Double Happiness!

Shuang Xin Li Men, literally translated means "Double Happiness Comes through the Door" with your support RTC will continue to cross thresholds by "Connecting Lives... Creating Futures" for children with special needs in Chinese orphanages and foster homes. Your gift will be doubled/matched by the support of our generous anonymous donors, up to $10,500 by donating on line at givenmn.org or by check dated through November 16.  All gifts in any amount are welcome.    http://givemn.razoo.com/story/Red-Thread-Charities

Red Thread Charities

redthreadcharities.org 

6632 West Shore Drive

Edina, MN  55435

Red Scarves to Red Guards

Sunday's event 

Well, Danling did it again! Her talk on Sunday about growing up in China during the Cultural Revolution held an audience of over 100 people spellbound!  I think about Danling's life as a teenager, forced away from her parents and school to work in the fields for long hours every day while being "re educated". I think about what her parents went through, forced away from their school aged sons who were left to fend for themselves...how they worried to the point of desperation.  Who could live through torture like this?  Amazingly, Danling and her family did live through this.  Her parents and brothers are alive and well in Beijing.  Danling has gone on to help countless people, myself included, adopt children from China.  She founded Red Thread Charities which has helped so many children live more fulfilled lives in orphanges in China.  Thank you to all who donate to our cause!  And thank you Danling, for everything you do!          

Danling and her mother.  Oct 2010

Another entry from our resident travel blogger, Tom

Yesterday, (actually 2 weeks ago) Tuesday in Beijing the weather was perfect, mid 60's to 70's and blue skies. We took in the Hutong area on our first outing leaving in heavy traffic around 9:00 am.  We had a rickshaw tour through the alleys of households that dated back to the Ming dynasty. This was a chance to see the ancient lifestyle that still exists today, despite the Olympic building program and an increase in high rise contruction..bikes everywhere, cars all over and lots of places in reconstruction..property goes for outrageous prices..in the millions for an apartment. Many share bathrooms and are lucky to have a place here.

From there we got dropped off and hiked to the Drum Tower (google it) and ancient time keeping building..the spot of the Bachman tradgedy in the 08 Olympics..Later we had lunch with a family..Homemade dishes spun around on a Lazy Susan..needless to say it made many stops in front of me..I am getting pretty good at the use of chop sticks..We got back to our hotel to check out around 2:00 pm and then off to Tian'men Square..the largest public square in the world..The square was filled with people and guards were scattered about. The size of the square is staggering and the  huge screen depicting scenes from  China was the screen seen during the Olympics. Across the way is the Forbidden City. Commoners were forbidden to enter and would be punished by death. It was home of the Ming and Qing dynasty emperor till the end of the Ming Dynasty in 1911. A day here might be enough to see all the courtyards and art collections. We had about 2 hours..then were off to Pearl City where shops are pilled on one another and bargaining is a blast..Later we had dinner and then made our way to the train station..Will down load some photos later... the food has been outstanding...I need to watch myself.  Tom

 

 

Children Helping Children

Half way around the world a child can make a difference in another child's life.  A brownie troop in MN hand made sensory blankets for the orphanage.  Sensory blankets are super soft and textural with ribbon tags around them.  Babies can bond with them and take them with them when they are adopted as a comforting transitional item from foster or orphanage care to the forever family.  Being an adoptive mom, I know that on adoption day, within 24 hours, that precious child has been bathed and dressed in cute Baby Gap clothing.  New parents, new language, new hotel with heat, new smells, new sights and sounds. Nothing is left from the child's previous life.  The sensory blankets are meant to bridge that transition, something that the child can hold onto that was a piece of his life before adoption.  Thank you to Brownie Troop 52931... Emma, Cece, Skylar, Sophia, Emily, Zoe, Misk, Abby, and of course our 2009 volunteer, Paige Indritz for making a difference in a child's life.  

