Gordon and Bonnie Lange
Anchorage, Alaska

The National Parents of the Year 2003 are Gordon and Bonnie Lange of Anchorage, AK.  They were honored at the 9th Annual National Parents Day Celebration held in Washington, DC on July 23, 2003 at the Rayburn Banquet Room on Capitol Hill.

      
Gordon and Bonnie Lange, of Anchorage , Alaska have been named “National Parents of the Year” by the National Parents’ Day Council. The Langes have been married for 34 years, and have raised three children of their own.  Yet over the past 31 years they also felt called to take care of special needs children in their home, oftentimes providing total care for those medically challenged.  In all they have cared for over 700 foster children.

       The Langes were among the very first few couples in Alaska to take medically challenged children into their own home through the Medical Home-Based Care program begun in 1989. In addition, the Langes are “Emergency Foster Parents” which means they are called on to care for children in various emergency situations at any time of the day or night.  These children stay in their care for up to 30 days.

      The usual day for the Langes starts at 6:00 am and finishes at 2:00 am .  When asked why she does it, Bonnie responded, “I just love kids”.

     
Bonnie and Gordon Lange with 
Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (left).

   Today, they continue their exceptional efforts in parenting. They have adopted four young children over the years: Tim who is 19, twins Daniel and Sandra, who are now 13, and Fetina, a 4 year old who has Downs syndrome and a cleft pallet. Presently, they also care for Larry, a 14 year old with brain damage who has been unable to walk since he was 9 months old. The Langes continue to make the extraordinary efforts to give these and other children a “normal” life experience.

      Initially, Gordon and Bonnie worried about whether their own 3 children would resent their giving so much to “other” children. But their children inherited the same heart of love and concern for the less fortunate. Two of the three, who are all married now, also provide care to needy children.

      The Langes’ example of sacrifice and unconditional love in providing the true parental heart to so many children is in line with the highest standards established for the title “National Parents of the Year”.