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It had been a long uneventful night at the fire station and the late shift was almost over. Dawn’s light was just beginning to soften the night sky. Firefighter David C. was keeping busy, going over the inventory of supplies, when he heard light footsteps approaching. He turned. There stood a young woman, alone, looking exhausted and frightened with tears. She was holding in tight to some sort of small package, wrapped in what appeared a towel.

“Sir,” she asked in a trembling voice, “is this a safe haven?” “Yes,” he replied. “Yes, it is.” He extended his arms to her. The young woman lifted her warm little bundle and placed it in his strong waiting arms. “Thank you,” she whispered. “Please take good care of her.” And she turned and left.

Excerpt from article written by Nancy Kennedy for South Florida Hospital News in 2004.

That’s the way many – not all – but many “safe haven” adoptions begin. Under the Florida Safe Haven Law (46 States have passed some version of a Safe Haven Law) unharmed infants approximately three days old or less can be taken to any hospital emergency room, 24/7 staffed fire-rescue station or 24/7 staffed emergency medical service station where the child will be received by a trained professional who can arrange placement to ensure for the child’s safety, protection and care. Nick Silverio Founder and executive director of the Gloria M. Silverio Foundation: A Safe Haven for Newborns based in Miami, and operating statewide said the problem is mind-boggling: “[The mothers] are in the deepest hole, at the very bottom. Our 24/7 multilingual helpline has enabled us to understand that hole, to learn what they are experiencing.” Thus, Nick and other such volunteers are not judgmental; they care for both the infant and the mother. “We care about [the mothers] too and want to protect them from the lifelong guilt of having let their infants die,” he said. “We give both the mother and the baby a brighter future”.

Nick understands that deep dark hole of despair because he endured the profound grief of losing his wife Gloria to a speeding driver in 1999. She and Nick had married for 31 years and although they had no children they were devoted to children and served as godparents to 14. Nick created the foundation as a memorial to Gloria. Shortly after its establishment, Nick received a call informing him that the first baby rescued through the foundation’s efforts, a girl, had been named Carol Gloria. Soon afterwards, another baby was left at the safe haven fire station. The firefighters called her Hope. Hope was adopted by a family who decided to name her Gloria Hope. A coincidence?

A special case:

On April 4, 2005, a little girl was born without arms, just one leg and only a partial chin. The baby’s mother left her in care of a Florida hospital.

The hospital contacted an adoption agency from the state approved list, but considering the baby’s disabilities, the agency was concerned.

Safe Haven for newborns began to help and by the end of the week, adoptive parents had been located. To Nick and his staff this baby was very special, so they called her “Milagros” which is a Spanish for “Miracle.

Nick was deluged with calls to his cell phone late into the night. By the end of the week, he had received over 250 calls and more than 200 e-mails. A call even came from Europe and several donations were made to help pay for the medical care Milagros would need.

Lydia, as Milagros is called, is doing well with her new family in Alabama. Since her adoption, Nick and his staff helped to save additional babies and the foundation has received even more widespread attention. Nick has met with a number of community leaders to share his experiences.

In reaction to the tremendous outpouring of concern for Milagros, Nick said, “God put this baby here on earth for a reason and the compassion of so many was just overwhelming”. Reflecting on his initial desire to keep the spirit of his wife alive, Nick said he once asked himself, “Why are we all here?” and he knew it was “to help each other”. So the Safe Haven mission continues. . . . . . As of this date forty two (42) little lives have been saved.