I will be traveling back to my orphanage in Latvia at the end of the month. For those that have followed along my previous journeys or that have donated in the past, we were able to do some amazing things. We upgraded playground equipment, took the kids out on field trips, bought clothes, toys, lawn equipment, and so much more. I am forever grateful for your generosity.

For those of you that are new to this, I was born in Eastern Europe to a Gypsy woman. There are varying accounts of how I arrived at the orphanage but I was either A) abandoned or B) forcibly taken by the government when I was 2 years old. The only constant is that I ended up in a hospital, and afterwards was placed in an orphanage in Riga, Latvia. I lived there for nearly 3 years while the government tried to find a local family to adopt me. No one wanted a Gypsy child. After a few years, the government allowed me to be adopted internationally, and I was blessed to be adopted by an American family in July, 1997. They couldn’t speak my language, and I couldn’t speak theirs, but they opened their home to me. I started kindergarten that August, learned to read in 2nd grade, and the rest is history.

The orphanage has evolved over the years, and is now home to orphan children that have special needs (physical & psychological). The chances these children get adopted are significantly lower than your average orphan, which means that they are most likely to live the rest of their lives dependent on the state. There is power in numbers. I am once again asking for your financial support. Any donation, big or small will have a positive impact and will go directly to these children & facilities.

I will do the normal shopping experience of toys/clothes for the kids, as well as an excursion or two. The orphanage has shared with me a wishlist of items that it needs in case you want to sponsor a specific purchase.

As always I will document this Journey on Social Media