Both Ends Burning Founder Craig Juntunen’s mission started five years ago when, as an Arizona businessman, he became fascinated with international adoptions. More recently he observed that the number of international adoptions was in sharp decline.  At first he assumed there weren’t enough families who wanted to adopt. That assumption was dead wrong — there are plenty of families who want to adopt, but are blocked from doing so.

He then found there are two fundamental problems in the process of international adoptions: One, many nongovernmental organizations oppose international adoption and have created roadblocks in the system. Two, the process of international adoption is extremely inefficient, too expensive for the average family, and fraught with bureaucratic issues that can delay the process for a significant amount of time. These discoveries led Craig Juntunen to launch the Both Ends Burning Campaign to stop the free fall in international adoptions and help find permanent families for orphaned and abandoned children. Juntunen and his wife Kathi adopted their three children from Haiti, who provide constant proof that international adoption works to serve children who need families. In 2009, Juntenen published published a memoir, Both Ends Burning: My Story of Adopting Three Children from Haiti.

Sports and business leaders will come together April 6 in Scottsdale for “A Night of Greatness” to illuminate the urgent need for a new system of international adoption so more orphaned and abandoned children around the world can have the benefit of a permanent, loving family.  The public is invited to share the evening with these special sports and business "Greats" at the special event being held at the new Parc Central Restaurant and Lounge at the Scottsdale Quarter.

Arizona Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt, an Arizona icon who has inspired greatness in and beyond the community, will host the special evening, the first fundraiser of the Both Ends Burning Campaign. The campaign is a compelling new social movement to transform the broken system of international adoption, which is failing kids who need families.

Wrongfully Detained is the organization’s major documentary film on the international adoption crisis, produced by award-winning filmmaker Thaddaeus Scheel of Globox Productions. The foundation shares its name with the title of his book. The book, the film and the foundation are part of a campaign to create real and lasting change for children who need families by influencing legislation at all levels that improves the process of international adoption. This unique movement is growing in numbers as people sign the campaign’s petition calling for the United Nations and world governments to work for a solution for orphaned and abandoned children. The film is scheduled for limited release in Fall 2011.

This special event will include live music by award-winning singer Dawn Jameson, a live auction and raffle benefiting the organization, premiere of never-before-seen clips from the film Wrongfully Detained including the Both Ends Burning music video, and cocktails and hors d’eourves hosted by Parc Central. A minimum donation to the foundation is required to attend.

For more information about the event or to donate to secure a ticket, please visit www.bothendsburning.org.