 In the decades since Bertha Holt and her husband made the choice to open their hearts and home to eight children from Korea, the world of adoption has undergone significant changes. Several of these changes are due in great part to their tremendous example. Mrs. Holt’s willingness to challenge the notion that family’s love could be confined by national or racial barriers changed the face of adoption in America. Because of her courage and tenacity, hundreds of thousands of children from other countries have found families. Bertha Holt helped the world to realize that there is no such thing as an “unadoptable” child, there are only “unfound” families. From this day forward, the organization which bears her name will continue to make the dream of a family a reality for every child. Without her, thousands of disabled and orphaned children would have gone through life never having experienced the healing power of being loved. There is no way to fully explain the impact this astounding and determined woman had on the lives of children throughout the world. Perhaps the greatest testament of her legacy is that the children whose lives she touched, either indirectly or directly, will remember her as “Grandma.” Like a grandmother, she loved them, cared for them and most importantly, she taught them the true meaning of family. May she rest in peace.
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