WOW Kids
This is the last week of Adoption Awareness Month and we are so excited to share this week’s WOW kids. This month is also Epilepsy Awareness Month. Be sure to check out your local events celebrating both of these causes.
Whether or not these children are destined to be your child or not, they belong to a family and we want your help to find that home for them. Gillian, Shawn, Marissa, MacKenzie and Jill are all beautiful children in our China Waiting Child program. They are anxiously awaiting their forever homes! Take a second to read their stories, and if you would like to learn how to bring them home contact Jessie@gwca.org or go check out our Photo Listings to view other waiting children.
Hi, I’m Gillian! I am 10 yrs old and I love to play outside and hang out with my friends. I used to have hydrocephalus, but in 2011 I had a shunt put in my brain and now it does not even bother me. I do still sometimes have seizures but since 2010 I have only had 13. I take medication every day for it and this helps me out a lot. I go to school in the orphanage and sometimes I have a hard time keeping up with my classmates. I love to do things on my own around the orphanage and I can do almost everything by myself! My favorite things to do are sing songs and build things with my blocks. I love to eat different types of foods, I especially love sweets!
Hi! I am Shawn and I am 11 yrs. old. The doctors say that I have bilateral microtia. I can still hear some sounds if people speak loud enough. I am smart, curious, and organized however, I have trouble speaking. Sometimes I use my hands and gestures to communicate. I can read and write Chinese characters and really enjoy helping the younger kids with their writing. I get along with pretty much everyone at the orphanage and don’t mind helping out with chores. I really like to be active and run and play badminton. My favorite thing to do is take toys apart and put them back together.
Hi! My name is Marissa. I am 13 yrs old and after next October I will no longer be eligible to be adopted. I have vitiligo and I have lots of really cool little birth marks on my legs and one really large one on my back. My doctor says its called a nevus. I am very active and don’t ever feel pain or discomfort from my birthmarks. I can keep up with all my friends and love learning new things at school! I can do everything on my own and like to help out my foster family. My foster mom says that I have beautiful bright eyes and very big smile!
Hi, I’m Mackenzie and I just turned 4 years old! I love to play with my toys, especially the ones that make a lot of noise. I was diagnosed with congenital blindness and I am not able to see even close up. I am super smart, on target developmentally, and I love to talk to my caregivers. I have been living in a foster home and learning so much! I can get around familiar places and I like to color on paper. One of my favorite things to do is listen to music and dance!
My name is Jill and I am 6 years old. Doctors tell me that the shape of my head is a little different and that I have hyperdactylia of the left hand and foot. Lately, I have been able to go to the “Little Sisters Program,” where I have learned to sing, dance, and draw. When I sing I feel like I get to express my love for music! I love it so much that I lead the other children in songs. My favorite song is “A cat with colorful hair.” My caretakers say that I am lovely and polite. I enjoy getting to play with the other children and caring for my dolls. Dressing them up and feeding them is so much fun. I always keep a smile on my face because I know I am a beautiful girl.
Read MoreAnnual Staff Training
On Wednesday November 13th the entire staff at Great Wall China Adoptions and Children of All Nations gathered for our annual training. It was a fantastic day full of knowledge, fellowship, and rejuvenation. Sometimes it is important to take a second to regroup and recharge. At Great Wall/Children of All Nations we are constantly focused on educating our staff and ensuring that we uphold the Hague guidelines to provide quality service to your family and our children.
We began our morning with a fantastic speaker and friend of GWCA, Dr. Rowena Fong. Dr. Fong is a Professor in the school of Social Work at the University of Texas in Austin. She specializes in International Adoption, specifically China. She covered topics regarding Integration and Family Transitions. It is important as an agency that we are refreshed on all aspects of adoption in order to provide better counseling for our families through the entire process. Dr. Fong walked us through some very important information that she felt was necessary for our agency to share with our families. Dr. Fong also coordinates a Chines Culture Camp, which takes place annually in Austin to help adoptees from China and their siblings with the reacculturation process. We had so much fun listening and participating in Dr. Fong’s lecture.
Following Dr. Fong our VP Leigh-Anne Graf, walked us through how to better handle change in the workplace and in our personal lives. When working in International Adoption change occurs frequently. Countries will change their guidelines on a whim and we have to be ready and able to keep moving forward to help our families. For some, change can be easy, for others it can be more challenging. During this session, our staff gained useful tools to be better equipped when handling change.
