Our October 2012 volunteer trip is about to begin and our 3 year commitment with Hangzhou is coming to a close. It leaves me feeling bittersweet. Sad because we will be seeing the children one last time but happy over the staff's growth and independence. Since our group is all about empowerment, we will be taking a more hands off approach as we watch the Chinese therapists screen the children and make their recommendations. We are so proud of the work the staff at Hangzhou has accomplished. Recently I revisited all the monthly reports that they have sent us over the years. It is so gratifying to see the level of confidence they have gained and how much they have grown professionally. We will have a formal dinner to celebrate our collaboration and then our group will head out to a new orphanage two hours away in Ningbo, a coastal city on the South China Sea. We have requested that one of the therapists at Hangzhou accompany us to Ningbo and join our team. It's part of our plan for Hangzhou to 'pay it forward'. Well this morning we heard that they will be sending not one but two of the therapists to accompany us! Welcome RTC volunteers, Wang Ming and Hai Yan!
Love the "pay it forward" component of what you all are doing! Have a wonderful trip this year.
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