Angels in - Pound Pup Legacy

Peter and Pat Likins
Representative Jim Kolbe
Patricia and Peter Likins adopted six children at a
time when children were considered “unadoptable”
if they were non-white, too old, or medically
handicapped. They knew, however, that the
conventional wisdom about such children had to
be wrong.
Beginning in 1962 and continuing for the next
decade, the Likens family grew significantly. Teresa
started the ball rolling when she joined the family in
1962 and her sister, Linda came home in 1965. In
between came Lora, who had a hole between the
chambers of her heart that has long since healed.
Their son Paul was born and adopted in 1964.
Four years later Krista joined the family. Finally, John
was adopted in 1969 but, tragically, he passed
away in 2002.
All this time, Pete and Pat were completing the
preparations for, beginning and building their
careers. Pete completed his graduate engineering
degree at Stanford and began teaching at UCLA
before rising to become the President of the
University of Arizona. Meanwhile, Pat completed
her teaching credentials at Cal State-Northridge. But
it was their devotion to family that made their lives
complete and rewarding. For that reason, it came as
absolutely no surprise to their extended family,
children and friends that Pat was named “Los
Angeles County Adoptive Mother of the Year” in
1969. The family now includes children,
grandchildren, siblings and friends as well as a few
furry residents, who are all now part of their All
American Family. It is my honor to name Pat and
Peter Likens as Angels in Adoption for 2003.
David and Diana Lucas
Representative Rick Renzi
Over the last six years, Dave and Diana Lucas, from
Pinetop, Arizona have opened their home to 17
children from nine different Russian orphanages,
adding them to their already loving family which
included four biological children. In 1996, Kyle (14),
Lance (16), Ashley (21) and J.D. (23) along with
several grandchildren, welcomed the first of their
Russian siblings, Maria (8) and Ariana (17). Four
years later, Dave and Diana decided to explore
adoption again and by the end of 2000 they had
added three new members to their growing family.
Siblings Nikolai (12) and Katerina (11) joined the
family and later that same year, they adopted
Olecya (13). It was during this time that Dave and
Diana felt that they had been given their calling.
They knew how difficult it was to find homes for
older children, especially teens, as well as siblings
who are often placed in different orphanages.
Dave and Diana have made it their mission to
open their home to older children in order to
reunite them with their siblings. In 2001, Diana and
Dave adopted five additional children. First came
Zoya (16) and her little brother Dimitry (10). That
same year they adopted Alonia (17) and her
younger brother Sergei (12). Later that same year,
the family discovered that there was another sibling,
Andre (16) living in an orphanage. Soon Andre was
reunited with Alonia and Sergei along with the rest
of the Lucas clan. In 2002, the Lucas’ adopted
Angelina (12). They later discovered that Angelina’s
sister was in a different orphanage in Russia and
worked hard to reunite the two in America.
Valentina (10) joined her sister along with another
new member of the family Natalya (8). Diana and
Dave have not only worked hard to provide a loving
home for their children but also counsel other
parents, those considering adoption and those in the
midst of the adoption process. Diana estimates that
they have worked with over 100 families to help
unite orphan children with loving caring parents.
In December of 2002 Dave and Diana once
again expanded their family by welcoming Zhenya
(15) and Sasha (14) into their home. Finally, last
month, they brought home Nastja (14) and just this
month – on September 6th, Alla (17) joined the
family that now numbers 21. Diana is quick to
acknowledge the many blessings that their family
has received. She considers each new addition a
modern day miracle.
Lance and Barb Trella
Senator John McCain
Adoptive parents, Barb and Lance Trella, know their
lives would be completely different if they had not
made the commitment to helping children over 10
years ago. Their three biological children now have
four siblings, three sisters and a brother, who came
home through adoption. The Trella’s first adoption
added two daughters into the family. DiDi and
Ashley were two and three years of age when they
lost their mother, and everything else, in an
apartment fire. They began the long road to
recovery, both physically and emotionally, without
the luxury of a family to help them. When Barb and
Lance met the girls several months after the fire,
they knew that these children were meant to be
their daughters. The girls are now 14 and 13 and
act like typical teenage girls with a family that
adores them. The Trellas adopted Cody next and
then after fostering Jacque for many months, Barb
and Lance then adopted her, a spunky and adorable
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