Leigh Anne also reviewed the Hague guidelines with our staff. The Hague guidelines are tedious and extremely important in the world of adoption. Not only do they protect the children but they also protect your family too. As ‘boring’ as the topic can be, it was very informative and I don’t believe anyone fell asleep! (HAHA)
After lunch we were fortunate to have another incredible speaker Caren Arnold from Big Sky Pediatrics. She reviewed a topic with our staff that was very intriguing and new to most of us, Sensory Integration and Adopted Children. Caren is the owner and operator of Big Sky, an occupational therapy clinic that provides various types of therapies. She broke down Sensory Integration and the various types, signs, and therapies for treatment. Caren gave our staff some tools to use when working with our families to help the adjustment of bringing home a new member of the family. Although none of us left as a licensed therapist, we definitely found ourselves more knowledgeable on this phenomenon.
Our last special guest was someone that GWCA holds dear to our hearts. One of our social workers Sylvia Tarver, LMSW spoke with us on adopting the older child. Sylvia walked us through some important parts of the home study and some helpful tips on how to prepare the home and family for the older child.
Lastly, our China Program Director Diedra Connolly and Marketing Specialist Mary Davis, experts in communication, conducted a workshop on effective communication in the workplace. We played a fun activity and learned better and more effective ways to communicate with each other and our families. We ended the day with a fun team building activity that definitely required communication. We were split into groups of 8 and we were placed on a blanket. The goal was to turn the blanket over onto the other side, without anyone taking a step off the blanket. We were laughing so hard, and it definitely brought us ‘close’ together!
We want to give a big thanks to all of our speakers and management for making this day possible!
Read MoreWOW Kids
Adoption Awareness Month is well underway and we are so excited to share this week’s WOW kids. This month is also Epilepsy Awareness Month. Be sure to check out your local events celebrating both of these causes.
Whether or not these children are destined to be your child or not, they belong to a family and we want your help to find that home for them. Dina, Seth, Ruby, Kyler and Faith are all beautiful children in our China Waiting Child program. They are anxiously awaiting their forever homes! Take a second to read their stories, and if you would like to learn how to bring them home contact Jessie@gwca.org or go check out our Photo Listings to view other waiting children.
Hi, I’m Dina! I’m 10 years old and I have been at the orphanage since I was 5. I have epilepsy but it is not very often that I have an episode (2-3 per month). When I do, it only lasts a couple of minutes and my arms will get stiff and my eyes will shake. If I do not eat sweet foods, then I can avoid an episode. I really love to run and sometimes I am even the fastest in my class. I can count very high and write my numbers. I am a little behind my friends when it comes to learning, but it is probably because I cannot go to a formal school due to my epilepsy. My caregivers say that I am very hospitable, kind, and helpful. I like to help clean up after the younger kids in the orphanage. My favorite thing to do is sing!
Hi, my name is Seth. I was diagnosed with post-operative Congenital Heart Disease. I was briefly cared for by a lay Buddhist prior to being brought to the orphanage. When my doctor did a physical examination they found I had a single atrium to my heart. I had surgery to correct my CHD in October 2011. The surgery went well and I can keep up with all of my friends. I can run, jump and I love to play hide and seek. I am quiet but my caretakers say I am a boy with a quick smile. I really enjoy spending time with my caretakers and friends.
Hi, I’m Ruby! I am 8 years old, smart, and independent. When I was born I had a cleft lip and palate. In 2009, I had surgery to repair this and I have been doing great ever since! I had a test done that shows I am behind my friends in development, but my caregivers report that I keep up with them just fine. Sometimes my words can be a little hard to understand, but I keep working on my speech. I love to be active and social!
Hello, I’m Kyler! I am 3 years old and am super cute. I can be spoiled but I am close with my caretakers. In April 2013, I had a big surgery called a “right double-way Glenn operation.” My doctors say that I have a complex heart defect: transposition of the great arteries, pulmonary stensosis, and an ASD and VSD. My doctors told me that I am a brave boy but I will need to have another operation next year. I can be quite talkative but when I get around strangers I become shy. I like getting to play with the other children but since I have a big heart problem, I cannot go to school with my friends. I hope I can get better soon so that I can do more since I like to be active!
Hi, I’m Faith! I am 8 years old and I am smart as a whip! I have been diagnosed with a limb deformity of both of my legs. I work really hard in my therapy sessions and I have really improved! I can walk on my own when I hold onto hand rails. I can do most things all by myself during the day, but I need to ask for help going potty. I love to play games with my friends and learn new things in school. My teachers say that I have the best memory of anyone in my class! I can remember songs, poems, and stories for a very long time. My teachers have talked to me about adoption, and I would love to find a forever family!
