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ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
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Adoption MD
Depressed and Combating Infertility: Anti-Depressant
Alternatives |
DEVELOPMENT AID:
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3 Days of Focus
A Call to Action:
Youth to Turn iPods Off;
Their Focus on God, On |
BLOG OF THE MONTH:
PARENT-TO-PARENT:
KIDS CORNER:
PROGRAM
UPDATES:
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China
Eleven Children Enter into the Hearts of Eleven Families |
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Colombia
Waiting for and Uniting - Families |
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Ethiopia
February Truly a Month of Love for Families Traveling to
Ethiopia |
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Kazakhstan
Program Director Returns From Kazakhstan |
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Russia
Waiting Families to Experience a Big Spurt of Travel,
Post-Accreditation and Post-Holidays! |
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Vietnam
A New Year for Vietnam Brings Three Families News of Their
Referral |
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Our Accreditations
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For Karen Taylor of Jacksonville,
Florida, 2007 began like any other year: “the annual trek to St.
Martin ...day trips to Savannah and St. Augustine, and the snow
birds overtaking my home winter, spring, summer, and fall.
Everything was typical and I wanted an adventure.”
When Karen heard about Bank of America’s
service trip to China, she knew it was exactly what she was looking
for. The first leg of service work was at Children’s Hope
International’s post surgery center for orphaned children in Beijing
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The Hope Center. The second leg brought the group to Luoyang
Orphanage, within the Henan province. This orphanage houses 610
children, 60% of whom suffer from cerebral palsy.
“Before leaving for China I was
concerned what I would do with the children once I arrived,” says
Karen
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From barrettes and bubbles, to
flashcards and fun, Karen and her fellow volunteers from
Chicago, Boston, and New York, came armed to entertain and get
involved with the children.
Unlike their American counterparts
who play outside daily, these children rarely leave the
orphanage. With the help of the nannies and the orphanage
director’s approval, the team chaperoned a trip to a local park
for an afternoon.
“In the US, many children have play
gyms in their backyard and go just about anywhere to learn and
experience; these orphans do have a small play gym outside their
front door, but many had never been to a park.” |
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“The preschool children love to mimic. They so want to learn
and please. Teaching them English was easy - having them
remember it was a little more difficult,” says Karen.
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Karen led the Luoyang children through
the park to the zoo, playing “follow the leader”, clapping, running
and enjoying the fresh air. “I stopped being the leader when we
reached the bronze animal statues outside the zoo. The children went
wild!” says Karen. “From animal to animal - we’d pick them up and
take them to the next one. After awhile, the nannies reined them
into the zoo. You can imagine - they loved it!”
After touring the zoo, the children
waited patiently while Karen’s team purchased ice cream, one cone to
be shared between two children.
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“I can’t
imagine never having ice-cream and I certainly don’t
remember my first bite, but the joy a shared cone brought to
these children will long be a memory I will cherish.”
Back home, Karen reflected.
“Friends comment on how much we were able to impact the
lives of these children – even for such a short time, but
what they don’t realize is how much those children impacted
mine. There isn’t a day that goes by when I don’t wonder how
they are doing and where they are.” |
At the time of
their trip, Bank of America family, friends, and associates
had raised $5,675 to purchase items for the orphanage while
in China. The donations bought fifteen televisions, fifteen
wash machines and laundry detergent to benefit the
orphanages 600+ residents. Research corporate matching or
speak with your employer on how you may impact the world.
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2007 Medical Aid Program
In 2007, 445 children from impoverished families and welfare
institutions received medical assistance through Children’s
Hope. That total includes 295 life-saving heart surgeries
and 66 cleft lip/palate surgeries. The Baby Tree Company
made donations for 107 Children’s Hope surgeries; the Walch
Company funded 91.
Yang Defang (pictured here with her father and Children’s
Hope and Enjoylife staff) received pre-surgery
rehabilitation, a medical evaluation, and limb replacement
surgery in Beijing. In her hometown of Kunming, Yang Defang
will undergo training and practice in the use of her
prosthesis. Ready to return, Yang Defang was all smiles.
Children’s Hope wishes her a happy and healthy future! |
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2007 Children's Hope International.
All rights reserved.