Dianjiang Kids International

Why bother?

2012-02-23T06:03:00.000-08:00

It was spring of 2006 and I was at Dianjiang signing the agreement with the orphanage and government officials to start our Gracie’s Room project. There was a Chinese tv film crew doing a featuree on why “Westerners” come back to do work in orphanages. They taped me meeting the child- the orphan- that our family sponsored in foster care. I held this child and the reporter asked me a question. It was very emotional. I was meeting a child at my daughter’s orphanage who we had received reports on for a year.” Why do you do this?” “ Why do you pay for this child to be in foster care?” “ Why do you care about these orphans?” Remember, in China, “these orphans” are , to most, nobodies.
Why? Simple, boiled down answer? Because I would have given anything for my two girls to have received that care. Anything! If someone had asked me when I was waiting or my child if I would pay monthly for her care to ensure she was getting love and nurturing, that someone was holding her , engaging her, playing with her, loving her…I would not have hesitated. But that didn’t happen. I did not have that chance. Neither of our girls received any special care. No one held them and cherished them. No one fed them a bottle and cuddled them. They did not get what they needed.

I can’t change that for them . I can’t change their past. But I can change someone else’s future. In small ways, very small ways. And that’s why I do it. That is why I volunteer. It’s why I pay out of my own pocket to go to China and check on the program; to talk to the director about what can be done differently and how it can be improved. And it’s why I will continue to do – even in small measures- something to change the future of children, to give them a head start, to show them love…simply because I wish someone had done it for my kids…

Gifts from Friends

2012-02-07T17:37:00.000-08:00

Here it all is. And it’s a lot. Good thing I will be able to pack my simple jeans and tees to wear to hold babies in one very small suitcase, because I will need big suitcases to pack all of this.

Gifts for the babies. For the children of XinXang. Gifts from friends. People who reached into their hearts and pocketbooks, who looked at our wish list on Amazon and bought one bottle of vitamins. Or six toys Or bottles for kids with cleft lips and palates. Some diaper ornaments. Or bandages for the little girl who drags her foot. Or sleepers. These gifts arriving at my house over several months are gifts that matter.

Because of the way Amazon administers their wish lists, unless the giver wrote us a note, we never knew who the gift from. So I want to say now. Thank you. Thank you so much. This means a lot. It means when I travel to China next month, I will be carrying wishes and gifts from so many of you. I will post pictures as we bring these gifts to the orphanage but for now I want to say thank you. Your gifts are an affirmation that what we are doing is worth it. That these children are worth it. That they matter and that you care.

Again, thank you. Words fail me. “Xie xie” from these little ones in a room in an orphanage in a small town in China. Thank you.

Moya Smith

Happy New Year!

2012-01-23T17:54:00.000-08:00

All of us at Dianjiang Kids International would like to wish all our family, friends and supporters a Happy Chinese New Year. 2012 is the year of the Dragon! We are delighted to report that there has been a buzz of activities happening for the children.

Hurrah! We have been talking about our return to Gracie’s Room in XinXiang for some time now, but we have finally booked tickets. I have booked tickets for me ( Moya Smith, executive director of DJ Kids) and my younger daughter (a Dianjiang girl) to head to XinXiang at the beginning of March. We will be joined by Krista Dolan, our Grace’s Room coordinator and by Cathy Reilly, DJ Kids treasurer and most importantly, mom to Gracie. Xia Zhong of Chinese Children’s Charities will be with us for the first few days as we visit several other non-profits working with children in China.

We had hoped Gracie’s Room and, of course, the rest of the orphanage, would have moved to the new orphanage by now but there has been some bureucratic hold up. No worries, with the help of many generous friends, we have gathered tons of stuff ( see our next blog entry) from our Gracie’s room wih list on Amazon and will be delivering new toys and clothes and decorations to the room. And perhaps most importantly, plenty of vitamins for the kids!!

We have plans while we are there to brighten up the room. No use waiting for the move. We will be buying paint and hunkering down to brighten up the walls while there; we also hope to have some shelves built for all the new toys. We are so excited to check on the kids in Gracie’s Room and to begin talks with the director about making Gracie’s Room a 24 hour a day, seven day a week program.

If you would care to chip in, click on the chip in bar to help us pay for paint and materials for the bookcase. We also hope to take the ayis shopping for clothes and supplies for the kids while we are there. We hope to bring about $500 to meet all their wishes for now.

As a thank you for your help, all supporters who participate with the chip in will receive a FREE 18" chinese silk dress for a doll/bear!

We are also very excited to have a volunteer videographer join us and document our journey! We will be able to share this video with all of you and for other opportunities to obtain much needed support and grants for the orphanage. We thought it would be a wonderful opportunity for those of you who would like to volunteer with this portion of the trip. We are seeking Canadian air miles to help our volunteer travel to China.

Points needed from Canada with Aeroplan are 75,000
Points needed from Canada with Airmiles are 13,950

If you or anyone you know has extra miles and would be willing to donate them to our cause, please contact Krista Dolan.

Thanks for all your support and be sure to follow us here starting in March for our trip to China!

