Her Cup Runneth Over: An International Adoption Story

Cathy Kenny was first introduced to the idea of adoption by a book she read in middle school. It was about a family who had one boy and couldn’t have any more. They decided to adopt many children from many different cultures over a period of several years. The book told how the family made it work through love and the strength of the family. “I think that was probably the first time I came to understand that there were others without families,” says Cathy.

Born in Daytona Beach, Florida, Cathy was the eldest of four children and the first girl born in four generations. Cathy loved her get-togethers and couldn’t imagine not having an extended family. At that time, Cathy was unaware of the plights of orphans and the poor living conditions that these children endure. All she knew is that she wanted to share her family and extended family with a child who didn’t have any of these things.

The Kennys with their daughters.

When Cathy started dating and was looking for someone to share her life, she knew one of the most important things would be to find someone interested in adopting. “Not because I thought I couldn’t have children,” explains Cathy. “I just knew that I wanted to meet a man with that kind of open heart. Adoption was something I knew I would do when I could. It was never a matter of ‘if’, but ‘when.’”

For Cathy, her “when” is now.

Cathy married into a family that is already familiar with adoption and very open to it. Her husband, Pete, has been around adoption for most of his life. His two cousins were adopted and he has an adopted sister. His philosophy on adoption mirrors Cathy’s. “Simply put, we don’t want to see any child go without a family,” says Pete.

Cathy and Pete Kenny have decided to pursue international adoption—a costly and lengthy process—and are looking at the country of Ukraine. “We would love to be able to adopt two boys,” says Cathy. Although adopting two children would essentially double their adoption costs, which can be in excess of $25,000 per child, Cathy says that adopting two has always been their intention. “Children in orphanages form bonds with other children. Having a child be separated from his parents, only to again be separated from [his] friend, would be emotionally devastating,” explains Cathy. “Adopting two children will allow the child and friend to retain their connection, their language and culture, and ultimately make their transition to the U.S. and our family a little easier.”

The couple began collecting personal papers about a year and a half ago. Finally, with enough money in hand to make an initial payment to the adoption agency, the Kennys were told that Ukraine is reorganizing their government adoption offices and agencies, subsequently resulting in further delays. Cathy and Pete have now found out that the government offices are still processing, just a bit slower than expected. The waiting game continues.

Cathy says that this unexpected delay now pushes their efforts until sometime next year. “Because Pete is a teacher, he only has a couple of times during the year when his teaching schedule at NCSU would permit the extended stay out of country,” explains Cathy. “Since we’ve missed this year’s summer break, we’re now into next year’s timeframe.” This delay also means that some of the Kenny’s completed paperwork will be out of date and will have to be refiled. Another setback may be the Kennys’ desire to adopt two children. Ukraine doesn’t adopt out more than one child at a time unless they are siblings. If Cathy and Pete aren’t able to adopt siblings, the entire paperwork process will have to be repeated and all new fees will have to be paid for the second child.

Despite their setbacks, Cathy says that she and Pete are blessed by the outpouring of family and community support they’ve received. Greek Life at NCSU has raised thousands of dollars through various on-campus fundraisers and Cathy will be selling some crafts at Hope Community Church’s Arts and Crafts Fair in November. The couple also plans to put several donated items on e-Bay for auction.

Cathy describes the entire experience as an emotional rollercoaster, but says that her faith and meeting her “two boys” keep her going. “I can’t wait to experience everything with them,” says Cathy. “Their first plane ride, shopping for clothes and shoes, first time meeting their little sisters and the girls meeting them. I just hope I have enough film!”

The couple has set up Orphans’ Rescue, a non-profit foundation designed to help them cover their adoption expenses. It is both Cathy and Pete’s hope that once their adoption has been funded, Orphans’ Rescue will continue to raise money to help other couples adopt abroad. To find out more information or to check on the Kennys’ fundraising progress, visit www.orphansrescue.com.