Read MoreWOW Kids
Adoption Awareness Month is well underway and we are so excited to share this week’s WOW kids. This month is also Epilepsy Awareness Month. Be sure to check out your local events celebrating both of these causes.
Whether or not these children are destined to be your child or not, they belong to a family and we want your help to find that home for them. Sharon, Charlie, Lexi, Bailey and Wilma are all beautiful children in our China Waiting Child program. They are anxiously awaiting their forever homes! Take a second to read their stories, and if you would like to learn how to bring them home contact Jessie@gwca.org or go check out our Photo Listings to view other waiting children.
Meet Our WOW Kids
Hi, I’m Sharon! I am 11 years old and I love to be the center of attention. When people come to the orphanage, I will be the first person to greet them and be hospitable. I have epilepsy, but it is primarily managed with medications. I may have one or two episodes a year, but it doesn’t slow me down. School can be a little difficult for me, but I make good grades and I am always respectful to my teachers. My teachers say that I am very helpful to the other students and compassionate towards my friends. I am always wanting to participate in different activities and I love to be active!
Hi, I’m Charlie! I am 9 years old and I love school. I get around in a wheelchair because I have osteogenisis imperfecta, and that means that my bones are weak and it makes it difficult to walk. I had an operation for this in 2011, but I may need another one soon. I go to physical therapy weekly and I am getting stronger. My teachers say that I am very hardworking in school and I have the grades to prove it. I am studying Math, Chinese, English, and Art. I have a lot of friends and I am very easy to get along with!
Hi, I’m Lexi and I am 11 years old. I am a very outgoing girl and I get along well with the other children. My doctors say that I have mild exotropia and I have a 2cm hemangioma on my chest. I am studying in the kindergarten class in the orphanage since I am a bit behind my friends. I think it’s because I have a bad memory but I am working hard to catch up. My teacher even helps me recite Tang poetry so that I can catch up. My foster mother also helps me with my homework and I am trying to get better at expressing myself and communicating with adults. I don’t always understand their questions and sometimes they don’t understand mine. I am a big helper with the house chores and I am getting along well with my foster family.
Hi! My name is Bailey. I am 5 years old and my doctor’s say that I have a deformed spine, deformed legs, and functional incapacitation along with Hepatitis B. I have strong flexible hands and enjoying playing on my bed since I can’t get around very well. Most of the time I am shy and quiet, but if I know who is in front of me I will talk non-stop. I pride myself on being very smart and articulate, I think I sound like a grown-up! Even though my legs don’t work my mind does! I eat mostly soft foods and my foster family helps me with that. My favorite thing to do is read picture books.
Hi! My name is Wilma. I am 7 years old. When I was little I lived in a small village until I was 4. It was hard when I first got to the orphanage, I had to learn to share, help others, and listen carefully to my teacher. I am open and active. I love reading books and doing puzzles. My doctor says I have a big curve in my spine, he calls it scoliosis. I also have trouble with my expressing myself verbally, but I definitely understand what my caregivers are saying. I feel better everyday and believe that I am getting smarter. I am making lots of friends and I think the caretakers really like me!
Read MoreWOW Kids
It’s Adoption Awareness Month and we are so excited to share this week’s WOW kids. This month is also Epilepsy Awareness Month. This month we will be spotlighting all of our precious kiddos with epilepsy. Whether or not these children are destined to be your child or not, they belong to a family and we want your help to find that home for them. Bonnie, Louie, Sarah, Blake and Jenny are all beautiful children in our China Waiting Child program. They are anxiously awaiting their forever homes! Take a second to read their stories, and if you would like to learn how to bring them home contact Jessie@gwca.org or go check out our Photo Listings to view other waiting children.
Meet Our WOW Kids
Hi, I’m Bonnie! I am 13 years old and my caregivers say that I am very active and outgoing. I had an anacroid cyst, but I had surgery for this and now I feel great. I have seizures sometimes, but it is only when I get a bad infection and run a fever which is pretty seldom. I take medications daily to help manage my seizures. I work really hard in school, but I have a difficult time getting excellent grades. I am behind some of my friends in my fine motor skills and development. My favorite activity is going outside and playing with my friends or taking walks with them. I am really hoping to find my forever family SOON. I am almost 14, and will be aging out in March!
Hi, I’m Louie! I am 6 years old and I love to run around and do things on my own. I came to the orphanage when I was 2 years old and I had a lot of tests run by doctors. The doctors say that I have hydrocephalus but I have a healthy heart, lungs, and diaphragm. Also, one of my feet is 1 cm longer than the other but the x-rays show that both feet are very strong. This has not slowed me down at all! I went to live with my foster family in 2011 and I am learning a lot. I am a little bit behind my friends in school and sometimes I am slow at communicating, but I am fast at playing games. I love to play with blocks and build tall towers!