To attract good fortune, spend a new coin on an old friend, share an old pleasure with a new friend, and lift up the heart of a true friend by writing his name on the wings of a dragon. -Chinese Proverb

Wish List Update!

2011-12-29T09:30:00.000-08:00

I hope you have all enjoyed your Christmas celebrations and are ready for the New Year ahead! As we are all making New Years resolutions, one of mine I wanted to share was to help the children of Dianjiang a little more during the year of 2012!

The first step would be to complete our wish list so Moya and Krista can deliver the items to the children. Imagine the kids enjoyment and surprise when they receive all the items off the list.

One major important item still on the wish list-- vitamins. We all know they are needed to ensure the children have the supplements they require. I would love if any of you who have not purchased anything from the list would take a peek and perhaps purchase one! They are actually on sale now too, so it is the perfect time to do so.

We understand that times are tough for everyone, but if you can make one tiny sacrifice it would make such a huge impact! Here is the link in case you would like to contribute:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/registry.html?ie=UTF8&type=wishlist&id=1KWZVU5KMYKQK

Thank you in advance for helping the children of Dianjiang!

Happy New Year!

Featured Product from our Wish List

2011-11-09T16:10:00.000-08:00

As you know, we have kicked off the fundraiser, mailed out the newsletter and introduced our new tee shirts! We sure have been busy here at DJ. With that said, there are many things needed from our wish list. We will be certain to share with you every few days some items from our wish list. We hope this will encourage you to view the needed items and perhaps pass them along to your family and friends.

Today's featured item is Little Critter Vites! Click here if you would like to purchase! Thank you!

Growing Gracie's Room

2011-11-08T13:18:00.000-08:00

Gracie’s Room is Growing and we need your help!

Due to delays in government funding and construction, XinXiang is not due to move into the new orphanage until October 2012.

Until then we would like to make the current room as bright, colourful and warm as possible - just as you would want your own child’s nursery to be. We want Gracie’s Room to be a room that stimulates the children’s senses for proper development, a room where they can lie on their bellies on a soft, clean mat, exercising and developing their muscles, a room where they are discovering sights and sounds with nursery rhymes and colourful walls, all the while having a figure encouraging, loving them and helping them to grow!

The current Gracie’s Room is in desperate need of upgrades. No improvements were put into this existing room as we were expecting to be in the new facility by October 2011. We instead focused on staffing and immediate needs of the children.

As the transition is now delayed by a full year, we need to double our fund-raising efforts to maintain the childcare and to make improvements to the existing room.

To accomplish this Dianjiang Kids International is launching our biggest fund-raising event ever:

Growing Gracie’s Room

Gracie’s Room now has a wish list on Amazon.com
Vitamins, cleft lip/cleft palate bottles, sippy cups, toys and wall decals are just some of the items listed.

Donations of baby quilts, hats, socks and mittens have already been offered!
Monetary donations will be used to replace the existing foam matts, repair broken windows and winterize the room.

Investments in growing the existing Gracie’s Room will be able to be moved over to the new building in 2012.

Please visit our link, do a little shopping and remember the children.
www.amazon.com/
Click on wishes and then type in Gracie’s Room.

Or click on:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/registry.html?ie=UTF8&type=wishlist&id=1KWZVU5KMYKQK

Monetary donations may be made through our website at
http://www.dianjiangkids.org/#!__donations

All items will be hand delivered to Gracie’s Room in March, 2012 by members of Dianjiang Kids board.

Changes for XinXiang!

2011-08-31T13:52:00.000-07:00

Our summer may be winding down, however XinXiang’s is winding up for a huge change!

After an unexpected stop in construction, they are now gearing up to move into the new orphanage in October!

Currently we have 15 children in our Gracie’s Room Program and XinXiang has asked us to continue our work in the new building. We have been given a large bright room with two adjoining rooms, one is a bathing area and the other will act as an infirmary.

All of the rooms need to be furnished, painted and brightly decorated! This is our job! The orphanage has given us the rooms, now it is up to us to paint, decorate and furnish it!! Any interior decorators out there??? We would love to hear everyone’s suggestions!

Nine of our fifteen children are brand new arrivals to Gracie’s Room and we know they will benefit greatly from the love and care of the nannies.

We have had one adoption this year, so far, and her family says she is doing amazing and can’t imagine life with out her or her contagious smile!!

We also have two more children that will be in the arms of their forever families hopefully by the end of the new year.

Stay tuned for information on an upcoming fundraiser to help decorate Gracie’s Room!

Happy Birthday Wishes

2011-06-29T03:48:00.000-07:00

DJ would like to wish a very happy birthday to Anna D! Anna turns 7 today and is described by her mom Lisa as a "spunky spitfire"! Anna also recently celebrated her Adoption Day with her family on June 13. She has a sister, who is adopted from Hunan, and is 19 months older.

We wish her a happy day with lots of love and CAKE!!

It's Giveaway Time!

2011-06-17T13:33:00.000-07:00

Wow, it has been a little busy and hectic, but remember I said that we would be hosting our first giveaway?? Well, finally it's here!