Generous Donation

While preparing for our volunteer trip back here in Wisconsin,  I was surprised by a very generous donation from a waiting family!  The instructions from the family was to “use this donation in any way that the orphanage might need”.  Whew!  That was a hard one!  I presented it to our RTC board.  I always referred to it as our “Happy Dilemma.”   We thought and thought…. What would be fair?  Who should make this decision?  We finally decided that we would present it to the orphanage director and ask her opinion.  We told her of our “Happy Dilemma”. She talked rapidly with the other staff members and came up with a solution!  It took all of about 15 seconds!!!  Our team had recommended further evaluation on a child with hearing impairment.  They will be using the funds to get further testing and procure hearing aids for a little boy who happens to be in the same preschool group as the child with the donating parents!  I talked to the donating mom who was delighted that the funds be used to help a child! Some day a little girl will know that her friend in China was helped by her own parents. What a special bond!  If any of you might feel creative about a donation, our group makes sure it goes to the kids.  Our generous volunteers pay their way to China and the trip is so rewarding they usually return a second or third time.  Still it is expensive…  If there are any pediatric PTs, OTs, child pychologists,  pediatricians with a lot of CP knowledge… Special Ed teachers…. Speech therapists with cleft experience.  We have another trip planned for October 2011.  Please consider a very rewarding trip.  What else could be more important?  The children need you.  

Hello from Quin

 Hi.  I'm Quin and I'm one of the kid volunteers.  Our team has been really busy for the past 5 days examining kids in the orphanage and helping the teachers and nannies learn therapy techniques.  Here I am in one of the therapy rooms playing with a little girl who has Down syndrome.  Children who are born with Down syndrome can really be helped with therapy and they are really fun!  I am helping this little girl learn how to share toys.  She gets to hear music for 15 minutes which helps her brain become more organized.  In the second picture she has on earphones tied with a red scarf.  At first she didn't like it but when she heard the music it helped her concentrate better.  The little boy in the last photo has a hard time using his muscles.  The big therapy ball helps him have fun and stretch while reaching for toys.  The kids really like therapy. This orphanage has almost 400 children.  Some of the kids will be adopted by parents in the United States and Europe.  It's nice for kids to be able to have fun while they get their therapy. 

School Visit

School Visit on Thursday, Oct. 21…Hangzhou Foreign Language School

This school was built 7 years ago in only 14 months. It is a government run boarding school with an emphasis on a foreign language. There are 3500 students here in grades 7-12. It is one of the top schools in the area with only 1 of every 100 elementary students getting in. The lower grades pay a lesser fee than grades 10 – 12. At the end of their 10th grade year they make a  choice between the science and math area or history and social studies area. Graduating from this school eliminates them from taking the tough entrance exam for entrance into the local universities. This was the deal the government made with the colleges.

How about this for a school day!! Breakfast is around 7:15 am and classes start @ 7:40 am and run till noon. Much like in the US school system (about the only similar item) the lunch program runs the school. The Jr. High kids eat @ 11:30 and the Sr. High around noon. They have about an 1 ½ hour lunch break and then back to classes till 5:00 pm..Supper is served and then back to study areas from 6:20 to 8:40 for Jr. High and till 9:20 for High School..Lights out @ 10:00 pm for the Sr. High kids, a bit earlier for the younger ones. Sports or clubs take place in the late afternoon. There is no competition between other schools as it would cut into study time. Basketball is big here among the students as a sport and they like the NBA, especially the Lakers. We told them the Lakers were originally from Minnesota, the land of 10,000 lakes, and city of Minneapolis, the city of Lakes.

The campus would be a large version of St. Olaf or Gustavus. The mulit-storied ( a 3 story cafeteria) buildings have marble stairways with stainless steel handrails, no carpet here. The huge gym would rival the Target Center and many outdoor basketball courts ring the campus. Expansive walkways, and landscaping is set around ponds, shrubs and trees. The architecture is creative the library looming over a huge granite football like courtyard.

20% of these kids go onto Universities all over the world without having to take the college exams. There were lists of the student’s names with the college acceptances next to their names. One had 9 schools.. from the Big Ten, California, Ivy League to schools in Europe. About 40-50% go onto colleges in China with vo-tech schools being an option. This is a brain factory. They want to be here and I am sure the principal deals with few discipline problems. The director said “If a kid came home from school @ 3:00 pm., he /she would be shot by the parents.” Education here is big time and I feel the game is over. China wins.

