Katie and (Highmark partner) Jim Moras have long wanted to add to their family by adopting. Last winter they contacted FANA, an orphanage in Bogota, Colombia, through Minnesota Friends of FANA, and by April, they received the call they’d been waiting for.

In September 2014, Jim, Katie and kids Courtney and Cody travelled to Colombia to meet 1½ -year-old Andrés Felipe, spending over a month there. After the rest of the family returned to Minnesota, Katie stayed on to complete the process, finally arriving back home with Andrés on Thanksgiving (and Jim’s birthday!)

Since the family speaks Spanish (Katie runs El Bosque Encantado, a Spanish immersion pre-school), Andrés’ transition to life in Minnesota has been a smooth one. Says Katie: Andrés is fun-loving, social and kisses freely…he fits right in and it feels like he has been with us forever!