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Discovery Channel program to feature SFSU student, children

June 5, 2003

Photo of the the groupThe A.S. Early Childhood Education Center, two of its toddlers and an SFSU student will be the focus of a program on adoption aired 11 a.m. Monday, June 9, on the Discovery Health Channel.

History major Mark Taubman-Walker, 43, and his partner Todd Taubman-Walker, a 45-year-old makeup artist, adopted two boys with special needs in 2000 and 2001 from the Berkeley-based adoption agency A Better Way. One boy was born addicted to crack cocaine. Today, Ethan is 3 and Tony is 2 and both are thriving.

"There is a huge need for foster parents and people need to understand how desperate the situation is. There are 8.9 million children in California and each year 500,000 children enter foster care. Of those who end up in foster care only 17 percent get adopted and those are not good odds," said Mark Taubman-Walker, who hopes to teach high school once he graduates next year. "It takes a year of patience to get certified with the various background checks but if you love children it’s worth going for it."

Mark Taubman-Walker attended SFSU in the late 1970s as a freshman and lived in Merced Hall but dropped out of school after a semester. He moved to Southern California where he attended several other universities. He returned to the Bay Area in 1991.

By fall 2002 Mark Taubman-Walker, who also is a manager at MacArthur Park restaurant, was back at SFSU and at the same time enrolled his children in the Early Childhood Center. The children stay at the center when he attends classes.

When Discovery Health embarked on the adoption project a producer contacted A Better Way and asked for couples willing to talk about their experiences with the adoption process. The agency referred the Taubman-Walkers.

And it appears the couple’s adoption days are far from over.

"I want 10 kids, but Todd wants only five," said Mark Taubman-Walker. "Next we would like to adopt girls."

In February a crew from Discovery Health spent an entire week with the family who live in Glen Park. Among other locations, the crew filmed the boys at the Center, in their home and in a courtroom during one of the adoption hearings.

Check local listings for the exact channel. For more information, visit the Discovery Channel at www.discovery.com.

Photo: Pictured from left -- Todd Taubman-Walker with Tony standing in front of him and Mark Taubman-Walker holding Ethan.

-- Christina Holmes

         

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Last modified June 13, 2003, by the Office of Public Affairs