In an effort to help honor our families everywhere, we wanted to offer this special Family Necklace to one lucky winner!

All you have to do is leave a comment below this post and we will pick a winner at random. If you want a chance to enter twice, become a fan on our facebook page too. Come back and post another comment letting us know you are now a fan. If you are already a fan and want a second chance, just let us know by posting a second comment as well.

One lucky random winner will receive the necklace and have it mailed to them within two weeks from the date pulled. The giveaway will be from today until June 29th. The winner will be announced on June 30th! The winner will have 24 hours to email confirmation to us. If we do not hear from the winner after 24 hours, we will pull another random name and so forth until we get a winner!

Good luck and be sure to spread the news about this giveaway to all your family and friends!

Update!!!

2011-05-18T15:52:00.000-07:00

We have WONDERFUL news to share! Isabella, the sweet little four year old girl who has been in our Gracie's Room program since 2008, has been transferred to Bethel Orphanage last week!

Bethel is the first and only organization targeting the blind orphanage population. We are so very excited for Isabella. It has been reported that she has tolerated the transfer well and is adjusting nicely.

We appreciate your support for Isabella and will continue to take donations for her care. If you or anyone you know would like to continue to support Isabella, please visit our website and make a donation today! There is much needed for her care and we couldn't do it without you, our valued and appreciated supporters! Thanks in advance for your help! As an added bonus to our supporters, any person who makes a donation over $100, will receive a 16" stuffed panda bear in a red chinese dress as our thank you gift! And please keep checking back as we will continue to update you on Isabella's progress at Bethel.

Meet Family G!

2011-04-08T09:03:00.000-07:00

Parents Name (s) Elise and Jeff

Name of Child : Violet AiJiang Vivienne (4 years old)

Siblings : Chloe (9) and Claire (7) both from Fuling, Chongqing

Age : 4 years old

Travel dates : August 16– 28^th, 2007

Family Day dates : August 20, 2007

What made you decide to adopt from China?

A long time ago, I read an article about adoption in China. Both my husband and I thought it would be a wonderful way to build a family. In 2000, I was reading an alumni magazine for the college I was working at and there was a spotlight on an adoption agency owned by an alum. We went to an open-house at the agency…and signed on right away! In 2002, we received our referral for daughter Chloe in Fuling. The trip was amazing and wonderful, and we adopted again, from Fuling, in 2004. In 2007, when we received Violet’s referral, we were amazed to be going back to the Chongqing region, an hour or so north of Fuling to DJ!

Is this your first child or have you previously adopted from China or a different country?

Chloe was adopted in 2002, Claire in 2004 … both from Fuling, Chongqing, China.

Please tell us about your journey:

In 2002, my husband stayed home with Chloe and I travelled to China for our second daughter, Claire. I asked a college friend, Elisabeth, to join me, knowing I’d need her support and luggage-carrying skills as I travelled. When we met Claire in 2004 in Fuling, Elisabeth was amazed at the number of babies at the SWI, in awe of the emotional events of “family day,” and in love with China as much as I was. Once home, she and her husband decided to adopt. I was more than ready for baby #3! We did all of our paperwork together, met to have our dossiers state certified, and I drove the precious papers back to the agency. We were in the same travel group! For this trip, I brought along another college pal, Brian, as Elisabeth, her husband, and I prepared for travel! The wait at the time crept close to 2 years and having each other for support meant the world to me! Finally, July 2007 was referral day! Our daughters were from DianJiang! They were beautiful! The trip was wonderful and the day we travelled to the DJ SWI was amazing. We met the babies at the SWI and briefly toured the facility. We met many nannies and had lunch with the staff. Watching Elisabeth meet her first daughter, first child, for the first time was wonderful. My daughter, Violet, was initially not happy to meet me, though I won her over with cookies and toys. On our second day together, I set her on the floor to stand….and she let go of my hand and, at 10 months old!, walked off! Yes, walking at 10 months! Her legs were strong, sporting rolls of chubby baby fat, and she smiled endlessly. All the babies adjusted well in our time in Chongqing and Guangzhou, and Violet’s sisters anxiously awaited her back home. However, a cancelled flight and 6 hour delay for the next one home brought Elisabeth and I to tears…we were lucky to have each other there. To have this special connection between Elisabeth’s daughter and mine is more meaningful and magical than I can express.

Once home, we were fortunate to live near a first rate Clinic where Violet, though a NSN adoption, required surgery for her eyes. Months later, a DJ parent sent me some photos of babies at DJ…and there was Violet, at three months old at DJ, formula dribbling from her chin and tucked in a crib with one of the other babies from our travel group, Anna. Another special bond that these girls have. I am so fortunate.

What is the BEST thing about adopting?

Creating a family. Families are created and come into being in different ways. Learning to be a family, sharing my experiences with my children, has been amazing. Right before we first adopted, I would attend events and always think, “I can’t wait to share this with my child…”

What has been your BIGGEST challenge about adopting?