I talked to a student for about 15 minutes and within 12 hours he had emailed me. He was interested in the most fantastic sport in the US, who was the most famous American author and had I been to a NBA game. I gave him my answers and told him I’d take him a game if he came to America. My bet is he will be over, these kids are driven..Fun to see this.

Happy Birthday Tim and Bridget

The year sure went by fast.  For two years in a row now, two Libra members of our team...Tim and Bridget... got to celebrate their birthdays at Hangzhou CWI.  After a morning of examining around 20 kidlets, the staff had a giant cake delivered to our cafeteria.  What a gift to see all the foster families including PT and OT into the childrens' daily regimen.  Kudos!  Later this evening we are scheduled to celebrate at a Karoke bar somewhere near the night market in Hangzhou....more to come.

First Day of Exams

Today we spent the day examining 22 children.  It was so touching to see their sweet smiling...and sometimes crying...faces.  We sure were busy!  Every one of the volunteers did a fantastic job!  Thank you to all!   As so many children are now being adopted internationally and domestically, the nannies frequently asked...Do you think this child could be adopted internationally?  Oh my goodness...of course!

The Land of Green Tea

On Wednesday, Oct 20th, around  5:00 pm we headed for the tea area of Hangzhou, (Longjing) green tea, one of China's most prized teas has long been cultivated in this area on the jagged hills that border Hangzhou. Our driver weaved up the hills and narrow streets and wedged us in a side street.We then walked for about 10 minutes down a steep walkway, past houses with patios and gardens, finally to our destination. We were at a family's house and sat out on their deck. They had just remodeled their place and it was fantastic. It had the traditional furniture inside and put  a brand new TV set up attached to stone wall. The food kept coming out once again and we really had a good time. At the end the family got out the tea and many of us bought some. According to legend Emperor Qian Long decided this tea from the Meijiawu Village was the best in China. So of all the tea in China..we bought the best...So I got that going for me when I return to the US. The leaves were hand dried and recently picked. We left there about 9:00 pm and got back in a short time, traveling thru several tunnels that were cut thru the mountains.

Tom and Linda Rasmussen

Finally we have internet!!!

We traveled by bus to Hangzhou CWI a couple of days ago and boy have we been busy!  Officials from CCAA, China Center for Adoption Affairs, and orphanage directors from throughout China were at the orphanage and we were asked to give our lectures during that time.  We were thrilled to be able to have an audience with people so instrumental in making policies regarding adoption.  Susan Jacobson from the U of MN adoption clinic gave her talk on what information should go in a child's referral, I gave mine on the importance of gracefully transitioning children from foster care to adoptive families. Nancy and Kiki gave their talk on PT and OT.  It was very well received and the questions from the audience were very thoughtful.  During my talk, I felt it was important to give a voice to recent adoptive families.  When I showed pictures of Hong Jie, Ke Xin and Shu Yi  (Parents...you know who you are...), 4 nannies sitting off to the side had tears streaming down their faces while they pointed at the screen.  It sure made my day.  Jane

Traffic in Xi'an

Our bus is a 20 passenger Mercedes with a stub nose, manual shift and comfortable seats. Our driver is a magician weaving us in a and out of traffic, pulling in a front of anyone, turning on a dime and suddenly stopping inches in front of a car, bus, bike or wide eyed pedestrian. There are no rules here, only if you are in a bigger rig you win. He made a U-turn in front of oncoming traffic, forced taxis and bikes off the road and always won the race to the spot. He was like Rembrandt at times gently weaving in and out with smooth stroke of the gas pedal and turn of the wheel, other times like Picasso suddenly stopping and turning and squeezing in next to another bus, and other times like the mad man Van Gogh racing down a short cut, thru a back road and scattering folks and bikes to the curb. 90% of the time he is only inches from the the other buses, bikes and taxis. His horn blares to warn and he never gets upset. He passed a cop on the right with his horn blaring, dodging another car and settling in front of the cop. There are no tickets given or police present, it would only stop the uncontrolled flow of the vehicles. I have come to the conclusion this traffic only works if there are no rules. A left turn only lane with people obeying would only cause a back up, so it is better to head out into the flow, melt in and keep going. So I just seat back and marvel at the master driver in action and am glad I am not behind the wheel.

