144 leadership While many girls grew up following the traditional plan of getting married and starting their own family, not all conformed to this pattern. Director of Student Technology Services Lora Fleener found her dream come true when she became a single mom to adopted daughter, Lydia, from Vietnam. Growing up in a home with adopted and foster children, Fleener developed interest in adoption early on. There was hardly a moment growing up in her home that did not include additions to the family. “It didn’t matter what color you were or what size you were; you were always just part of the family,” Fleener said. Later, Fleener attended Harding, and after graduation, immediately began working for the university. With no husband or children occupying her focus at the time, Fleener had pushed the idea of adoption out of her mind. But that all changed in January 2000 when she took a trip to Vietnam. “I did give some thought to single parent adoption but decided it would be too difficult,” Fleener said. “Then I met a friend who adopted two little girls from Vietnam.” When Jessica Moore, who also worked for Harding as the women’s intramural director, approached Fleener about traveling with her to Vietnam to pick up her newly-adopted daughters, Fleener readily joined her. “I fell in love with Vietnam and more importantly with the beautiful children of Vietnam,” Fleener said. “I knew then that I wanted to adopt from Vietnam.” In November of 2000, Fleener began the process of adopting her daughter, which took over two years to accomplish. “I received the call the day before Thanksgiving 2002,” Fleener said. “That phone call started a whirlwind that hasn’t stopped.” Fleener’s legal adoption of her daughter was finalized in Vietnam on January 22, 2003. After returning to the states, Fleener chose to re-adopt, which allowed her to change her daughter’s name and obtain a U.S. birth certificate for Lydia listing Fleener as her legal mother. Fleener’s new life, while a blessing, also presented its own challenges. Balancing a job, raising a child and participating in community activities were hard enough for married couples, let alone a single mother of a 5 year old. “Being a single mother is much more difficult than I ever could have imagined,” Fleener said. “It is very rewarding, and I wouldn’t change anything, but it can be difficult at times.” Despite these challenges, Fleener enjoyed sharing all aspects of her life with Lydia. As the manager of DormNet, a communication support program that employed students to help people on campus with Internet connection problems, Fleener often brought Lydia to come hang out with “the boys” at work. She got a big kick out of playing jokes on whomever sat at the Help Desk. “We have adjustable chairs at the Help Desk, and one of them taught her to go up behind someone and pull the lever and lower the chair,” Fleener said. “She thinks that’s hysterically funny.” Though her life did not follow a traditional path, Fleener embraced every moment with her daughter, both the joys and the challenges. “Nothing is more important to me than Lydia’s happiness. Even when it gets hard to balance it all, she is my number one priority,” Fleener said. “I wouldn’t change a thing that has happened, and I know that God chose her for me. I thank Him for that every day.” Farron Martin and Emily Hauptli Lydia Fleener, daughter of Lora Fleener, plays in the flowers on Harding’s campus in April while wearing her DormNet T-shirt. Lydia said her favorite part of coming to work with her mom was being able to give her mom hugs. Courtesy of Lora Fleener Lora Fleener, director of Student Technology Services, spends time on the front lawn with her daughter Lydia on Sept.18. Fleener adopted her daughter from Vietnam in 2002, and since then, the DormNet staff grew to love spending time with her. Noah Darnell Also known as the Lilly Pond, the fountain on the front lawn has been a part of campus from its beginning. More than just something to look at, students gather around the fountain frequently to watch baptisms or hold social club ring ceremonies. Noah Darnell Adoption
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