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The
Stephanie
Zimbalist Caring For Kids Fund
MEET CHILDHELP FOUNDERS
SARA AND YVONNE
In 1959, Sara O'Meara and
Yvonne Fedderson were individually selected from 500 applicants to
entertain U.S. troops during a peacetime goodwill-type tour of Asian
countries. In addition to being friends, Sara and Yvonne had worked
together, portraying the girlfriends of David and Ricky Nelson on
the hit TV show "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet."
They arrived in
Tokyo following a devastating typhoon and set off to see the
storm's aftermath. On the city's streets, they found 11
small children huddled together, their hands cracked and
bleeding from the cold. After questioning them in their
limited Japanese, Sara and Yvonne realized that the children
were homeless orphans.
Sara and Yvonne
went from orphanage to orphanage, seeking a home for the
children. Because of the typhoon, all of the orphanages were
filled to overflowing. At one of the stops, they learned
that the children had been turned out from that same
orphanage because of the shortage of space and their
Amerasian blood.
Eventually, they found
a woman who, due to the national emergency, was already caring for
10 orphans in her one-room hut. Sara and Yvonne promised "Mama
Kin" that they would provide assistance for ALL of the children,
if she would agree to take the additional 11 children. She
agreed, and Sara and Yvonne fulfilled their promise.
Over the course of the
tour, word spread regarding their efforts. By the time the two
women left for the United States, more than 100 Amerasian
orphans had been left in their care. When Sara and Yvonne
returned to the United States, they founded International
Orphans, Inc. (IOI) to provide ongoing support for the children
in Japan. Eventually, IOI grew to operate four orphanages in
Tokyo.
In 1966 the actresses were invited to
Washington to discuss the building of orphanages for
Vietnamese-American children. With the help of the Third
Marine Amphibious Force, they established five orphanages, a
hospital and a school for abandoned children. International
Orphans Incorporated maintained the facilities until the
American troops pulled out. The two young women then helped
arrange a "Baby Lift" operation, which flew thousands of
children to waiting adoptive homes in America.
Today, two-time Nobel Peace Prize Nominees Sara O'Meara and
Yvonne Fedderson continue to actively lead the organization
as Chairman/CEO and President, respectively. The
organization's hotline, residential treatment centers and
advocacy centers are studied by professionals from around
the world, as "best practices" related to child abuse
investigation and treatment methods.
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