The unknown medical challenges. While in China, it was clear that Violet had a wandering eye; the severity and the required surgery were surprising and challenging. Also challenging is making sure that my girls grow up with diversity, and I am fortunate to have them in a school with diversity and am lucky to work at and live near a college where diversity is celebrated.

Do you plan to adopt again?

I would love to adopt again but daddy would like to relax…we’ll see J

What do you like to do as a family together (name some activities/hobbies).

Travel, eat ethnic foods (right now, Korean Bulgogi is the favorite!), have game night, ride horses, attend events at the college, play music.

Landed - A Story about Post Adoption Depression

2011-03-28T15:53:00.000-07:00

This is an article written by one of our DJ parents. Please note that if you have suffered or are currently suffering with PAD and would like to start a discussion, the mother of this article is willing to do so on the yahoo group, as well as by private email. Remember, you are NEVER alone, so please don't feel that you are. We are a supportive, understandable community and we are here for you! If you or anyone you know is suffering from PAD, please seek the proper support and attention that is needed. If you would like to start a discussion, please leave a comment below or private email marla@dianjiangkids.org

"If you wrote me off, I'd understand it 'cause I've been on some other planet. So come pick me up, I’ve landed."

-Ben Folds

The first year that my daughter was home I was an emotional wreck.

The second year that my daughter was home I spent cleaning up the messes that I had created that first year.

When you are spiraling, you know it. At least I did. It started in October, 2005...weeks before we traveled to China. A dull roar, one that I had never experienced before, started in the back of my mind and grew until it was all that I could hear. It morphed into a paranoid, black mass that settled and would not let go. "How could you do this? How can you do this?" it whispered, and I believed it without really understanding what it meant. I sought help to deal with it, going on medication for anxiety (for the first time in my life), and entering into therapy. I felt like the worst sort of failure....virtual moments before the most anticipated and amazing time of my life, I was dissolving...and I knew it.

I knew. I felt the fault lines forming, and then giving way. I spent the last three days before our flight in my bed, sobbing. My mother came and held me, bolstering me while acknowledging my fears. My husband was afraid for me, and for our family....if I was in this sort of shape here, what the hell was he going to face in China? My friends, the ones that I trusted with my ugly, sad secret shame, were supportive and loving. "You can do this! You have planned for this for so long! Look at her face...she is waiting for her mama!".

"How could you do this? How can you think that you are capable?" it whispered....it wouldn't stop.

I remember pulling out of our driveway to go to the hotel where we stayed the night before departure....I wanted to run to China, and I also wanted to run back into my house and hide. I was carrying the small, crumpled photo of my daughter that had barely left my person in over two months. Becoming her mother was my greatest hope, and my darkest fear.

It was the most emotionally charged event that I had ever experienced. And I felt I was stealing it from another woman.

S's birth mom landed with a thud into my consciousness when I saw the referral photos...she had been in my thoughts since we had decided to adopt, but in a fleeting, abstract way. After September 1st, 2005 she was there with me, the woman whose loss was now my gain. And I had planned to take advantage of that loss, had paid money, bared my soul, written letters, and prayed for a baby that was the result of loss and probable misfortune in someone else’s world. I couldn't even bring myself to acknowledge her birth father and extended family in those days...the guilt and sadness over her first mom was almost more than I could take.

I tried to explain this to everyone....that I was cheating fate. My body had declared me barren, it had refused the treatments, the tests, and the silent pleading I had heaped on it for years. Fate had told me that I was not to be a mother...but I had found a way around that edict. I had done it by climbing over the back of another woman...one with less resources, with fewer ways to protect herself and her heart. Her loss was my gain...the child that she could not raise was going to be my greatest joy.

But where was the joy? I had lost it. The flip side of this raging and sadness was the knowledge that I was taking S away from her birth culture, from the closest ties that she could hope to have to her first family. To maybe walk the same streets, meet the same people. Even with the losses that she had already sustained, I was stripping away the little that was left of her story.

It felt like the worst kind of greed, but everyone told me that I was doing such a wonderful thing! I was so selfless! So caring!

All I felt was weak, a fraud.

Once in China, I realized this was done. I had made this commitment, and had already irrevocably changed S's fate (we all had, really, but at this point I was taking on all the responsibility). When I walked in the Civil Affairs office in CQ, and S was placed in my arms, I allowed myself a few minutes to savor the feeling of her weight, to breathe her in.

The dark subsided for a bit, and another voice came in. "Enjoy her! The best way to honor their loss is to carry them with you as you raise her to respect herself and her story".

That voice? Much easier to like, but also easier to ignore. Self-flaggelation is more my style, sadly.

When we got home the PADS (Post Adoption Depression) set in harder than ever...the dark, cold winter was in full effect, the cozy, safe little world we had enjoyed in China was gone. And I had a confused, sweet, smart, energetic girl on my hands. I was literally paralyzed at times with fear that I was getting it wrong...that her sleep issues were related to her losses, that the sadness I saw in her eyes would never go away, and that she was going to despise me.

That she would recognize me as an imposter.

