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Valerie Monnett Rieben has always harbored a lot of heart and soul for children.

At 24, the college graduate is a stay-at-home mother of sacrifice dedicated to her five children.

I am proud to honor her as the 2008 Miami Valley Mother of the Year. She is the youngest mother to make our special honor roll since we began this Mother's Day tradition 24 years ago.

Valerie, of Fairborn, and her husband Richard, 27, have a set of triplets, two boys and a girl, Jacob, Lukas, and Maren, who are 3 years old.

It doesn't stop there.

The doctor had to do an emergency hysterectomy after her C-section, and she was no longer able to give birth, Valerie said.

That's when the Riebens adopted two young boys with multiple handicaps.

In October, Valerie traveled to Uzbekistan to pick up adopted son Joshua Rieben, who is 15 months old and unable to use his legs.

On Christmas Eve, she brought home Evan Rieben, 3, rescued from an orphanage in the Ukraine. He cannot use his arms or legs and sometimes lifts things using his mouth.

Valerie's mother, Liz Terry, 48, nominated her daughter.

"Valerie knows her worth, her mother said. "She knows who she is. She is an example to all mothers, young and old. She handles her tremendous responsibilities with such joy, love and satisfaction."

The oldest of six siblings, she began baby sitting at age 9 — but wanted to start at age 3, her mother says. She earned her high school degree when she was 16, got married when she was 18, picked up her bachelor's degree at age 19 and was the mother of triplets when she was 21.

Valerie's mother, Liz Terry, teaches special education and is volleyball coach at Carroll High School, and her grandfather Steve Hamilton, who died of colon cancer in 1997 was a pitcher for the New York Yankees from 1962 to 1970.

"Valerie earned her degree in sports management and recreation, and I suspected she would teach and counsel children for life," her mother said. "But how proud I am that my daughter realized that there are kids who need her and that she is willing to dedicate her life to making their lives better."

When she and her husband first saw the ultra-sound that announced they were expecting a multiple birth, Valerie said she was overwhelmed with emotion. "I was stunned and thrilled. It was a gift beyond expectations."

Then, after complications meant she was no longer able to give birth, she was disappointed, but "we moved on," she said.

She began to search adoption information on the Internet, and remembers the day she first saw the face of Joshua, and read his profile.

"I knew he would be our son right then if everything worked out," she said. "I just felt it deep inside."

After completing exhaustive paperwork and countless calls the adoption was approved and in October 2007 Valerie traveled to Uzbekistan, to pick up Joshua.

"He was born with focamelia, a birth defect that causes the long leg bones of the leg not to develop," Valerie said. "With no medical care available to orphans there, Josh would have lived in the orphanage until he turned 16 and then be turned out on his own, most likely to live on the streets."

Even as the family welcomed Josh home, Valerie was searching the Internet again. Soon, the paperwork for Evan was started.

She found Evan in the Ukraine. Evan was born with locked joints.

"He suffers from anthrogyposis," she said. "Unable to use his arms or legs to move on his own — his world had been confined to a 2 by 4 foot bed. Caring workers did what they could but with no health care available his future was uncertain."

On Christmas Eve, Valerie brought Evan home to Fairborn to meet his father, and to join his brother Joshua, and the triplets.

Terry said of her daughter, "Her days are filled with the feeding, diapering and activities that many mothers squeeze into their days. But Valerie also must attend to physical therapy, surgery and hospital stays, specialist visits, and consultations. She continues to provide the needed attention to all five of her children and schedules park visits, play groups, camping trips, and educational opportunities daily."

The grandmother continued, "It costs around $15,000 to adopt a child and Valerie and Richard took out loans to help carry them financially. Richard makes about $60,000 a year in his computer manager's job, but they stay on a strict budget managed by my daughter to keep the bills paid."

Valerie makes each birthday and holiday special in her family.

"One thing we plan to continue is to celebrate 'Rieben Family Founder's Day' each Sept. 21. That is our wedding anniversary and Richard and I want to teach the kids the value and sacredness of marriage and family. We will have a slide show and have cake and celebrate together."

She added, "This is my life, my passion. I can't imagine a better place than being at home, with my kids, and helping shape their lives for good. It is often overwhelming and there are frustrating moments. But it is so rewarding. Our life is full. We have been richly blessed."

More on adoption

Valerie Rieben wants others interested in adopting or fostering children from overseas and from this country to know how to get more information. She has found the following organizations helpful:

• About A Child — An international adoption agency assisting in adoptions from Russia, Latvia, Hungary, Ukraine and Uzbekistan that helped us adopt our buys (www.aboutachild.org)

• Cherub International Adoption Services — An international homestudy agency owned and operated by a local adoptive mother, Ellen Rice of Springboro. A homestudy is a vital step in any adoption. (cherubint@aol.com or 748-4812).

• Reece's Rainbow — An international adoption ministry that focuses on finding homes for children with disabilities, particularly Down Syndrome. (www.reecesrainbow.com).

• Until We All Have Homes — Another international adoption ministry that specializes in placing children with disabilities. They also raise funds for humanitarian and medical aid for orphans in other countries. (www.untilallhavehomes.org.)

• Adopt US Kids — An organization helping to find homes for children in the United States living within the foster care system. (www.adoptuskids.org).

• Life 2 Orphans — A non-profit organization providing humanitarian aid for orphans in Ukraine. (www.life2orphans.org.)

Contact this columnist at dhuffman@DaytonDailyNews.com or write to Dale at 1611 S. Main St. Dayton, OH 45409.

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