San Diego Family November 2009 : Page 80
Homecoming for Lily and Jaden to motherhood One woman’s incredible journey Visit SanDiegoFamily.com to learn “How to Talk to Adoptive Parents.” Ronni Rowland her friend, who was adopting a daughter. After arriving at the orphanage and seeing the dire conditions and the baby’s weak state, Beth’s friend panicked and changed her mind about the adoption. Beth had felt an immediate strong O bond with the baby and decided at that moment that she wouldn’t leave China without her. The next hurdle was telling her husband, who had already raised three 80 San Diego Family Magazine ne day in 1999, Beth Nonte Russell stepped on an airplane to China. She was accompanying children to adulthood. “But as soon as I told him the story, he said, ‘Well, you have to bring her home,’” says Russell. “I’m so grateful that we were both in agreement from the beginning.” The baby legally belonged to Russell’s friend, however, so the process of “transferring” the adoption was complicated. Russell’s friend went through with the remaining paperwork in China. After they arrived home in the United States, an adoption lawyer assisted November 2009 Russell and her husband in adopting Lily—now 10 years old. Five years later, the Russells all returned to China and adopted Jaden, now 5. “We learned the meaning of true love from those trips,” says Russell. The Golden Phoenix Foundation After Russell returned from China, she and her husband felt very strongly about providing ongoing help to sandiegofamily.com
Homecoming for Lily and Jaden
Ronni Rowland
One day in 1999, Beth Nonte Russell stepped on an airplane to China. She was accompanying her friend, who was adopting a daughter.
After arriving at the orphanage and seeing the dire conditions and the baby’s weak state, Beth’s friend panicked and changed her mind about the adoption.
Beth had felt an immediate strong bond with the baby and decided at that moment that she wouldn’t leave China without her. The next hurdle was telling her husband, who had already raised three children to adulthood.
“But as soon as I told him the story, he said, ‘Well, you have to bring her home,’” says Russell.
“I’m so grateful that we were both in agreement from the beginning.” The baby legally belonged to Russell’s friend, however, so the process of “transferring” the adoption was complicated. Russell’s friend went through with the remaining paperwork in China. After they arrived home in the United States, an adoption lawyer assisted Russell and her husband in adopting Lily—now 10 years old. Five years later, the Russells all returned to China and adopted Jaden, now 5.
“We learned the meaning of true love from those trips,” says Russell.
The Golden Phoenix Foundation After Russell returned from China, she and her husband felt very strongly about providing ongoing help to Orphaned children. They founded a nonprofit organization called Golden Phoenix Foundation (www .goldenphoenixfoundation.org) whose mission is to “end child abandonment and improve living conditions for orphaned children worldwide.” Adoption is one way of helping abandoned children, but the Russells realized that focusing on adoption alone would not provide a long-term solution.
“Other solutions include finding new and healthier ways to care for and house orphaned children,” says Beth Russell.
“We are planning to establish ‘Lily Houses’ that will provide a home for 20-40 children, especially girls who were never adopted. My worry is that girls as young as 9, 10, 11 … they’re set loose onto the street. There are no halfway houses, no foster care.
It is very difficult to keep track of what happens to these girls—and I fear the worst.” To garner support for Lily Houses, the Foundation plans to support research about current conditions in orphanages and the long-term ill effects of living in substandard, institutional environments.
In addition, Russell launched GoodTrueBeautiful, Inc., (www.goodtruebeautifuline .com) a lifestyle brand of inspiring products. Its first product line is the “foreverlily” fragrance (www.foreverlily .com). A portion of the proceeds from all GoodTrueBeautiful, Inc. products will go to the Golden Phoenix Foundation.
“The focus is not on selling products,” Russell says, “but rather on generating sustainable, long-term funding for the Foundation’s projects.”
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