The 12-year-old girl from Colombia has large brown eyes, a
ready smile and laugh, a talent for art, and a love of her
Catholic faith. What she doesn’t have is a forever family.
Maria Camila, who goes by “Cami,” was abandoned by her
parents and has been bounced around in the Colombian foster
care system for years. “Her life has been hard –
heartbreakingly hard,” said Mary Beth Long, a parishioner of
Blessed Sacrament Church in Alexandria.
Long, her husband and their two children opened their home to
Cami for four weeks through Summer Miracles, a collaborative
effort of Kidsave and Catholic Charities of Baltimore.
Kidsave is an international nonprofit that matches older
children living in orphanages and foster care homes with
parents in the United States. The Longs worked with a
Catholic Charities social worker to prepare for the visit,
and the organization assessed the family’s home, processed
paper work and provided training.
Summer Miracles, one of several Kidsave programs, arranges
for Colombian children to spend four to five weeks on
vacation with a U.S. family and experience an array of
educational and cultural activities. The host family
eventually may adopt the child or – through the family’s
social and church networks and weekly Kidsave-hosted events –
introduce them to others wishing to adopt.
Long said the goal is for children like Cami to have “as many
opportunities as possible to find a mom and dad.”
“I could see us being her perspective family, but I want to
find the best scenario for her,” she said.
Even if a child is not adopted, the time in the United States
is still beneficial, according to Bonnie Williams, Kidsave
development manager. “It’s a chance for them to see something
different and to travel,” she said.
Kidsave provides medical, mental health and dental care for
the children and continues to advocate on their behalf if
they do not find a permanent family.
Most children do, however. Since 1999, more than 1,700
children have participated in the summer program and more
than 80 percent have found families as a result.
Long learned of Kidsave at a neighborhood gathering last
winter and was immediately interested. “Whether or not we
could adopt, I thought maybe we could help a child,” Long
said.
When she went to her husband, Bill, “he quickly realized that
our hearts were big enough and open enough to offer hope to a
child with none,” Long wrote on a blog dedicated to the
hosting experience.
The final decision to host was based on faith. “I felt like
it was our calling as Catholics, as something we could do to
give back,” said Long. “We’d been given so much in our lives,
and we wanted to extend that in some way to another.”
Cami arrived with a Kidsave chaperone in late July, one of
seven Colombian children hosted through Kidsave this summer
by families in the Washington metro region.
Greeting Cami at the airport, the family was struck by how
polite and gracious she was. “Despite such a hard life, she’s
this beautiful, sweet girl,” said Long.
The language barrier created initial challenges, but Cami’s
English and the family’s Spanish has improved with time – and
often-funny mistakes.
An effort to translate “sleeping eye mask” through Google
Translate turned into a phrase about a blind elephant.
“Everyone was laughing so hard,” recalled Long, adding that
certain things transcend language. “Laughter, love, hugs –
they don’t need a translation,” she said.
Over the course of the summer, Cami has been exposed to many
activities American children, especially in wealthy Northern
Virginia, take for granted: visiting museums, shopping in
malls, sleeping in hotels and swimming in the ocean.
The family also gave her a belated birthday party, complete
with cake, balloons and festive hats.
The past few weeks have been an “unforgettable” experience,
said Long, and she’s continually inspired by the 12-year-old.
“She’s funny and very kind and nurturing. If one of the kids
falls, she’s right by their side asking, ‘Are you OK?'”
Long said there will be many prayers after Cami leaves Aug.
1, as the family decides if it is meant to adopt her.
Back in Colombia, Cami will have time to share her thoughts
on the summer trip and to “debrief after everything,” said
Long, who hopes more local families will host children and
help connect them with potential parents.
A few weeks after Cami returns to Colombia, the Longs or
another family in the States may begin the adoption process.
Long said she worries about Cami, but she’s trusting that
“God knows what’s supposed to be.”
Her prayer, she said, is for Cami to find “the best home for
her – for good.”
Find out more
To learn more about Kidsave and hosting or adopting a child
through the organization, go here.
