For Kirsten Lemke, Mother’s Day is more than a celebration of being a mom — it’s a chance to reflect on the journey that made her motherhood possible.
Growing up, Kirsten dreamed of building her family through adoption — long before she fully understood what it meant. As a little girl, she would play with her dolls and imagine each one as an adopted child. “I would pretend each doll was one of my children and that they were adopted,” said Kirsten. “I don’t know where the idea came from, but it made me happy to believe we were a family built that way.”
Little did Kirsten know at the time that her childhood play would one day become reality.
Over the past three decades, Kirsten adopted three boys born in three different countries. It all began when she and her then-husband attended a prospective adoptive parents’ session with Children’s Home Society of Minnesota. They left the meeting feeling that Children’s Home was “the perfect fit,” and soon adopted their oldest son, Izaak, born in South Korea.
After she and her husband divorced, Kirsten wanted to continue growing her family. She adopted her second son, Jakob, from Vietnam, followed by Kaleb, from Russia. Today, Kirsten is delighted and grateful that her three sons are close-knit brothers, deeply connected by love. “They are truly brothers,” Kirsten said, “joined from all corners of the world.”
Motherhood, Kirsten says, has been the hardest and most rewarding job of her life. As Mother’s Day approaches, she reflects on the journey that brought her here. “I wouldn’t have a family without Children’s Home,” she says. “Their support was there every step of the way — through the challenges and the joyful homecomings.”
Kirsten is passionate about making sure other families can experience the same joy adoption has brought into her life. That’s why she continues to give to Children’s Home — and why she’s made a plan to keep supporting the organization even after she’s gone. Her hope is that her children will continue this tradition of generosity in the years to come, helping extend the impact of an organization that has meant so much to their family.
“I’m blessed to have the opportunity to give back,” Kirsten says. “And I want to ensure that other families can experience the same joy and blessings that adoption has brought into my life.”
Kirsten’s children, now young adults living in different cities, remain deeply connected. They regularly talk, plan visits, and hold “bro nights” when they can all be together. “They’re always showing up for each other — graduations, birthdays, even just a weekend hangout,” Kirsten says. “It’s one of the things I’m most proud of.”
This Mother’s Day, Kirsten is celebrating more than just her role as a mom — she’s celebrating the journey that made it possible, and the enduring support of an organization that helped her children find their way home.
“Giving back is my way of saying thank you,” Kirsten said, “and making sure other families get the same chance I had.”
Please consider saying “thank you” to a parent or caregiver in your life this Mother’s Day or Father’s Day by making a gift to Children’s Home in their honor. Your support will help more children find the love and stability of family through adoption, and more parents find the joy and blessings of building their family.
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