Terracotta Warriors

Thursday, Oct. 14th.
At 8:30 am we left for the Terracotta Warriors, thought to be the 8th Wonder of the World. It was about an hour drive outside of the city of Xi'an and once again dodging traffic and stopping to pay tolls along the way. On March 29th, 1974 a farmer digging a well because of the drought discovered some pottery and reported it the authorities. These four farmers became instant heroes as they had discovered Emperor Qin's tomb from 2,000 years ago. I will not go into all the details of him, but google Terracotta Warriors. This cruel emperor had died at the age of 50, but made his people build him a tomb. The warriors were to protect him, and some 700,000 died building his tomb.  8,000 lifelike warriors, all different, were made to honor and protect him. The site was sacked in a revolution (many sites in China have been sacked and the rebuilt), taking a month to rob. His tomb remains untouched as authorities are trying to develop the technology to preserve and dodge the booby traps set; some even with mercury. In the three pits we toured, the the remains were re-constructed. In 1998 Bill Clinton visited the site and met one of the farmers who made the discovery. One is still living today and was present to sign a book when we visited and Cheryl  bought a book and had him sign it. It was a site almost too big and unreal to imagine.

Tom & Linda Rasmussen

Chopsticks and Pagodas

We had gone to bed early after our hike around West Lake and another marvelous meal. I can't seem to say no to the food presented to me. My use of chopsticks is getting pretty good and not much gets by me or is left on my plate. Quinn is the best at the use of chopsticks and have given me a few pointers.  Getting the noodles out of the bowl is a test, as they are easily 17 - 18 inches long.

Our bus driver took us to the West Lake area where there are many Pagodas, park areas, and a favorite romantic spot for all. Needless to the place was packed with people on Sunday. The Baochu Pogoda built in 976 is the center of the Buddhist Culture and was one of our first stops. This also the spot of the Lingyin Scenic Area, one of the ten largest Buddhist Temples, 1st built in 326 AD. The Lingyin Pagoda is the only Pagoda in Hangzhou that dates back to the Ming Dynasty. This is one of the most popular spots for Buddhist activity in SE China. There were tons of people worshiping here along with the visitors and tourists. Incense was all over the place and at times the smoke almost burned your eyes.

After lunch we took a boat ride across to an island dotted with paths, walkways, and bridges. The winding bridge walkway was made of granite slabs 2' by 6' and 6 inches deep.. and 3 wide. This was set on concrete columns with precision craftsmanship and made for comfortable walking. The boat took us back and we headed to the spot to be picked up. The area would be like Lake Calhoun but set it in  a  city of 10 million, with clogged paths and roads. We looked across the way at the Shang Ra La Hotel, the old communist state Guesthouse where President Nixon stayed in 1972. A night's stay would run you $160 a night.

More down the road.

Tom Rasmussen

Train Trip

The train station is Beijing was packed with people, some workers,and some migrant workers. Luckily Nancy and Danling guided us through the gates and onto the platform WE were scheduled to leave @ 9:00 pm and made it despite the traffic and flood of people going thru the gates. I was the odd man out of 13, so I shared a berth on the sleeper train with a husband and wife from France and I fellow visiting famly in Xi'an. With my snoring the other 12 in our group caught a break. There was no common car for hanging out, just a washroom or bathroom at each end of the car. 4 to a room with 10 berths per car, giving us about 600 on the train. The high speed trains only go halfway and in the 2 years will cover the total distance between Beijing and Xian. We had an 11 hour trip. In my bed I was awakened by a photo flash of light, preceded by light horn. It was a high speed train rattling by like a bunch of flourescent lighs exploding. This happened many times and also with oncoming traffic. Thank goodness I was not on the top bunk as two footholds on each side was all you had to use to get up. It was pleasant after a bit with the thump-thump of the train and the roaring sound of the trains passing, almost in another world as I dozed on and off. We all made it thru the night and arrived in Xi'an missing the early rain that hit.
Weather has been outstandinnggg!!

