| The
Thorntons adopted their daughter Anna
Vera from Russia with the help of Alliance
for Children (SC), Inc. in Mount Pleasant.
It took lots of paperwork, meetings with
social workers, approval from the Citizenship
and Immigration Services, and two trips
to Russia to bring this bright and personable
toddler home to Mount Pleasant on July
9, 2005. She joined a family that already
included a then-six year old brother,
Aaron, who had long been waiting for a
sister. There was also a large community
of loving grandparents, aunts, uncles,
cousins, friends, and fellow church members
who were ready to welcome her home.
Since Anna Vera’s arrival, the
Thorntons have been enthusiastic advocates
for adoption. Visiting Anna Vera’s
orphanage in Moscow, Russia, made them
realize how many children wait for homes,
not only in Russia and other countries
overseas but also in the United States.
Patrick, who was adopted as an infant
in Texas, and Marchie began talking to
other families interested in adoption
to give information, encouragement and
support. They were frequent speakers at
information meetings sponsored by the
Alliance for Children. Patrick arranged
opportunities for the Alliance for Children’s
director, Anna Johnson, to speak at civic
organizations and to speak with him about
adoption at local high schools. Marchie
serves on the Advisory Board of the Alliance
for Children. They are cheerleaders for
adoption, and their efforts will result
in many more children finding loving,
permanent families in the Lowcountry.
Two years later, Anna Vera is a beautiful,
affectionate three-year old with amazing
language skills and an inquisitive, outgoing
personality. Her brother Aaron, a rising
local tennis star and a student at Palmetto
Christian Academy, has done a very good
job of sharing his parents with Anna Vera.
Marchie is a full-time mom, and Patrick
is a Dealer Area Manager with PPG Architectural
Finishes.
The Angels in Adoption program is CCAI’s
signature public awareness campaign and
provides an opportunity for all members
of the U.S. Congress to honor the good
work of their constituents who have enriched
the lives of foster children and orphans
in the U.S. and abroad.
“Our goal is to raise awareness
of the millions of orphans and foster
children in the United States and abroad
who are in need of permanent, safe, loving
homes, and we congratulate Patrick and
Marchie Thornton for their role in helping
us to achieve this goal,” said Deanna
Carlson Stacy, CCAI’s executive
director. “Thanks to Senator DeMint,
the Thorntons will receive the recognition
they deserve for their tireless efforts
in the mission of helping these children
realize their basic right to a family”.
The Alliance for Children continues to
seek South Carolina families who can open
their hearts and their homes to children
in need. Founded over 30 years ago, the
Alliance knows the difference that adoption
makes in the life of a child –and
the joy that it brings to families. The
Alliance currently has adoption programs
in Russia and Eastern Europe, in South
and Central America, and in Asia.
In addition to adoption, the Alliance
For Children Foundation, established
in 2000, is an international relief organization
dedicated to improving the physical and
emotional well being of children living
in institutions in those areas of the
world. The Foundation’s projects
in medical care, basic needs, and education
seek to heal, strengthen, and empower
the world’s most vulnerable children,
especially those who are less likely to
be adopted due to age or special needs.
Its programs provide these children with
an otherwise unattainable opportunity
for a better future.
|
Alliance is pleased to introduce our new South
Carolina branch office in Columbia, SC, and
our new Director of the South Carolina office,
Jill M. Corrigan, MSW, LISW-CP. Jill is a Certified
Adoption Investigator (SC #026-093) and a licensed
Independent Social Worker / Clinical Practice
Supervisor.
