GRAFTON - Last year, an all-time high of 24,000 international adoptions were completed in the United States. Yet, it is estimated that only 1 percent of the world’s orphan population was adopted. For Grafton’s Sandy Destrampe, executive director of Children’s Hope Network, Inc., a licensed child placement agency, it is those countless abandoned children that drive her work.

Says Destrampe, "We must never forget the orphans that will never know the dream and love of a forever family."

After receiving her nursing degree and marrying, she and husband Steve left the Midwest for Colorado in the early 1980s and had three sons. Through friends, the Destrampes became acquainted with the international adoption process. When a Chinese adoption fell through, they set their sights on Russia, and in February of 1997, 8 1/2-month-old Elena came to them, and in June of the same year, Elena’s older sister, 30-month-old, Marie, joined the family.

Impressed by Destrampe’s ability to navigate the complexities of international adoptions, Happy Families International Center (which coordinated Elena’s and Maria’s adoptions) asked Destrampe to guide other families through the journey of adoption. Moving to Wisconsin in the late ‘90s, Destrampe opened Children’s Hope Network. While not a direct placement agency, CHN works with about 12 international adoption agencies, acting as a liaison between prospective adoptive parents and the various agencies. Destrampe and her staff screen prospective families and help them choose which international agency best fits their needs.

CHN also offers classes to help families navigate the adoption process, and assists them in learning about the culture their adopted child comes from. Says Destrampe: "Families need to be respectful of the cultural experience their child left behind. Families need to assure that the child will be raised in a manner prideful toward their culture."

CHN has helped 250 families with international adoptions since 2003. Yet, Destrampe is haunted by those left behind - "You look into their eyes, and you can see that they know they’re not leaving," she says. "I told my daughters - promised them - that I would never forget all the other kids in Russia."

Thus, she has given her own time, money and talents to help other charities all over the world. Often, she will send supplies and funds with parents going over to pick up their child, to help the children left behind. "Our adoptive families are ambassadors that bring a message of hope and caring for the 99 percent of children that are never adopted," Destrampe says. "We value and honor the lives of all children."

Much of the supplies needed are provided by not only through CHN and Destrampe herself, but in conjunction with the congregation of Pilgrim United Church of Christ in Grafton.

"Honestly, I feel like I began to work with Sandy the moment I met her," says Heidi Jenkins, director of Congregational Life at Pilgrim. "I have met few people with the amount of heart, vision and courage as she possesses." Destrampe, who leads the church’s International Children’s Mission effort, has coordinated many projects, including bringing school supplies to Haitian children, shoes for Russian orphanages, clothes for Chinese orphans and supplies for kids in the Middle East.

A particular focus of Destrampe’s lately has been Healing the Hearts Quilt Program, which donates homemade quilts and other supplies to street orphans in Kabul and Kandahar, Afghanistan. Founded by Virginia Hirsch, the group creates and collects child-sized quilts in bright colors, using only volunteer labor and donated materials.

Not only did Destrampe coordinate a quilting bee at Pilgrim, but gathered other much-needed supplies and funds for Afghanistan orphans, including leading the youth group in creating backpacks stocked with quilts, water and hygiene kits. Says Hirsch: "(Sandy) is an inspiration to me, and her enthusiasm has been a major factor in keeping the quilt project going after we reached our original goal of 400 quilts for the Kabul orphanage."

Healing the Hearts also got Destrampe involved with Afghans for a Civil Society, ran by Qayum and Patricia Karzai, brother and sister-in-law to Afghan President Hamid Karzai. It is this group that arranges U.S. cargo planes to deliver essential medicines and other materials to the country’s residents, via help from U.S. servicemen and women. Currently, Destrampe is gathering art supplies for children there.

Says Destrampe, "People need to know that the actions that make a difference in the life of a child are simple things - like donating a box of new crayons - but (they) can have a huge impact in the quality of their lives."

Destrampe’s efforts have impressed all who know her. "Sandy’s devotion to children, in a word, is extraordinary," says Jenkins. "It’s so easy to become isolated and insulated here in Ozaukee County - our lives here are so peaceful and idyllic. It’s important to have people near us who keep us mindful of the challenges that so many in the world face."