Today we’d like to introduce you to Robert Kalatschan.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Dorothea my beautiful bride and gift from God and i were unable to have children. We began the road of fertility treatment. Finally arriving to in-vitro. It was still the early days of treatment and the chances of success were limited. We had enough funds for 1 treatment or an adoption.
When we met with the doctors the presented a ‘plan” Were told the fertility doctors we needed to pray about what to do next.
A good friend invited us to fundraiser which we could not or would not have ever paid to go to. Our friend also bought a raffle ticket for each of his guests sitting at his table. Much to our amazement we won the grand prize! ( only thing I’ve ever won lol) it was 2 weeks stay in a condo in Costa Del Sol, Spain. Ocean view, round trip airfare! Dorothea and I both worked for our fathers.
I suggested we extend our trip. Visit Italy as well. .
Returning home we stayed a couple of days in London. It is where i picked up the first English newspaper in a month. There on the front page was a story of our in vitro doctors being arrested for improperly using Womans eggs. I turned the paper around and said here is our answer!
We received a call that there’s a birthmother that had given birth to a two month preemie baby boy and would we be willing to talk with her the next day. We made the appointment and we agreed to adopt the little baby.
He was a Vietnamese American.
We named him Thomas Christopher. perfect baby. When we picked him up we were told his lungs had not fully developed. And hooked him to a monitor checking his heart rate. They told us he may stop breathing but not to worry. The alarm will go off and just to gently shake him!
Excuse me? He may STOP BREATHING! Yikes!
We brought him home. Praying i will shudder hearing them say he may stop breathing and just nudge him….
Well guess what? The alarm began going off on a regular basis. I opted to have my son sleep on my chest. It was the weekend so we could not contact doctors. Come Monday we did call our doctors. They sent a technician to our condo. He found that the altars had not been properly calculated and was going off unnecessarily. Thomas was a persecuted child. For the most part he slept. You put him down he stayed there. As a toddler i gave him a “gentle” swat on his butt. He looked t me and said “dad that hurt!” I said it was supposed too. He nodded and oh ok! Only one he ever got.
Our friends and family would tell us we needed a second child. That Tommy being the great kid who he was we had not experienced true child raising
Dorothea wanted a second child. And of course i wanted to give her what ever i could. We began the adoption journey 1 more time. 2 ½ years passed, nothing! . I tried to explain how we can’t keep reaching for the golden ring so to speak. That I’m getting older andThat it would not be fair to a child to have an old version of me at their graduation. Truth is was thinking more of myself. Retirement, vacations etc.
Dorothea nodded yes in agreement. She said let me know much to my surprise she came to me the next morning saying if something doesn’t happen by my birthday she’d give up on her dream of a second child. Know her bday was only a few months away. I rejoiced in my mind 5 ½ year 1 kids were good! I have a great son all’s good.
Next thing I knew I was on a flight to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. I love to travel I’ve been to many different places, but I was a draft age in the late 60s early 70s truth is my drafted number was 27. That was the year that the draft ended. as I mentioned before I’d love to travel. I love to see things but Vietnam was not on my map. Neighboring countries, Thailand, Cambodia let’s go see Viet next thing I knew I was standing on the street and hope she city look at my wife. What if you got me into the heat the humidity sites the sounds the smells were also drawn to me. That’s the day that I met my little daughter choose 11 months old she had scabies and ringworm.
At that time at that time the process was you begin the paperwork at 40 days later they have to give in receiving ceremony. We had decided that we would split up the trip. Fly home after about a week 10 days. We would visit my daughter to be every day. I remember holding her up that first day above my head and sand you have won the lottery you’re going to a family and country that will give you every opportunity,
On our daily visits, I would meet the children play with the others in their cribs. Odd that I got to visit many other orphanages and handicap homes for kids. Honestly, I couldn’t wait to return home. We were to fly home 9/11/2001. Bags at the door and then 9/11 happened, once we got home I was haunted by the faces of the many other orphans I had met. Realizing they would not have the opportunities my daughter would have. I spoke to my wife and said we need to do something. Every child deserves a chance. She of course already knew and nodded yes, We began GIBTK Apr. 2002
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Culture was tough, of course funding continues to be a challenge especially as we have grown so much
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
We work to meet many different needs a child has. From Heart surgeries (1900+), wheelchairs (187,000 + Several homes for kids. Including homes for university students (232 have gotten degrees, A home for unwed mothers, 5 community centers providing tutoring, was also teach soft skills and emotional health. 3 homes in Cambodia for kids who were either trafficked or high risk. the list goes on. The thing that makes us different than most other charities is we are in it for the long run of the child. Not a “quick fix” The main thing that’s we do differently is we are relational. We stay in touch with kids. Giving follow up reports to donors. For instance if someone gave $100 towards a heart surgery. We work hard to send our reports as how the child is doing for many, many years
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
maybe my background as a troubled youth and young man. the years prior to 1986? I got into a lot of trouble. I was involved in A family business located in Newport Beach, Original Pizza. Also began TK burgers which is now run and owned by my brother
Pricing:
- heart surgery $2500
- tuition for university $1100 per year
- sponsoring a child in our home $130 per month
Contact Info:
- Website: www.givingitbacktokids.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gibtk/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GIBTK
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-kalatschan-ab496215?
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@givingitbacktokids?si=5hustPDKI1nUvl7s
Image Credits
personal photos taken by our gibtk team