I kept fighting the dark, kept trying to push it aside. When we were waiting I remember someone saying that they hardly thought of the birth family, that it just wasn't a part of their world. Sometimes I felt like it was all that I thought about....my guilt, my worry for S, and my sadness for the losses experienced on all sides. I played a game where I stacked the things that S had in our world that she wouldn't have had in her life at the SWI (sad, sad example of white privilege rearing its ugly head, and I am almost ashamed to write this)...and tried to bolster myself up with the "bonuses". That perhaps I was doing something good for her, in the face of all that my choice had taken way from her. That maybe she would still love me when she realized that I was a part of her losses.

That maybe I wasn't the monster I had started to feel like I had become.

The breaking point was therapy, which I continued with. I was able to stop the medication, and got to the root of my problems. I was also able to do great work on other areas that had contributed to this cluster of ugly that had filled my mind....losses and issues that were long dormant but just waiting in the corners of my mind. The first year of motherhood ended healthier than I could have hoped for.

Then there was the mess I had created. The friendships that had (and still) suffer due to my anxiety and my worries. The not leaving S because my guilt over being away from her, over leaving her just three months after meeting her to return to work full time. It made it hard to maintain relationships that I miss now, and ones that I hope will survive my blunders. The hurts that created with my words, some are still healing, but all have been tended. The missed messages, the unreturned phone calls, the rejected invitations. ..they all weigh on my mind, and there are still days that I don't have the strength to address them.

Then there is the financial damage. I am paying for it...the spending that I did to ease my guilt, or to just numb the pain. Luckily it wasn't horrible, but it was bad enough. I am ashamed to admit such weakness....but need to. I need to get it out there.

The worst is the physical damage. The eating, the weight, the lack of care for my own body. I stopped caring on so many fronts, like a sort of penance or badge that I was really a mother because I didn't buy those shoes, or that perfume. I was doing it FOR MY DAUGHTER...but not really. I was doing it to punish myself. That is what hurts the most, and this is the hardest part to stop.

Writing about my depression is hard, but acknowledging what it did to those around me is beyond awful. My marriage took hits, definitely. My husband watched me sob on the floor, rage, and just fall apart, and he still loves me. We are doing work on our relationship, and it really is stronger than ever. We are united as S's parents in a way that still rocks my world, and to one another in a way that thrills me and brings a deep sense of warmth to my soul. I am still digging out, and there are days that are harder than others. But I felt like, in order to cleanse I needed to put this out there. Many may read it and wonder "how in the hell did she get past the social worker?" and others may see a small bit of their own story in mine. And maybe it will help someone to get help, or others may stop reading after seeing what a mess I am behind it all. Either way? I feel better, a little every day...and I know that I am not alone in dealing with the darkness.

No one should ever feel alone.

I can only hope to learn from my experiences, to grow from them. To gain knowledge and empathy, for myself and for my daughter. To help her, someday, face her own story. And to help her answer questions, and to hold her every moment that she wants me to.

That is what I can do. I will be there....for whatever comes along. That is what I finally figured out that motherhood is. It is being there, plain and simple. It is also representing for both of us, both of S's mothers. It is the smallest thing I can do, the daily hope that I send out for her first mom. That she has found some measure of peace, of safety, and of health.

She is with me, always. I can only hope that I honor her, and that I get it right for both of us

For all of us.

Post Script-

It was hard to revisit this bit of writing, to experience the pain and the sadness again. We are nearly 5.5 years into our journey as a family, and three years have passed since I wrote Landed. My experience with PAD brought my world into a different focus, and I wouldn’t change that.

Some resources that I found helpful, and that I have shared with fellow AP’s over the past few years are:

http://www.adoptionarticlesdirectory.com/Article/Post-Adoption-Depression---The-Unacknowledged-Hazzard/53

http://www.adoptionissues.org/post-adoption-depression.html

http://www.adopting.org/pads.html

http://www.babycenter.com/0_baby-shock-dealing-with-post-adoption-depression_1374199.bc

http://www.chinesechildren.org/Newsletter%5CProfessional%20Corner/PC_07_2003.pdf

http://www.adoptivefamilies.com/articles.php?aid=705

http://www.amazon.com/Post-Adoption-Blues-Overcoming-Unforeseen-Challenges/dp/1579548660/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1301065068&sr=8-1

Beef & Broccoli Recipe!

2011-03-22T14:08:00.000-07:00

We thought it would be really great to share some recipes that you use at home. If you would like to feature your recipe, please send it to: marla@dianjiangkids.org This is a recipe from Krista, our Gracie's Room Coordinator!

Beef & Broccoli

I’ve been making this recipe for years, taught to me by my best friend, taught to her by her ex boyfriend, taught to him by his parents, taught to them by their parents in China. It was the recipe that all the kids had to learned before they could leave home.

I’ve never actually measured out the ingredients before, I’ve always “eyeballed” it like I was taught and I’m going to show you how I was taught, but I'll be kind and post the recipe at the end of the blog!

So gather up all your ingredients:

Broccoli, flank steak, ginger, dark and light soya and cornstarch and oil.

