From Beast to Bairns
FROM BEAST TO BAIRNS
INSIDE ADAM DE VILLENEUVE’S PHILANTHROPIC FAIRY TALE
As the pandemic sweeps the world, many of us are hunkering down in our homes to await a vaccine. But for four American children, that home is now a fairy tale come true. We take a look inside the Scottish manor where ex-wrestler, Adam De Villeneuve (“The Beast”), is taking on the American foster system.
There are said to be 1,500 castles dotting the Scottish landscape. On a beinn (large hill) in the Highlands, about two hours outside of Fort William, sits one such castle: De Villeneuve Estate. It’s believed that this isolated property dates back to the reign of King James V, a palatial holiday home for a once-wealthy and powerful family. But such details are lost to time. The more recent history is far more intimate, and more tragic.
In 2004, The Beast, then Adam McKenzie, was one of wresting’s rising superstars at the age of only 22. The next year, when same-sex marriage was legalized in Canada, he became a different type of icon when he revealed a longterm relationship with French-Canadian composer, Lloyd De Villeneuve and the two were wed.
This was when they purchased the estate— a 16-bedroom manor house, set on 120 acres of sprawling gardens, complete with dazzling views of the surrounding mountains, a groundskeeper’s cottage and a private lake.
With his new husband safely ensconced in their country home, The Beast returned to the spotlight and his meteoric rise. For two years, he dominated headlines both with his exploits in the ring and wild parties, where he demonstrated behavior befitting his moniker. Then, in spring of 2007, one headline that would change his trajectory forever: Lloyd De Villeneuve drowned, suicide suspected.
A BEAST OF A DIFFERENT NATURE
Following his husband’s death, The Beast retired from the public eye. He dabbled in coaching, obtained a degree in sports management from Columbia and started a foundation, in Lloyd’s name, to help children in need.
It was here that he finally recovered the passion that he’d last experienced in the ring.
“This was a cause very close to Lloyd’s heart,” De Villeneuve tells me now, via video call. He’s sitting in a gorgeous vintage French drawing room and my first impression is that he seems out of place among the delicate upholstery. He may no longer be a wrestler, but he still has the stature of one, with broad shoulders and biceps for days.
“We met at a Save the Children benefit. I complained about the price we’d had to pay for a plate and he was quick to set me to rights.”
Even so many years later, there’s a heaviness behind his fond words.
“After he passed, I wanted to do something to honor his memory and a foundation to help children seemed most fitting. The more I engaged with the issues, the more I realized that there’s more to saving the children than helping innocents in war-torn countries. There’s a lot of work to be done right here at home.”
Catching his error, he adds, “In the States, I mean.”
Which leads me to ask: if his aim is to help children in the US, what is he doing in Scotland?
The answer is surprisingly simple: “I’m proving that if you give children the tools to thrive, they will.”
LOCHY GOALS
The American foster system is beleaguered by a number of systemic issues that the De Villeneuve foundation seeks to address at a grassroots level. Up until now, much of their work has been in the background, funding local organizations fighting to protect the rights of children and families.
“It’s impossible to ignore the role that poverty plays in the separation of families. A mother working two jobs to support her children shouldn’t lose access to them simply because she’s struggling to make ends meet. Funding in the right place at the right time, along with community initiatives like childcare and food parcels, can help ensure those children never enter the system in the first place.”
But sometimes there is no alternative. “The foster system exists to protect children who have no one else to look out for them. And currently, it does a shameful job of it.”
According to statistics from the Chapin Hall Center for Children, one in five children who age out of foster care end up homeless and one in four end up involved in the criminal justice system within two years.
“When wealthy people decide to have children, they either go the biological route or they adopt. The adoption industry makes a tidy profit annually, meanwhile, there are half a million kids out there, stuck in a system that’s bursting at the seams. Most of those kids don’t need a permanent home. They need a temporary safe space to sleep where they’re given the resources they need to work through their trauma and are helped along in other areas of their lives, such as their education. While there are many excellent foster homes out there, there are many who see fostering as an easy paycheck and the children placed in such homes often leave in a worse state than when they were taken into care. This is why it’s so important to encourage those who have the funds and who truly care about children to get involved.”
As De Villeneuve talks, there’s a fire behind his eyes and it’s easy to get swept up in his passion.
“This is why I’ve chosen to become a foster parent, and I hope to encourage my peers to do the same.”
Which brings us to the Scottish estate. De Villeneuve, who has lodgings in both New York and London, selected the estate for his fosters as he believes it offers a space for them to thrive.
“With the pandemic, it turned out to be an even more appropriate choice. As you know, we’ve turned it into a Covid bubble,” he says.
A “bubble” has become a common term for a closed community of people who avoid outside contact to reduce the risks of infection with Covid-19. De Villeneuve explains that, in addition to himself and the children, their bubble is made up of a housekeeper, groundskeeper, private chef, nanny and teacher who will see to the children, along with a couple of staff who will assist with the remote running of the foundation.
As for the children’s meetings with their social worker and any additional emotional or legal care, these will be conducted via video, much like our interview.
“The children will be fully supported here, in a beautiful, safe and comfortable environment,” De Villeneuve says. “During their time here, they will receive a strong foundation that will enable them to find success later in life.”
GUESTS OF HONOR
In normal circumstances, foster families don’t get to choose which children are placed with them. However, in De Villeneuve’s case, there were a few more factors at play. Firstly, the children he fostered would not be able to see their parents. This meant that he could not foster children whose parents had visitation rights. Secondly, children with pending court cases, who could not leave the country, were ruled out.
We spoke to Lara Velez, the social worker De Villeneuve worked with to place the children.
“Our first consideration is always the best interests for the child. While this is an exciting opportunity for them, we didn’t want to risk doing more harm than good. While I cannot reveal names or other identifying characteristics, I can tell you that two of the children were removed from a crowded group home. One came from a dissolved adoption [when children are returned to foster care after being adopted - ed], and one is an orphan who had yet to be placed after the passing of his last remaining relative. We felt that all four, for varying reasons, would thrive in De Villeneuve’s care.”
It’s safe to say that every child who enters the foster system brings with them some form of trauma. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, neglect is most common (75%), followed by physical abuse (17%). As a result, these children often have heightened mental health needs and we can’t help but wonder if De Villeneuve is equipped to meet these needs, especially in a place that is so isolated.
“From where I’m sitting, when you have kids with no belongings and no one to love them, money is certainly the best chance they have at happiness,” Velez says. “Maybe not permanently, maybe it won’t fix all that’s happened in their lives, but hell if they don’t deserve to live in a nice mansion for a while, right?”
The children have been placed with De Villeneuve for six months—the length of a Standard Visitor Visa. After which time, they will need to return to the States. What happens then? De Villeneuve was unclear.
“At the moment, I’m just glad to have them here. We’ll take each day as it comes. I’m hoping that whatever’s next for them, this will be an experience that they can look back on fondly, and that we may encourage others who have the resources to take the leap that I have, to make a big difference, even if it’s on a small scale.”