Women's History Month: Bertha Holt Paves the Way for International AdoptionMarch 17, 2008 |
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 Adopting children from other countries has become a common practice of Americans. But before 1955, foreign adoptions were a rarity. It was Betha Holt, "Grandma" as she is known to many, who, along with her husband Harry, paved the way for American families to care for orphaned children around the world. Holt International now helps thousands of children in 12 countries find homes both within and outside their home countries.Born in 1904 in De Moines, Iowa, Holt was the fourth of nine children in her family. Her father was a school teacher and a postman, and her family owned and operated a farm, selling the fruits and vegetables. Holt went to the University of Iowa, graduating with a combined liberal arts and nursing degree, and a minor in education. In 1927, she married Harry Holt, a wheat farmer. She and Harry soon bought land, built a house, and began raising their family. The Great Depression forced them to relocate to Oregon's Willamette River Valley, where Harry began a prosperous sawmill company. There Holt had the last two of her six birth children. In 1954 the couple, while lounging at home, watched a documentary on the Korean orphanages set up after the Korean War. They were moved by the orphans' plight. As devout Christians, the Holts determined that God was calling them to service, and that it was their duty to bring Korean children into their home. A short two months later, Congress passed the "Holt bill," allowing the Holts to adopt eight Korean orphans. It was an unprecedented act of kindness that inspired many fellow Americans to do the same. That year the Holts founded the Holt Agency, which in time became Holt International, financed solely by them to help facilitate the overseas adoptions of Korean orphans. After Harry's death in 1964, Grandma Holt continued to lead the organization, advocating for homeless and special needs children worldwide. Through her leadership, Holt International grew to reach 12 countries, partnering with governmental and non-governmental organizations to help prevent child abuse and abandonment as well as to facilitate adoptions. Holt International has assisted groups like the Policy Committee of the Child Welfare League of America and was instrumental in drafting the Code of Ethics of the Joint Council on International Children's Services. Grandma Holt died in July 2000 at the age of 96. In her lifetime she had received more than 47 awards, including the National Mother of the Year in 1965, given by President Lyndon Johnson, the Korean Order of Merit Award in 1995, and the Hannah Neil World of Children Award in 2000. |
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