Tom & Linda Rasmussen

Red Thread Charities 

Red Thread Charities 2010 Volunteer Trip Album

Dumpling Buffet

After biking and touring the Wild Goose Pagoda and taking in a caligraphy Museum wer were dropped off a our restaurant Our bus driver pulled right up on to the sidewalk as people flew out of the way. The brakes squeaked, the door opened and yours truly led the charge to the buffet, first stopping at the restroom..another story..here.
Xi'an is a dry region and wheat and corn are the main crops. Dumplings are a main staple, not rice. Dumplings are made with a wheat dough, rolled out and then stuffed with fish, pork, beef, ham, mushrooms, duck and even peanuts. Ours were made in the shape of ducks and walnuts even. They are then steamed, sometimes fried and served up on a lazy Susan. Needless to say it made many stops in front of me. The dumplings wer outstanndinnggg!! and about the size of mini donuts. They kept bringing them, a total of 15 different kinds. This was preceded by the servings of duck, pork and chicken and ending by a mini-dumpling soup. I needed one of the cranes to lift me out of my seat after.


Tom & Linda Rasmussen

On the Wall

Our guide, Mini took us to the City Wall which was real close to to our hotel, the Howard Johnson Plaza. We made the choice to bike the entire 9 mile square. Tim and Quinn were on a tandem, Linda and I also for about 15 min, Jane, Kim and Bridjet on single bikes. These bikes look like they were about 40 years old, with 1 speed, hand brakes, a wire basket on top of rusted, rattling fender. But they worked!!.. Linda and I switched to single as her seat was about 2 feet off the ground. The streets below were filled with traffic but up above on the wall it was clear sailing.
What a site we have over the the bumpy cobblestone top, past ancient weapons of catapults, cannons and lookouts. The whole time we were watched by huge tower cranes overlooking the city of Xi'an (8 million)..Xi'an is trying to maintain the old look but skyscrapers are everywhere outside the city wall. Some of the projects are being approached with pick and shovel nd getting roads opened up is not easy. The whole time we saw new and different sites on the roof tops. It was indeed a ride of a life time shared with old friends, new friends and my wife of 39 years.

Tom Rasmussen

Ancient Lifestyles

We had a tour through the Hutong district via rickshaw on Tuesday. It took us thru the alleys of households that date back to the Ming Dynasty. This was a chance to see the ancient lifestyle that still exists, despite the Olympic building program that demolished many of the buildings to make way for the high -rises. Later we had lunch with a family. A fantastic meal set on a lazy Susan. Needless to say it made many stops in front of me.
Tian'men Square is the largest public square in world. The square was filled with people and guards scattered through out the area. The size of the area is staggering and the huge screen was the one seen during the Olympics.

Forbidden CIty is across the from the square. Once again it is massive. Commoners were forbidden to enter and were punished by death if they entered. It was home to many on Ming and Qing dynasty emperors till the end of the Ming Dynasty in 1911. A day here might not be enough to see all the courtyards and art collections.
Tom Rasmussen

China and Chile

Hi All.  I just want to say how happy we all are that the trapped miners in Chile are now being rescued.  We are in our hotel in Xian watching the breaking news on CNN and waiting to go outside and see the sights.  I'm so happy to be getting messages from parents adopting children from Hangzhou CWI.  Our team is thrilled to be seeing and evaluating the kids in a few days.  So many kids are already familiar to us as we were priviledged to examine and give suggestions a year ago.  A few parents have already brought their children home!  I recently received an email from a mom who said,  "I am so happy I accepted the referral on this little girl.  She has enriched all of our lives tremendously. She loves to be kissed and give kisses too."  Isn't that a wonderful email to get. 

Jane

Day One - The Great Wall

We passed the Drum Tower on the way out of Beijing on the way to the Great Wall. Our hotel, the Beijing Oriental Cultural Center is in the center of Beijing, marked by the inner ring of roads which there are a total of 6 rings..farther out are the more modern skyscrapers and such. We got the Great Wall around 11:15 am on a clear, spectacular day. We were lucky as the previous days were cloudy and rainy..We visited the Badlaling section, the most frequented area, the first area to be restored in 1957. Mao Zedong said "He who has not climbed the Great Wall is not a true man." The wall is 3,875 miles in length, but if you include all terrain and berm it is over 10,000 miles. Most of the wall is in poor condition and many parts are not easy to reach. We were amazed at how steep the steps were, with the flat stones not easy to climb. The walls are higher on the invading side and have more holes in for looking out and weapons and such. In walking were over overtaken by the vastness and overwhelming area it covered. Smoke was used to alert the troops if an invasion from the north was on its way. The wall was wide enough to allow horses and troops to move the point of action. We took many photos and will have them loaded on our Picasa album soon. Our trip has started out with spectacular weather, amazing food and wonderful companionship.


