March 2005
Alumnus Makes a Home for Haitian Children

David Sheriff (Gettysburg) lost his 14-month-old son Timothy in 2003, as a result of a stroke. While he and his wife Judith were coping with their grief of losing Timothy, they agreed tobe medical foster parents to a set of twins from Haiti. They were already experienced adoptive parents, having previously adopted 12 children into their blended family.

When Judith visited Haiti to pick up the twins, the paperwork was delayed and the children were not allowed to travel. But while she was there, Judith witnessed the poor living conditions and realized the need to find a way to save healthy children who had been left to die because their parents couldn't care for them.

David Sheriff at Timothy House

Upon returning home, David remembers, "We talked about it and prayed about it and eventually decided to open a small home for children with an emphasis on arranging for adoptions with families outside of Haiti." That "small home," known today as Timothy House is located in Port au Prince, Haiti and now cares for 57 children, 0-11 years old.

David joined Sigma Nu at Gettyburg College in 1973 because many of his upper-class friends were already members of the chapter. He describes the house as "classy" with its pool table, wooden staircase, polished wooden tables and chairs in the dining area. He also recalls that the members were into brotherhood and learning the history of the chapter and the National organization.

His best memories from those days in the chapter include: pick-up basketball games in the driveway; Roaring Twenties Casino Nights; and faculty receptions, but what he remembers most is watching the 1975 World Series down in the basement and seeing Carlton Fisk hit the game-winning homerun late into the night in Game Six.
Happy Girls at Timothy House
When David and Judith decided to open the doors to Timothy House in November 2003, they started with their own savings and some donations from friends and family. In the first week four children were added to the two they already had at the house. Within six weeks they had accepted 25 children from a local orphanage that was closing. Today, at their capacity of almost 60, every time a child is adopted they can accept a new child to fill that space. "We try to keep the adoptions affordable," says David. Timothy House will see between 40 and 50 adoptions every year, mostly to families in the U.S.

David and Judith have an obvious passion for the children of Haiti. There are three more boys, all under the age of three, that they plan to legally adopt. This would bring their family to 16 children and that, they concur, will be it. Their passion for these children grew out of seeing the circumstances first-hand. "I would like more people to become aware of the plight of children in our own hemisphere," says David. As it states on the Timothy House website, "Haiti is the poorest country in the Americas, with high infant and maternal mortality rates, and very poor quality health care. Most of the children brought to Timothy House by their parents are undernourished and developmentally delayed, but otherwise healthy and deserving of forever families where they can grow up safe and healthy."

David also shares that the circumstances in Haiti provide numerous missions opportunities including work on physical improvements at orphanages, rocking babies or teaching English. "The people here are hungry to learn English," he says, "because it is their ticket out of poverty."

To learn more about adoptions, mission opportunities or Timothy House please visit their website at http://www.timothyhouse.com or contact David Sheriff directly at: LucasRex@aol.com.