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‘When Johanna draws a family, she draws us’

September 2012, The Collegiate Times

The Chittenden family home, not too far from Lane Stadium, is almost the complete opposite of the football stadium on game day.

You walk in, and each wall is a different color — one light blue turquoise, another a soft yellow.  When you look through the window you see a big yard, a far cry from the little concrete square the boys had to play in while living in the Dominican Republic.

As their father, Tim Chittenden, walks in through the back door the Chittenden boys move about the house — Adam, age 15; Noah, age 12; and Jake, age 9. Their mom, Chris, brews some authentic Dominican coffee.

After hearing their story of their missionary trip overseas, and how they want so badly to adopt child, I can’t help but imagine another addition to the Chittenden family — a 6-year-old girl named Johanna.

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The family just moved to Blacksburg after two years working, living and serving in the Dominican Republic.

“We had gone and helped with Hurricane Katrina and performed some mission work in Mississippi, but we wanted our kids to be of a good age where they would get [the meaning of service],” Chris said.

Chris and Tim were parents committed to their children’s understanding the meaning of helping others.

“In the Dominican Republic, if I were to teach, the kids could go to an English school for free while we were able to serve the community, and everything sort of fell into place,” Chittenden said.

So the suburban family, motivated by service, moved from their home in Raleigh, N.C. to the Dominican Republic.

Tim, a consultant for IBM, telecommuted while the family lived abroad, and Chris became a teacher at the Santiago Christian School.

In that time, Chris, Tim and their three children fell in love with a little 6-year-old girl named Johanna.

Johanna was a student at a newer school, New Girls Hope Academy, where girls without birth certificates could get started in their education and hopefully end up getting the credentials necessary to transfer into a public school and someday get honest work.

She had never been to school — most of her peer’s only knew one, if any, of the letters in the alphabet.

Near the first day of school, the Chittenden family discovered Johanna’s mother had planned on giving her child away due to some very rough personal challenges at home.

“Johanna’s father had passed away, and her mother was HIV positive,” Chittenden said as her children looked on, clearly familiar with the story.

Despite her challenges, Johanna’s mother was one of few mothers who would visit her daughter at the school, and was working hard to keep her family intact.

At the same time, noting the urgency of her situation, the family began to make plans if the opportunity ever came up to adopt Johanna.

“One week before we went to leave the Dominican Republic, we discovered that her mom had become very sick from the HIV,” Chittenden said.

“Some of Johanna’s mom’s last words were, ‘When I close my eyes [for] the last time, I want to know that someone’s caring for her,’” Chittenden said.  “Soon after that, Johanna’s birth mother passed away.”

This was a difficult time because Johanna’s family was very close.  Her grandmother feared the adoption would cause backlash from the community, and the family began to lose hope for adopting their little sister.

The family moved back to the United States at the end of their two years of service, and Johanna transitioned into living with her grandmother.

The family then discovered the opportunity to adopt their new little sister, and bring her home.

After all, when Johanna was asked to draw a family in class, she drew the Chittenden family.

This anecdote was indicative every other story they’ve showed me, images on their family in the Dominican Republic — two white parents, three white boys, and one Dominican girl.

Even as the family spoke, it almost felt like Johanna was near and that she was already a part of their family.

Jake, the youngest, hops up to show pictures.

“This was her first time at the beach. This was her first time at the pool,” Jake said. The family is clearly close to her — they already think of her as their little sister.

He so badly wants to have a little sister.

“I’m excited, but I also hear that they’re horrible! But at least I wont be the youngest anymore,” Jake said.

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As I’m listening, I sit down at their dinner table delicious, homemade chocolate brownie and some vanilla ice cream —a brownie that, strangely enough, is the reason I ended up in their living room.

The cost of the adoption, to move Johanna from this “barrio,” which is Dominican for poor neighborhood to the United States, is around $25,000.

The family has had to be creative in how to raise the money to bring Johanna to her new home.

“It’s been really cool to watch our kids get creative and get involved, and our friends … who have jumped in in such creative ways to help all of us out,” Chittenden said.

“Every day, we all take our spare change and put in a jar, and then we roll it to try and add up enough to bring Johanna home,” Jake explains.

With a hearty donation from Affordable Fencing in Christiansburg, the family began to build a stand from which they could do some business. Their neighbors helped them realize how they could use the location of their quaint home to their advantage.

“They told us, you know that thousands of people are going to walk by here each game day. Why not try and get them to buy something?” Chittenden asked.

The adoption process is more than finding the funds to complete the process.  Cohabitation in the DR, to penning their own autobiographies and background checks, while also trying to hold real jobs, has almost become a part time job for the family.

In the meantime, while completing the fundraising, the family has Skyped with Johanna every Sunday.

“It’s been remarkable to see the way that people have reached out,” Tim said.  “It’s not like we are asking people to give checks to us.  We’ve gotten some really remarkable gifts in other ways, like frequent flier miles. But people are just so moved by our story, and I think that’s great for the kids to see.”

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The power of helping others was the reason the Chittenden’s went to the DR in the first place, and now it seems to be forming a full circle.

That move didn’t come without a price, though.  The transition in school and life is an interesting one for the boys, who are very active.

Adam swims, while Jake plays soccer. But the language barrier they experienced while away was probably the most transformative.

“It was almost like we had no option but to learn the language. It’s not that we didn’t want to, but we definitely had to, just to get by,” Adam said. “If I wanted to know what the other kids were saying about me, I realized that I had to learn it quickly.”

The social transition was eye opening for the entire family.

“When you’re in an environment like this, you are suddenly the minority, when you’ve always been used to being in the majority.  I think that was definitely an interesting experience for the boys,” Tim said.

“Dad’s right,” Noah said.  “It was really interesting when we would walk around just to go to a gas station, and we would be stared at because people maybe thought we were wealthier than them just because of our skin color.”

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Now, back at Tech where Chris was a member of the class of 1991, their stand is called “Gobble Goodies: Confections for a Cause,” where they sell food before Tech home games this season.

The food available to purchase will vary. At the Georgia Tech game they sold “First-Game Truffles,” football-shaped truffles, which Chris admits were very time-consuming to make.

Another treat called “Yup, it’s legal,” is absolutely addictive — puffed corn sprinkled with a brown sugar coating.

Their take on puppy chow, minted “Hokie Chow”, was very popular as well. They also offer drinks, and hope to offer some hot beverages during the colder games.

Due to travel and other personal circumstances, Gobble Goodies weren’t available at the Austin-Peay game, but they will be front and center at Tech’s home game this weekend against Bowling Green State University.

The stand is located at the corner of Southgate and Edgewood, near the stadium. During week one, they were able to raise over $200 to add to their almost $7,000.

They have officially raised a third of the costs needed to adopt Johanna, and plan to reach the $25,000 goal by the beginning of next summer.

“We just can’t wait to have to her here,” Noah said.  “It doesn’t even feel like work.  It just feels like we are trying to get our little sister here, and we all realize that every bit counts.”

“We don’t really know if this is going to work out. Some days, we sit around and wonder — is this going to pan out? Are we going to be able to raise enough money? Do I need to get a full time job?” Chris said.

But she also realized the benefit in being able to be there for her family, and ensuring their development.  Development that they hope will include the addition of a fourth child.

“At the same time, we’re not so sure what is the best decision. All you can do is pray.”