Generous While He Waits
A profile of America World friend and supporter Ife Ibitayo
In 2013, Ife Ibitayo attended a Wednesday night service with his parents at Woodsedge Community Church in Houston, TX. A missionary was speaking, and he said that if every family in the United States adopted one child, the entire global adoption system would disappear overnight.
Ife says, “Something about that statement made the problem tractable, something I could wrap my mind around, and after that night, I knew that I would like to adopt a child someday.”
At the time, Ife was 16, single, and unprepared to adopt. So, he decided to do something tangible with his new desire. He researched adoption agencies and chose the one he could imagine adopting from someday – America World.
He says, “One of the key aspects of America World’s core values that appealed to me was its commitment to integrity. Through research on the organization, I saw how earnest and honest America World has been in conducting its faith-based mission to connect loving families to lovable children.”
Then, in 2019, he decided to go a step further. He became a monthly donor!
Now, Ife is 26 years old and an MBA student at UCLA Anderson, where his focus is entrepreneurship. He’s launching a mission-driven, tech-enabled publishing company called LightReads. They released their first comic book, Let My People Ball #1, this year.
He continues to donate to America World each month faithfully. Also, he loves reading books about adoption, like Mary Beth Chapman’s Choosing to See, and he befriends anyone who “makes the mistake of” mentioning adoption around him.
We asked Ife what he’d suggest to others who share his dream.
He says, “As much as someone still in the earliest stages of the experience can offer, I’d say patience. Adoption is a long, challenging process requiring tremendous grace, provision, and commitment. And many say that’s the easy part (because then you have to raise them)! I’d also suggest watching Instant Family for some fictional but helpful (and hilarious) insight into fostering and adoption.”
Finally, Ife would like to share his gratefulness for his family. He says, “Launching a company is hard, and the setbacks have been nearly overwhelming. But my family has supported me every step of the journey, and they’ve made a world of difference in being where I am today.”
Thank you, Ife! We know you will be a great dad one day – when the time is right! We are so thankful for your desire to go ahead and do what you can while you wait.
What about YOU?
Do you have a desire to adopt? Visit our Learn to Adopt page or explore our adoption programs.
If you can’t adopt, you can choose to be generous to help more children and families experience the joy of adoption! Our Season of Hope campaign is a great place to start!