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Inuit siblings seek parents in Ontario

"We want to find people who will put them in touch with their cultural background"

JANE GEORGE

Eight-year-old Melissa and her brother Colin, 5, are cute kids, with dark hair and brown eyes, who need a new family.

The Ontario's children and youth services hope they can be adopted together — into an Inuit family living in Ontario, if possible.

The brother and sister, whose birth parents are Inuit living in southern Ontario, were featured in a recent "Today's Child" portrait of children who are available for adoption.

The column, which appears regularly in the Toronto Star, along with the AdoptOntario Web site at www.adoptontario.ca, is a joint effort by children's aid societies, private adoption professionals and the provincial government to find adoptive homes for hard-to-place children.

"The ideal adoptive family would have no children younger than Melissa and Colin. The parents need to be patient, energetic and capable of appreciating the Inuit culture of these siblings," says the description of the two children.

"A lot of people adopt from China, Russia or elsewhere. There are kids here that we would like people to be aware of. The kids that are featured on this web site or as Today's Child have special needs," said Kathleen Duda, from AdoptOntario.

"Most kids get placed without being in the media. These are kids who have not been placed through the regular channels."

The parents of Melissa and Colin are long-time residents of Ontario, where they have received health care and services.

Melissa (not her real name), "Today's Child" says, is a petite and energetic girl who is very particular about her appearance. She is a happy, enthusiastic child who enjoys good relationships with those around her. She's affectionate, socially engaging and welcomes praise and positive reinforcement. She's taking dance lessons and has previously taken gymnastics.

Melissa, who is in a regular Grade 2 class, enjoys school, has a positive attitude and plays well with other children, but while in school, she requires support for her developmental delays owing to a brain injury.

Her brother Colin is a "cheerful and affectionate" boy who enjoys riding his four-wheeler, fishing, swimming, playing with cars and helping to cut the lawn. Colin wears a hearing aid due to hearing loss in one ear.

For the moment, the two are living in foster care.

"Foster care is fine, but it doesn't last always. You have to have adoption to offer stability. They're young enough that they should have permanency," Duda said.

Their future adoptive parents wouldn't have to be Inuit, although Duda said some connection to the North or aboriginal culture would be preferred.

"They haven't been exposed to their culture at all. When we want to find homes for kids like this we want to find people who will put them in touch with their cultural background," she said.

However, the children, who are wards of Ontario, would have to be adopted by a family living in the province.

For more information on Melissa and Colin, call AdoptOntario at 1-888-542-3678, and leave your name and telephone number and be sure to identify the children's names or go on to www.adoptontario.com.

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