Hi! My name is Sarah. I am 8 yrs old. I have been at the orphanage since I was one week old. I have grown healthy and strong since being here, but I am very shy. My doctors think I may have Autism, but I am independent and prefer to take care of myself. I am not a picky eater, in fact I love to eat! I always eat all of my meals and snacks are my favorite.
My name is Blake. I have a birthday coming up soon and I will be turning 4 years old! Since last summer I have been living with a foster family and this year I started kindergarten. Since I have been diagnosed with Down syndrome and a heart defect I still need daily help from my foster family, but I am trying to be more like a big boy. Even though I am still a little delayed, I can go up and down the stairs all by myself. I have good basic fine motor skills. I can understand what my foster family says to me but sometimes they cannot understand my words clearly. It can be hard trying to find the words to express myself but I still enjoy playing with the other children. I am always energetic and try to keep a ready smile for the day!
Hi, I’m Jenny! I am two and a half years old and I love to play with rattles! I had surgery right after I was born to fix my CHD. I have been going to physical therapy since I was one, but I am still behind my friends in development. I do not really enjoy playing with my friends or talking with them, but I love to play with my toys. I cannot crawl or walk yet, but I can stand up all by myself for a little while. I am a great at eating, sleeping, and rolling over. I like to meet new people and I like to make a ton of noise!
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New Playground at Changsha Orphanage
We are so excited to share recent photos of the new playground that was built at Changsha Orphanage in Hunan province thanks to donations from one of our GWCA families. We are so thankful for their commitment to Chinese orphans, and for creating an atmosphere for love and fun for those still waiting.
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My Chinese Dream: Send Children Back Home
At Great Wall we value our close working relationship with our Orphanage Partnerships. Recently, we have been honored to have Director Tang Rongsheng of the Shenzhen City Social Welfare Institute share with us his respected perspective on his position working with the children of China. Through all the obstacles and unforeseen circumstances that can occur in an adoption we are lucky to know that we have Director Tang’s support, along with his deep love and affection for these children. In our partnership with Director Tang and the Shenzhen City Social Welfare Institute, we have helped around 100 children come home to their forever family.
Director Tang has been awarded and recognized for his heartwarming speech below. We are happy to share this speech with your family and hope that it touches you as much as it has our team here at Great Wall China Adoption.
My Chinese Dream: Send Children Back Home
By Tang Rongsheng
Director of Shenzhen Social Welfare Center
You can never feel the eagerness without looking at their eyes.
You can never know the urgency without hearing their pledge.
You can never imagine the power of love without walking into their life.
Four years ago, I was chosen to be part of the special children at the Shenzhen Social Welfare Center. The innocent eyes of those children are filled with eagerness and persistence, as well as bitterness and fearfulness, which urges me to re-explore the meaning of life.
Every time when the children call me “daddy Tang”, I feel a gust of happiness inside. Since then, I began to realize that I’ve been closely tied to them.
As an old Chinese saying goes, “Paternal love is as deep as sea.” In countless sleepless nights, I kept asking myself what I can do for those children. However, I am fully aware that “father” is meaningful only in the setting of a family where children come from and will eventually return to.
Hard work pays off in the end. A total of 240 children have returned “home” in the past four years, of whom 140 were adopted by foreign families. Behind every adopted child lies a touching story. Every successful adoption is a result of our persistence, devotion and hard work, which reflects the cross-border love and demonstrates the wisdom of Shenzhen people in promoting adoption.
As the only representative from a Chinese welfare institution, I gave a speech titled “Give Children a Home” at the annual adoption conference in Austin two years ago. Hundreds of American families were impressed and adopted, afterwards, more than a hundred children with disabilities from my center. For these children, a new, beautiful life has embraced them since then. And I was also happy to pass on the title of “father.”
Whenever a child is about to start a new life in a new family and says goodbye to me and whenever a child travel a long distance to visit the welfare center with his new family, I always feel joyful and meanwhile, have a strong attachment to them. At that moment, I feel that I’ve understood them by looking at their eyes, heard their inner voices, and experienced their feelings.
The adoption work is ordinary but complicated. To send children back home and to prioritize the interests of children are my working principles. For any individuals engaged in children’s welfare work, the benefits of children are always their core values.
