On March 29, 2010, I witnessed something extraordinary. A little boy named Alexander, with his shiny new saddle shoes and adorable pinstriped jacket, sparkling eyes and infectious grin, stood next to a very deserving set of parents–Ross Haskell and Jean Griffith–as the judge officially made him their son. And right in front of me, a family was created.
It was an unforgettable moment. And one that I feel incredibly privileged to have been a part of.
Alex first came into my life through photos. Ross and I worked together at a small software company in Wichita, Kansas. As he and Jean navigated the lengthy and often challenging journey of adopting a child from Haiti, Ross would provide updates to our team and share photos after each of their trips. We learned about Haitian culture, the people, the food, the travel, the government and the orphanage where Alex lived. We learned about Jamie and Ali McMutrie, two American women dedicated to the children at the orphanage and to the families going through the adoption process.
On January 12, 2010, the unthinkable happened. As news of the earthquake in Haiti spread across the internet, I was paralyzed at my desk. I remember Ross making phone call after phone call, waiting for news. We were all barely holding it together. Until Alex, Haiti was just a faraway place to me. But now, it was a little boy. It was an orphanage full of children. It was a country full of people in utter devastation. And the tears began to fall.
The worst part was the feeling of helplessness. If only I could fly down there, I thought, racking my brain for a way to DO SOMETHING. I’m not very good at being idle. So I did what I knew how to do. I took to the Internet.
I blogged about the earthquake and shared the story of the orphanage online. And then I took that message to Twitter. It started small, but soon I was a part of a large community of people using social media to spread the word about what was happening in Haiti. Led by Pittsburgh journalist Virginia Montanez, whose blog became our main source of information, we were loud and difficult to ignore and we were committed to using technology at a time when we couldn’t physically provide aid. It was our collective noise that eventually led to a CNN crew bringing water and supplies to the orphanage. It was that noise that helped drive the rescue mission that brought the kids to the U.S., where they received care and, for many, the chance to be reunited with their adoptive families. And it’s that noise that continues to champion for the people of Haiti and provide support to Jamie and Ali.
My experience that January proved that even behind my keyboard, I could still make a difference.
When I sat in that courtroom a few months later and watched Alex with his new parents, my heart swelled. It still does every time I see a new set of photos of him on Facebook, laughing and playing, dressing up for Halloween or digging into a birthday cake. His life is so full and so rich and he is so very loved.
Now, when I hear about Haiti and I read about the work of Haitian Families First, I don’t see a faraway island. I see a little boy. And I see hope.
–Shea Sylvia is a Senior Social Media Strategist for MMGY Global. You can read more about Shea at her blog, That’s What Shea Said.
Comments