clinics. And since she is the chairwoman of the board, the clinics are only the tip of the iceberg.

“I’ve put my nose into every little corner,” said Holt with a giggle, adding that her first priority has always been adoption for the children with disabilities. But despite Holt’s efforts some things do not work out as hoped. “We have to do our best when they can’t be adopted because they are too severely disabled or have personality problems, or mental problems,” said Holt. By hearing her fondest memories one can see how much the children and residents really mean to her. “When the young people come back and say thank you, and you can see how they have married and had children,” replied Holt when asked about her fondest memories. But herein lies one of her biggest disappointments as well. “I have yet to meet an adult Holt domestic adoptee, they are all secret,” said Holt, referring to the some 25,000 children adopted through the service. However during the anniversary ceremony, Holt was able to meet adoptees of all ages, who came to celebrate the center.

Click here to view the article originally published in The Korean Herald.

To read about Holt’s history and current work in South Korea, click here.

The Korean War Baby was also 'one of the first wave' being number A-20 and on the first planeload of children to leave Korea on May 21st, of 1956. One of several Mixed-blood orphans but most were of full blood, both parents being Korean. DID IT MATTER? No, but thousands of children, who could not and would not be adopted legally by Korean people, were wandering the streets of the cities of war-torn Korea. That was the conditions at the end of the war, and as the country struggled to get back on its feet children continued to be left in public places because parents or mothers could not take care of them. This is just the sad truth, they did not 'hate' them but rather many, not all, of them gave them up for the hope and belief that they would have a better life. As time went by, Korea has continued to grow and prosper, yet children continued to be given up for many reasons. Unwed mothers still have extreme difficulty in raising their children because of the social and family rejection, government support is sparse, being an 'orphan' is equal to being unwanted and flawed according to the common beliefs. If a child is FLAWED, premature, Disabled physically or mentally they are rejected and 95% of Disabled Children are sent abroad. Koreans are not horrible people but the ability and social prejudices cause even Christians and Buddhists to have second thoughts on adopting a disabled child. THIS IS WHY continuing to give these children a home is the RIGHT THING TO DO!!! Until the society changes and gives them hope and equality then InterCountry Adoptions (ICA or Overseas or International) must continue. The Korean War Baby is hopeful that CHANGE CONTINUES in the land of the morning calm, that Family Preservation IF POSSIBLE continues, that a Multi-level Plan continue to be done, that IN-Country adoptions be more OPEN and at least the adoptee be told both in SECRET Civil Code Law and Domestic Adoptions (Please read the Korean Women's Development Institute's reports on my blog for the facts).

I thank all the social workers who have tried to help children to find a home. PERIOD. They are not monsters, nor did they take part in some conspiracy to sell children into 'slavery', as some would proclaim and accuse them of doing. Certainly there are cases where Families of mothers (See how I don't always use Birth mother) actually took the child and gave him away (See "Resilience") without the mother's knowledge or approval. Safeguards have been set up since to try and prevent such cases but more needs to be done and in the technical advances of our day there should be checks to insure a child is really relinquished. Yet, Civil Code Law Adoptions permit secret adoption with not even background checks, no guidelines whatsoever, should this be allowed? Only the Korean people can decide to stop this practice where even the adoptee is not told-imagine the shock when and if they find out with all the issues of "Why me".

There are no quick fixes and each case warrants careful study in the present. We all need to work together not point the finger and use a few cases to try and stop ICA when in fact the Korean people are not yet ready to "take care of their own". The KWB hopes and prays that days comes when there is no need for adoption, no need for foster homes, families stay together, there is no divorce with children, etc. etc. We must be practical though and find the best solutions, until that day comes.