I’ve been interviewed by the China’s Central Television for five times in the past two years. The Chinese authoritative media have the same hope that we, the frontline welfare workers, have–to help children rescued from human traffickers return home. I always believe that it will never be wrong to give every child a home.
I admire and appreciate those who have devoted time and energy, even a little, to orphans and children with disabilities.
I despise those who turn blind eyes to and make troubles to those children.
I am in deep love with the cause of children’s welfare because it’s filled with the aroma of love, it beats the passion of love and it enjoys the joy of love.
If you ask me what I have done in the past four years, my answer is : send children back home. If you ask me what is the happiest experience I’ve had, my answer is : send children back home. If you ask me what I will do in the future, the answer is the same: to send children back home.
To let every child in China have a cozy home is my Chinese Dream. It is also the Chinese Dream of all the staff at my center and the Chinese Dream of all kind-hearted people.
Thank you.
Should I Be Worried About Government Shutdowns?
The GWCA/CAN team wants to assure our adoptive families that despite Congress’ ability to pass a spending bill by the start of the fiscal year (October 1), subsequently leading to government shutdowns, your adoption should still be processed at a normal rate. Government agency shutdowns should not affect the federal offices at which adoptions are processed. We assure you that we will notify families in the event of anything changing that should affect your adoption process. If there should be any questions please don’t hesitate to call our offices at 512.323.9595. Happy Tuesday!
Read MoreOfficially Introducing GWCA’s China Hosting Program!
Orphan hosting provides children an amazing opportunity to see
life outside their orphanage and their country. We call these people who
host waiting children Orphan Warriors.
Will you consider being an Orphan Warrior for these Chinese orphans? Great Wall China Adoption is collaborating with New Horizons for Children, the largest faith-based host program that has brought over 2,000 children to the U.S. through hosting, to bring Special Focus children from multiple orphanages all over China to the U.S. to experience the love of a family and the holiday season for 5 weeks. The approximate dates are December 15, 2013 – January 19, 2014. Photo listings of the children available for hosting will be available here on approximately October 1st, and final details of the program will be available at that time. Special Focus children that may be hosted are aged 6-13 and are older and healthy or have minor to moderate special medical needs. The cost to host a child, which covers their airfare, visa, medical insurance, etc, is $3150.
We are also looking for host families for our Chinese Chaperones traveling with the children, who will be caretakers from the children’s orphanages. There is NO COST to host a chaperone! If you are interested in hosting a chaperone and a wonderful opportunity to gain insight into Chinese culture, please let us know. For more information on the details of the hosting program, please contact New Horizons for Children via their website at http://www.newhorizonsforchildren.org/orphan-hosting/view-available-kids-here/ and be sure to fill out a pre-application for hosting and get connected with your regional coordinator. There are a limited number of children for this first hosting trip, so be sure to sign up early!
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Children in Families First Act of 2013 (CHIFF)
Children Need Families. We Need Your Voice!
Children in Families First Act of 2013 (CHIFF) Introduced in the Senate Today!
As you know, every day, all over the world, more children find themselves living without families – on the streets, in orphanages, in refugee camps. By some estimates, there are now 200 million orphans in the world. But the U.S. Government, through our foreign policy and programming, is not helping to turn this around.
Americans know that family is the bedrock of any society, and that children need the permanent love, care, and protection of a family to grow into healthy, productive adults. Although U.S. foreign policy in theory emphasizes preserving or creating safe, permanent families for children through family reunification, kinship care, domestic or intercountry adoption, the structures and coordination are not there to make it happen. We need change, and NCFA believes this legislation will get us on the right path.
It seeks to redirect a portion of the funds the U.S. currently spends on children living abroad toward ensuring that all children grow up in a family. It restructures the way intercountry adoption is more appropriately placing an office in the Department of State, providing clear direction to not just regulate, but advocate for children in families, and a better balance of adoption support and administration between Department of State and USCIS. (For more detail see the attached, complete legislation.)
You can play a key role in helping to make this happen. Tell your stories. Explain your concerns. As trusted experts in this professional community, your voices will be valuable in explaining to congress and the public why this matters.
Here are specific ways you can get involved.
1. Call your Members of Congress! Ask them to cosponsor the Children in Families First Act of 2013 (S.1530). Let them know that you want your government to make a family for every child a priority!
2. Connect with Congress online. Social media allows you to directly connect with your elected officials.
3. Visit your members of Congress or their staff.
4. Email a letter to your 3 Members of Congress.
5. Be a part of the community! Like CHIFF on Facebook and Twitter!
To learn more, please regularly visit: www.childreninfamiliesfirst.org
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