Tom & Linda Rasmussen

Hello China...tomorrow

Some of our volunteers will be leaving in a few hours for China.  It's just going to be wonderful seeing the kids again!  So many children have been adopted since last year and the parents who have contacted me are over the moon!  Overwhelmingly, the children have adapted into their life like they've always been there.  I credit the great work of so many Chinese foster parents, making it possible for a child to learn life skills in a family while waiting for their adoptive parents.  Children's Home Society and Family Services went to China in March 2010 to work with an orphanage in the Journey of Hope Program.  Many of these children now have loving families anxiously waiting travel approval... but there are still some children left, hoping for a  forever family.
Here’s a link http://www.youtube.com/user/childrenshomesociety#p/u.  

Shadow Buddies

Our volunteer trip is getting closer and I'm really excited about this donation from our volunteer gastroenterologist. These dolls are called Shadow Buddies from the Hollister company and they are teaching tools for kids with colostomies! Look closer and you can see the 'stoma' sewn onto the abdomen of each of the dolls. And to top it off, each doll comes with it's own miniature ostomy bag! I'm just loving it. What a wonderful idea for a child with this special need. Thank you, Paul!

An Afternoon with Danling Cai

You Are Invited to a Red Thread Charities’ Educational Event:
An Afternoon With Danling Cai
Sunday, November 7, 2010 2:30pm to 5:00pm
Please join us for “An Afternoon with Danling Cai” in the Fireplace Room of St. Mark’s Cathedral, 519 Oak Grove Street,Minneapolis, Minnesota, from 2:30 to 5:00 pm. on Sunday, November 7th.
Executive Director of Red Thread Charities’ Danling Cai will present her moving story of growing up in China during the Cultural Revolution:
“Red Scarves to Red Guards My Journey from Student to ”*
Peasant to Life in America
Danling will also give a short update of the work done by Red Thread Charities and her hopes for the future. As RTC enters its 5th year, the way it works with orphanages to improve care is gaining respect in China as the model to be followed, and its connections are growing as the need remains.
We will also present a teen panel who will briefly talk about their work with Danling at Hangzhou Orphanage this past summer. Refreshments will be served.
Suggested donation of $20 per person will be collected at the door. All proceeds will go to support RTC’s work in China.

We are ready!

Great pre trip meeting today. Everyone is getting super psyched up for the trip in 4 weeks!!! We recently found out that we are requested to give some lectures early to a conference of orphanage officials meeting up in Hangzhou. It will be great to give our western perspective to a bigger group and I really hope to get some feedback from some recent adoptive families who I have contacted and will contact in the next week. ADOPTIVE PARENTS! If you have a waiting child from Hangzhou CWI, please contact me personally and our team will get some info and photos for you if we will see your child before you travel. Here is a photo of our group...sans a few...We are ready!!!! Hangzhou CWI...here we come!

Tips to Avoid Jet Lag

Hi Gang: It's getting closer to China time!!! 2 more months and we're on our way!!! I know there are a lot of parents waiting to travel to China to receive their children so I thought I would post a few tips on how our volunteer team plans to reduce jet lag.

TIPS TO REDUCE JETLAG:

The day before the flight:
1. Drink plenty of fluids, not alcohol as it tends to dehydrate. Some people swear by Melatonin, an OTC hormone medication that helps with the body's circadian rhythm. (Taken preflight to post flight.) Bridget...2 time volunteer recommends Melatonin!
2. Eat a nutritious dinner with fresh greens from the garden and avoid fast food as everything you will eat on the airplane for the next 16 hours is like fast food.
3. Pack your bags and get everything ready to go and THEN do your regular exercise routine or take a brisk walk or bike ride the evening before the flight. The exercise will help combat preflight jitters and help you get a good night's sleep.

