Batavia family grateful its adopted son survived earthquake

The world is organizing to aid Japan in its recovery, but stories about Haiti won’t soon fade away. The series in the Daily Herald last week by photographer Mark Welsh about his experiences in that country were a reminder that many miracles occurred in the aftermath of the Jan. 12, 2010 tragedy in Haiti.

No one knows this better than Roxanne and Jim Malley of Batavia, who were months into the process of adopting a baby boy from Haiti before the earthquake hit. In an ironic twist, it was the earthquake that sped up an adoption process that otherwise could have taken 4 to 5 years.

It resulted in an orphan from Haiti named Dave becoming part of the Malley family a year ago. Today he is a well-adjusted, happy 3-year-old and avid Blackhawks fan.

“When he first came here last year, he was exposed to the Blackhawks winning the Stanley Cup and he has been nuts about hockey ever since,” Roxanne Malley said.

Plenty of anxious moments unfolded for the Malley family in its attempts to get Dave out of Haiti, especially after the earthquake.

“We had two children who were well past the baby stage, and we just felt it was a calling from God that we adopt a child from Haiti,” Malley said. “We had sponsored a visit by a Haitian girl in the past, and some friends in St. Charles, Joe and Michelle Chiarro, had two boys from Haiti and they told us what orphanage to deal with and gave us a lot of tips.”

Those tips led to the Malley family choosing baby Dave from photos of children at an American-based orphanage in Haiti called Three Angels Orphanage.

“From the time he was 5 months old, we had this child waiting for us,” Malley explained. “But the process for adopting was so long, and we were being told it could be four or five years.”

Changes in that process occurred about two weeks before the earthquake, when the Malleys were informed they could visit and possibly bring Dave home much sooner. But then the earthquake hit.

“We were waiting on pins and needles after that because we knew Dave was alive, but the kids from the orphanage were living outside and they were running out of food,” Malley said.

After the founder of the orphanage was able to secure several children and have them cleared by the U.S. Embassy, there was still a problem in finding a plane. A connection with Rick Hendrick of Hendrick Motorsports racing team paid off, Malley said, as he provided a private plane to bring the kids to the United States.

“Six days after the earthquake, we had Dave home with us, and it was just a miracle,” Malley said. “He already knew English and he has had no adjustment period; it’s like he has been here the whole time.”

Malley said the generosity of friends and neighbors was incredible when Dave came to his new home.

“Our front porch was full of diapers, clothes, snow suits and just everything we needed,” Malley said. “People were so helpful because they knew what was going on in Haiti.”

Lend a hand for arts

Finding volunteers for any cause is not easy. For an organization starting from the ground up, it takes even more recruiting effort to find helping hands.

Elizabeth Bellaver has been pleased with the interest and offers for help regarding the new St. Charles Arts Council she is helping organize.

The organization has scheduled its second volunteer meeting for 7 p.m. Thursday in the second floor meeting room of the St. Charles Municipal Building.

“We have a solid group of over 50 people who have volunteered to do specific things that are on our ‘to do’ list right now, and another group of about the same size who want generally to help the SCAC achieve its mission,” said Bellaver. “Over time, we need to have a database of a few hundred people who will work on special projects and events, but our current list includes a great group of folks who are already working on putting together things that we can do now.”

Bellaver said the council has started an “Art At Home” program for performing and visual artists to display their work to a group of invited guests in an open-house format.

Triathletes at it already

It may not seem like triathlon season yet, but when it’s all held indoors the weather doesn’t matter.

It means plenty of swimming, biking and running is going to take place April 17 at the Delnor Health & Wellness Center during its third annual Indoor Triathlon.

It’s being promoted as “a fun challenge that appeals to everyone.” That means you can be experienced, or you can be trying it for the first time.

I’m guessing it helps to be in fairly decent shape, but I can see why this is a good event for beginners. It’s a timed event, meaning you earn your finish based on your distance in the time allowed.

Heats begin at 11 a.m. and conclude at 3 p.m. Information is available at the wellness center, (630) 208-3933.

Lots of flicks tix

Kathy Pulte of Batavia is likely to be a “regular” at the Charlestowne 18 Theatre complex at Charlestowne Mall during the next year.

She won the theater’s “Pick the Oscars” contest and earned a one-year pass to the movies at Charlestowne, and tickets to Brookfield Zoo.

Something tells me she is going to have an edge for next year’s contest. It certainly helps to see the movies nominated for Oscars if you’re going to try to pick winners.

dheun@sbcglobal.net