Editor’s note: Names have been changed to protect the family’s privacy

ORLANDO  | Sixty years after the Smith family adopted their son, they made a generous donation in gratitude. The gift is in appreciation of the help provided by Catholic Charities Adoption Services.

After seven years of trying, the Smiths still did not have a baby, so they turned to adoption. It was something they never considered before. Within just a few months, they were surprised and excited over the blessing of their son. He was 29 days old. Family was there to welcome them and meet the new member of the family. “It was just a really good thing to bring him home,” Lisa Smith said.

“From the get-go, he was a very active little boy. And so, he was always on the go,” she recalled laughing. “That gave us really busy days.” She said she and her husband had to make sure they kept everything “battened down because he loved to be outside.” “He would escape. If I was taking the groceries in, he would be helping.” Or he would simply sneak out behind her.

Within two years their days got even busier with the birth of the first of two daughters. Their son took his sisters under his wing right away. As soon as they were old enough, he taught them how to play softball and felt protective of them.

Occasionally he would come across some food he didn’t like and would hide it elsewhere in or out of the house. One time, Smith found the food in the mailbox.

Smith fondly recalled how he enjoyed his friends and was “basically a happy young man.” To this day, he still looks in on his parents and has a wonderful relationship with his sisters.

As the holidays approached and the Smith’s son turned 60, the couple wanted to express their gratitude to Catholic Charities for this son who is so loving and who has changed their life in so many positive ways. As they had little funds when they adopted him, they decided to make a large donation in honor of his birth and in thanksgiving.

The Smiths also wanted people to learn about the beauty of adoption. “It gives a home and it’s a gift,” Smith said. “It’s a gift of life to a family and to a child.”

“(Adoption) made us thankful for life and for the life that a child brings, you know, the joy and the innocence. And just more and more realization about the importance of life and how we need to really guard it and become the people that are able to really be families. We want to be families that are guided by the Lord so that we can improve the things of our world. We are responsible for how things are going. So we have a responsibility to reach out where we can and see what we can do to make things better,” Smith said.

She hopes their story might encourage people to reach out and to make the world better.

By Glenda Meekins of the Florida Catholic staff, April 30, 2026