During the flight:
1. Set your watch to China time and try to psyche yourself into that time zone.
2. Bring a neck pillow and wear comfy clothes.
3. Walk as much as you can to avoid blood clots and constipation. Make frequent trips to the restroom to wash hands and face as it helps to increase circulation. (bring a toothbrush with you on the plane.)
4. Sleep and watch the fun movies. Bring a great book to get lost in. (Bonus tip: I just read Plainsong by Kent Haruf and couldn't put it down.) Handheld video games like Nintendo DS for the kids. (Quin will bring hers and trade around games.)
5. Drink water! (Note to self...Enjoy the inflight wine and cocktails moderately. :-)
6. Embrace the airplane food as best you can. Keep in mind you will experience the most delicious food you ever tasted the entire time we're in China!

Arriving at the hotel:
1. Take a shower as soon as possible to freshen up and get your muscles and circulation going. If you must nap, make it brief so you can stay up until a reasonable local bedtime.
2. Get outside and into the fresh air and sunshine and walk around.
3. Talk one of the PTs or OTs into giving you a neck massage or a cranial sacral treatment. Bribe them with chocolate.

See you all soon!!! Jane

Journey of Hope

I wanted to let everyone know about a new program of CCAA called the Journey of Hope. Through this program, the CCAA allows an orphanage & adoption agency to work together closely to place special needs children. Recently CHSFS & Hangzhou got approval to work together. Through this program, social workers from CHSFS went to Hangzhou where they put on a program for the children and interviewed & filmed many kids. They now have information on about 35 children, although a few have already been matched. For more information go to:

http://www.chsfs.org/journeyofhope

This is a really cool program in that it allows the adoption agency access to a lot more information than is normal. And in this case, it is really nice in that Red Thread Charities began working with Hangzhou this past year also so our medical team (doctors, nurses, PT's, OT's) saw many of the children in October. With CHSFS & RTC both in the Twin Cities, it has allowed for a lot of sharing of informaiton.

You can check out the website or call Kelly DeRosier at CHSFS. She is a social worker, working with the Waiting International Children program with China. I do not know her direct number offhand but you can reach her through their general number - 651.646.6393.

I hope some of you that may be considering adding to your family will give Kelly a call. There are so many amazing, adorable kids waiting! In the case of special needs, they can work with families from all over the country.

Therapy and Education for the Kids

Today we received some wonderful photos from China! The children are in their classrooms receiving special education and therapy! They look so happy it brings tears to my eyes. Notice that some of the children are in special standing chairs while being taught their lessons. Children with cerebral palsy have varying degrees of mobility issues depending on each individual. Many people with CP have normal cognition. They are simply trapped in their bodies. One of the photos shows a little guy receiving PT while playing with toys. That's what it's all about. Children are more receptive when they are having fun and engaged. I notice 2 children are playing in the bean tub. Have you ever put your hands in a pile of dry beans? It's a calming technique and it feels very soothing. These kids are obviously enjoying their occupational therapy session. Thank you to the dedicated orphanage nannies.

