Kidsave, a global children’s charity that advocates for and supports the adoption of older children growing up in orphanages and foster care, including 12-year-old Matt who is currently living with a host family in Stevenson Ranch, is kickstarting their Summer Miracles Program, in which families in the United States open their hearts and homes to kids from Colombia for five weeks.

“We’re hosting Matt, who dreams of finding his forever family with a loving mom, dad and older siblings,” said Matt’s host parent, Priscilla Tarkington, in an email. “Matt is a songbird. He loves to sing and dazzle everyone with his melodic voice. In school, his favorite subjects are math and science. He’s described as “easygoing” by his friends and is known for his love of animals.”

Kidsave’s Summer Miracles program is a five-week program that allows orphans from Colombia to travel to the U.S. and stay with host families. While the children are here, they learn about American culture, attend summer camp, and connect with the community. Families that are part of our hosting program can do so from anywhere in the U.S.

This year, children will be staying in 15 different states: California, Texas, Minnesota, New York, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, Montana, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Colorado, Indiana, Washington, Virginia and Washington, D.C. They have been here since July 8 and will stay until Aug. 12.

The Summer Miracles program aims to help children find forever families. Many of the organization’s host families are considering international adoption and many move forward with adopting the child staying with them at the end of the hosting period. However, if the family does not choose to proceed with the adoption, they still advocate for the child to help find the right family for them.

Tarkington said she hopes Matt’s time in the United States will bring him closer to finding a forever home.

“As an older kid, his chances of finding an adoptive family in Colombia are slim to none,” Tarkington said. “We are hoping that his visit with us will allow Matt to find an adoptive family in the U.S. who will love and take care of him.”

For more information, visit www.kidsave.org or contact Lauren Reicher Gordon at either (310) 642-7201 or lauren@kidsave.org.

Kidsave is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Kidsave develops model programs and creates policies to help children who are often overlooked or forgotten in foster care and orphanages meet adoptive families. Through Kidsave’s Family Visit programs, host families welcome a child into their home and then work with Kidsave to use their networks, circles of influence, and the local media to introduce the child to a family that will adopt them. Our programs operate in the United States, Ukraine, Colombia and Sierra Leone.