You have to start with a nice piece of flank steak! Around 1lbfor my family! My kids eat a lot! No really, they're skinny minis but can put back a huge amount at supper!

Slice it thinly across the grain, and pile it all up on a plate. A sharp knife is a must!

Sprinkle some cornstarch over the meat, then drizzle some light soya over top and then some dark soya. Remember that dark soya is much saltier so be careful not to put too much!

Next chop your ginger... I love ginger.

Mmmmmm ginger! I always use way more ginger than I should!

If you don’t like ginger don’t use so much, just never used that dried powdered jarred stuff! YUCK!

There's nothing that can compare to fresh ginger!

Doesn’t ginger have some wonderful medicinal purpose?

Did I mention that I love ginger!

Set it aside for now!

Alright, next up is the broccoli!

Chop it, wash it and set it aside! (I sometimes sprinkle extra ginger on the broccoli)

Mmmm.. ginger...

Heat up your wok with some oil and throw in some ginger then your meat.

There is actually an ancient Chinese secret to beef and broccoli.

No no.. really there is!!

It's to keep your meat moving! Keep stirring, mixing. Your arm will burn, it will hurt, and you'll end up with a forearm the size of Popeye's, but keep that meat moving, and you'll see the meat slowly starts to release it's juices.

Set the meat aside, and add a bit more oil to your still HOT wok, and drop in the broccoli

(you can add more ginger if you want)

Add about 1/4 c of water to the broccoli and cover it. Cook it the broccoli turns a nice dark green, but still has some crunch to it and add your cooked beef to the broccoli in the wok.

Now, here is another little secret... you might have some liquid left over from the broccoli you could just ditch it or...shhh here's the secret.. you can keep it aside and after adding your beef to the wok, you can decide if you want the dish a bit more "saucy", by adding the liquid.

Give the whole thing a stir to warm up the beef and serve it on a bed of rice!

This recipe can be made while the rice is cooking and usually be finished before the rice is done!!

So easy, but still oh so yummy!!

Here's the full recipe:

1 1/2 lbs flank steak

1 lb broccoli (about 3 medium heads)

2 heaping Tbsp fresh ginger

1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch

3 Tbsp light soya

2 Tbsp dark soya

2 Tbsp oil

1/4 cup water

Cut the flank in half length wise following the grain, then cut across the the grain to make small, thin, bite size slices. Set aside onto a large plate.

Sprinkle with dark and light soya, and cornstarch. Give the meat a quick toss to cover all the pieces.

Chop the broccoli into even sized spears and wash it.

Chop the ginger and set aside.

Heat your wok on high, about 1 tbsp of oil, once hot add about 1 Tbsp of the ginger.

Fry for 30 seconds to "flavor" your oil and add your meat. Keep stirring till the beef is cooked through. Remove from wok and set aside.

In hot wok, add the remaining 1Tbsp oil and as much of the remaining ginger you would like.

Fry for 30 seconds, and add broccoli.

Fry for 2 minutes and add water and cover until cooked but still firm.

Add your beef to your cooked broccoli and mix till warm.

Serve over a bed of rice.

We hope you enjoy this recipe! Please let us know if you make it and how it turned out for you!

Isabella Update

2011-03-20T16:01:00.000-07:00

Last week, I posted about helping Isabella transition to the Bethel Orphanage for the blind and I am so happy to report that we have already seen some very generous donations coming in to support Isabella!

In one weeks' time, we have had $760 donated towards our goal of $5,472!! A great BIG THANK YOU to all who have contributed to our cause thus far. We hope we can continue this awesome support and meet our goals of helping Isabella.

Keep checking back for our progress and watch the ticker at the bottom of the blog!

Happenings in DJ

2011-03-15T06:40:00.000-07:00

Isabella is a sweet little four year old girl who has been in our Gracie’s Room Program since August 2008. Isabella will be moving in April to Bethel Orphanage, for the blind, but we need your help to make this move as smooth as possible. Bethel is the first and only dedicated organization targeting the Chinese blind and orphan population.

When Isabella first entered Gracie’s Room at 1.5 years old, she couldn’t sit up on her own, but she was able to crawl and also roll over.

5 months after entering Gracie’s Room, Isabella was now able to sit up on her own. She loved to be held in her nannies arms and when she crawled along, she would raised her head up and her nannies nicknamed “little snail”.

Isabella loves to be around people and at almost 3 years old, she started to learn how to walk. She feels safe when she hears her nannies voice, and she loves to hear music and often taps her feet and hands to the beat.

When she turned 3.5 she started to walk on her own while guided. She was now able to balance her body.

She also started making simple conversations.

Isabella is now 4 years old and is very audible, she is able to recognize nannies walking by. The nannies feel she is musically gifted and she sings along to songs.

Bethel Orphanage was founded in 2003 and takes care of only visually impaired orphans. They strive to give them a family atmosphere. It also runs a foster care program (1 caretaker to 3 children) as well as an educational program, where Isabella will not only learn oral English, French and Chinese, but also Braille, daily living skills, mobility, and even piano.

The nannies take care of their daily routines, and the teachers are responsible for their education.

