Couple's Web Site Allows Internet Users to Explore Adoption



By Linda Ebert
This article appeared in the Hometown Heros section of Focus on the Family's Citizen Magazine on July 22, 1996

Annette and Mike Thompson were accustomed to serving children in need, as hosts of four foster children in St. Louis, MO. When they moved to Waco in 1994 and found that there were not foster children available, the Thompsons considered a novel form of outreach; the Internet's first on-line adoption photolisting service.

Annette, who has a computer networking background, contacted 500 adoption agencies and offered to include children on the list for a nominal fee. When agencies expressed interest but could not pay for the listing, the Thompsons used their own limited financial resources to cover the cost.

The Thompsons' Worldwide Web site-Precious in HIS Sight-now features more than 350 children awaiting adoption through various organizations. The site is visited more than 8,000 times each day.

"I receive e-mail from people who haven't even considered adoption," Annette said. "Many don't realize there is such a need for adoptive parents."

Each photo listing provides site visitors with a picture and description of the child, as well as adoption agency information. Annette knows of 12 children from their listing that have been adopted within the past year.

Tracy Hilts and her husband, Peter, are adopting three orphaned Ethiopian children with whom they were linked through Precious in HIS Sight.

"The adoption process can be so impersonal, but when you're confronted with the faces of the kids, they are real," Tracy said.

This summer, the Thompsons themselves adopted two children-a brother and sister.

"We fell in love with these children," Annette told Citizen. "But there are still thousands of children left that can and need to be adopted."

The Precious in HIS Sight Web address is http://precious.org/. The phone number is 608-457-2874.
Updated: January 12, 1997
Send comments and suggestions to:annette@precious.org
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