OT- Nancy in Hangzhou, China

Well Gang, I'm very happy to report that Nancy Lawton-Shirley is stationed for the next 2 weeks at Hangzhou Orphanage giving therapy guidance and instruction. I've posted a sweet photo from last October to remind you who Nancy is. She is the smiling face in the center with bare legs. I haven't received a photo I can use yet from this March trip but believe me...no bare feet! It's cold!!! Except for today, I guess it warmed up and everyone is feeling very glad that it did. Fickle March!
Well anyway, Nancy has been hard at it, working with the kids and the staff and each day we get an email report from that day's work. I'll paraphrase a few of the high points:
Monday: Observed the Conductive Ed class for the 5-7 year old children with CP. She was able to make suggestions on how to help the children better focus on the activities. Later the man in charge of massage therapy suggested that he could encorporate 'brushing' into his routine. A great idea since the nannies have to multitask at all times. A child was fit with a dynamic splint which really helped. Nancy observed the baby room and noted that the nannies have successfully incorporated oral motor into their routine. Nancy was able to make more suggestions and an application of kinesiotape on one baby's neck muscles helped that child acheive better head control.
Tuesday: This was a super interesting day for Nancy and our interpreter Vivian because they got to visit 10 foster care families at their homes! Here is a quote: "I was so honored that they trusted me enough to bring me to a wide range of homes from country rustic to more city based. The foster moms were just delightful ranging in age from fairly young to older. The visits were short and there was limited evaluation time- sometimes I was lucky to find a child in all those clothes! Each family had one foster child and 2 families had two."
Wednesday: A very rewarding day! The focus was on training the rehab staff to do the child evaluations. Nancy spoke to the therapists about the clinical reasoning while she was doing the evaluations. She selected developmental techniques to go with each evaluation. The staff had excellent observations and questions. When it was their turn to do the evaluations, they were accurate and successful!
Word has it that the directors or the orphanage are very pleased! Great work Nancy! I'm really looking forward to tomorrow's report.

Happy Chinese New Year!!!

Every year RTC tucks away a little money to send to each orphanage we are working with so that the children can have a fun Chinese New Year celebration. This year we are working with Hangzhou Childrens Welfare Institute. The director used the money to create a wonderful party for the children. Here are some of the older children singing their hearts out. As I look at the photos, I see everyone dressed very warmly even though they are inside the building. Did you know that none of the government buildings south of the Yangtze River are heated? This includes schools and orphanages. All the children are kept very warm in layers of clothing. The babies are kept in no less than 3 layers and I've seen up to 7 layers in some of the foster families! The children in school wear their coats. The weather in Hangzhou gets quite cold in these winter months. Those of us who have adopted children from China have experienced the scolding mandarin of the older chinese ladies on the street when they think we are not dressing our children in enough layers. This makes me think of a wonderful gift that adoptive parents and volunteers could give to the orphanage. Since it is so cold in these winter months, the children often have chapped skin, especially the babies and the little ones with eczema which is quite common in the asian population. Children with Down syndrome also suffer with eczema and it is difficult to treat in the cold weather. If every volunteer and every adoptive family bought a large tub of Eucerin Cream to tuck in their luggage, the orphanage might have enough of this expensive cream to last a long time. Desitin Diaper Rash cream would also be very helpful. Simple gifts, but very effective. As our family celebrates Valentines Day and Chinese New Year, I know that on my shopping list today there is Eucerin Cream, Desitin Diaper Rash ointment and a big box of mandarin oranges! Happy Chinese New Year!!!!!!!

Forever Family Found!

One of our little friends from Hangzhou Orphanage has found his forever family! In the Netherlands!
This is a story about a very special little boy who happens to be missing his left arm. That certainly doesn't stop Hong Jie from doing all the things that boys his age love to do...running, climbing, playing with toys...and getting into mischief! When we examined him in October, we found him to be enchanting! He was living in foster care and his foster Nai Nai (grandmother) brought him in for us to see. Our doctor found him to be very healthy, our OT and PT recommended some therapies and our audiologist tested his hearing. Later that evening when I was updating our blog, I noticed a comment from a woman who said she was adopting a child from Hangzhou and was hoping our group saw him. This woman was Hong Jie's soon to be adoptive mother! Having already adopted a daughter with limb differences, the family had requested a child with the same special need. We were thrilled to send a big update and quite a few photos to the anxiously waiting family! Now Hong Jie is home. He has parents and a brother and sister who adore him! Last week the family had a welcome home party for their new son. I received an email from his mother to tell me they put a box by the door for donations to give to Red Thread Charities. By the end of the night they had raised over $700! RTC is so grateful for the amazing families that travel to China to find their children.
I love the mom's comments about her son: "We cannot imagine not having him in our family. He's so wonderful! We do not feel in the slightest that his special needs will slow him down. He is a goal oriented person and has the charm to pull off almost anything. Our guide in China told us he has the dangerous combination of being naughty and cute at the same time. He is the type of child that would put a sandwich in your DVD player as soon as you turn your back :-) That is Hong Jie, all right! A huge thank you to Hong Jie's family for the generous donation and allowing us to tell his story.