Although Isabella will not be in Gracie’s Room any longer, DJ Kids would like to help Bethel with caring for her. Please help us help her!

In Gracie’s Room we have given Isabella a wonderful start, but she now needs to move on to be able to fulfill her potential! She should be able to feel the grass under her toes and a piano at her fingertips!

We have set up a special fundraiser page for Isabella on our organization's website. You will be able to easily donate to help support Isabella and to also follow along our fund raising efforts. Please take a moment to also share this important information with others you know. Every little bit helps, regardless of the amount.

Thank you once again for your generosity and continued support for the children at DJ Kids! Without you, we would never be able to offer our continued care for these amazing children!

Meet Family H!

2011-03-11T08:48:00.000-08:00

About once or twice a month, we will spotlight our DJ families in hopes that we can all get to know one another better! I was very happy that we had several families come forward right away to participate in the spotlight interview. So, without further ado, please meet Family H!

Parents names: Todd & Kendall

Name of Child from DJ: Chloe Xueshan

Sibling Name (s): Avery SuQiu (Jiangxi) 6 years old, adopted at 10 mos. of age, June 2005

Age: Chloe will be 4 on April 14th!

Travel Dates: February 24 - March 12, 2010

Family Day Dates: March 1, 2010 Gotcha Day!!! Just celebrated our first anniversary!

How did you decide to adopt from China?

Kendall's older brother was adopted from Korea when she was 4 and he was almost 6, so growing up she had always wanted to adopt as well as have biological children. When biological children weren't in the cards for us, we decided to adopt from China because we knew there were so many girls being abandoned. We also knew the process was very streamlined and straightforward with no "surprises" financially speaking, once in China, like we'd heard could happen in other countries.

Is this your first child or have you previously adopted from China or another country?

We adopted our 6 1/2 year old daughter, Avery SuQiu, in June 2005 from Fenyi Welfare Institute in Jiangxi, China at 10 months old.

Please tell us about your journey:

We started our second adoption in January 2007 when we learned the wait was growing so long, unlike our first adoption. During the paper chase process and over the next year, we realized the time line was only going to get worse for a "healthy" baby, so we made the decision to pursue adopting through our agency's, GWCA, Waiting Child program and to adopt an older child so the girls would be closer in age. After 7 1/2 uncomfortable months of struggling with the fact we were the ones "choosing" our child this time and agonizing over all the sweet babies and children whose conditions were just too serious for us to adopt, we found our precious Chloe, Jiang Xueshan, on our agency's list. She was 2 years old and diagnosed with repaired cleft lip, cleft palate un-repaired and a diagnosis of epilepsy at age 1, controlled by daily medication.

A year ago almost to the day, we saw that sweet, scared but stoic, little 2 year old girl come around a corner holding the hand of one of the DJ reps and we just knew immediately that she was meant to be ours and part of our forever family!

She had been in a foster family since she was a baby and you could just tell that she had been cared for and loved very much. She is one of the "huggiest" and most loving kids I've ever met. I truly hope one day we can meet and thank her foster family and let them know how wonderful she is and how great she is doing. Sophie, our guide, explained to us that Chongqing girls were "spicy" and boy can she be the epitome of that description in good ways and bad some days! Flash forward a year later and we feel like Chloe has been part of our family forever already! She is so well adjusted, so smart and such a sweet, kind and loving little soul who aabsolutely ADORES her jie jie with all her heart!

What is the BEST thing about adopting?

The best thing about adopting is that we know God had a plan all along and he blessed us with two amazing, wonderful, precious daughters that we love "to the moon and back" and cannot imagine our lives without!

What has been the biggest challenge about adopting?

The biggest challenge is the "not knowing" very much about our daughter's histories and knowing as the girls get older they will have bigger questions that we just won't be able to answer fully. Thanks to DJ Kids Int'l, we were blessed to find Chloe was one of the sponsored foster kids and have photos and updates from about 3-4 months old and up until we adopted her that are truly a treasure!!

Do you plan to adopt again?

At this point (and age!), we are not planning to adopt again, but Chloe really wants a mei mei too, (not so much Avery however...she's just fine with having one) but never say never!

What types of activities/hobbies do you like to do as a family together?

As a family we really enjoy being outdoors, playing at our neighborhood parks, traveling (especially to the beach!) going to the Atlanta Zoo, Georgia Aquarium and enjoying ice cream at Zesto's! Chloe wants me to also make sure we tell you that she really likes to ride her bike too!

Do you host your own blog that others can follow?

Our blog hasn't been updated in about 6 months, but feel free to visit to follow our journey while we were in China. Be warned, my husband has a warped sense of humor, but means well. http://averyandchloe.blogspot.com/2010_02_01_archive.html

Thank you Family H! for participating in the Family Spotlight! We enjoyed getting to know all of you a little better and wish your family continued love and happiness!

Our DJ Kiddos!

2011-03-08T14:37:00.001-08:00

Change is Good, Right?

2011-03-08T13:59:00.000-08:00

Dianjiang Kids is gearing up for some changes! Change is Good, Right?

Of course it is! We want to create yet a CLOSER community here and provide informative resources and articles to help support our DJ parents and families! With that said, in the coming month of March, we are going to be blogging to the bone and sharing informative articles, spotlights on our DJ families, photos of our kiddos, yummy Chinese recipes, happenings and updates about the orphanages, fundraiser information, special giveaways, contests and more!

We are currently accepting photos of your children to be placed on the blog and on our DJ website. We will not be using any names for the safety of our children. If you would like to have your child (s) photo in our gallery and on the blog, please send them to: marla@dianjiangkids.org Please place PHOTO in the subject line. Thanks to all of those that have responded to date. We have beautiful children! We will be posting our first round of photos on Friday, so be sure to check back!

Does your child have a birthday in the month of March or April? We want to know and celebrate her/him. Please send your birthday wishes to: marla@dianjiangkids.org. Please place BIRTHDAY in the subject line. Please only include the first name and last initial of your child. You can include any photos too! Please submit these asap!!!

Also, we are seeking some VIRTUAL VOLUNTEERS who are familiar with placing banners on blogs and around the internet. If you would be interested in placing our banner around the web, please contact marla@dianjiangkids.org. Please place VIRTUAL VOLUNTEER in the subject line. We want to increase awareness and support about our awesome organization and we would love your help!

On March 25, we will blog about our first book review. This month’s book will be:

Silent Tears, A Journey of Hope in a Chinese Orphanage by Kay Bratt

If you have read this book and would like to share your review, please send them to marla@dianjiangkids.org Please place BOOK REVIEW in the subject line. Reviews for this book will be accepted until March 20^th. Please try to keep your review to a paragraph or two. Also, if you have read a book or saw a movie that you like/didn’t like, please share them with me and we will put them on the review list! Thanks.

Stay tuned for information about our "Blanket" drive for the orphanage.

And lastly, we want to hear from you! If you have any ideas, information, questions, and comments you would like to share or just want to say HEY, we would LOVE to hear from you! We love comments and blog love too! Be sure to follow our blog regularly as we will be posting every Monday, Wednesday & Friday throughout the month of March! And remember too, sharing is caring, so make sure to share this with everyone you know!

Thanks for reading!

Marla

Mom to one beautiful Bella Mia from DJ & Director of Communications

OUR GRACIE'S ROOM FUNDRAISER WAS A HUGE SUCCESS!!

2010-10-05T16:27:00.001-07:00

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO DONATED!!

WE HANDED OUT FREE TEA SAMPLES (donated by Adam at Classic Touch) AND TONS OF COOKIES, BROWNIES AND GINGER CAKE..

FROM 12 TO 5PM ..

WE RAISED $500.00

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO CAME BY TO SAY HELLO, SHOW SUPPORT AND MAKE DONATIONS!

(oh,and yes, i took the older girls out of school for the afternoon to help me! shhhh)

11 Spicy Girls

2010-09-06T17:47:00.000-07:00

Each year during the third weekend of September, we pack up for a few days and head towards Lancaster, PA to attend our adoption reunion with our travel group!

We call ourselves 11 Spicy Girls and have been meeting since the first year we came home from China. We were so fortunate to remain close as a group over the years through our yahoo group online, facebook and these reunions. We all feel it is so important for our girls to keep connected to their crib mates and friends from China.

I can't wait to see how they have all developed since last year and look forward to watching them all play and interact. It is so sweet to watch!

Above is our original photo from the famous red couch. I will post an update when we return in a few weeks!

Just Like Me

2010-08-15T14:48:00.000-07:00

Growing up in a large family in a small town had its advantages. My parents felt safe letting us wander and explore. We had a great time as kids. I didn’t like, however, when someone would identify me by my looks and say, “I can tell you’re one of the Naumann girls. You look just like your sisters!” I don’t know why it bugged me, but it did. It got to the point that I would avoid the conversations altogether. If someone would say, “Aren’t you one of those Naumann girls?” I would change the subject or walk away.

One recent afternoon, we decided to meet some friends at the movie theater. With my kids and niece (adopted from Ethiopia) in tow, we loaded up the van and headed out. As we were driving down the highway, my niece commented that she was excited that her new neighbors have a daughter with “skin that is just like me.” At that point, my daughter added that the friends we were meeting at the movie theater have a daughter (adopted from Korea) with skin, hair and eyes “just like me.” The conversation continued with each girl discussing how they like being around people that look like them. Their conversation made me reminisce at how different things are for them. While I didn’t like it when people said my sisters looked “just like me,” these girls LOVED it when they are recognized as looking similar to their friends.

When we arrived at the movie theater, my daughter jumped out of the van and ran to her friend. She put her arms around her, looked at her cousin with a huge grin and said, “Look, she is just like me.” (Which made her friend giggle and smile.) At that point, all three girls and my four-year-old (Caucasian) son linked arms and walked into the theater together. A European-, Korean-, Chinese-, Ethiopian-American human chain.

No matter how hard I try, I don’t think I’ll ever truly understand how very important it is to my daughter to have friends that look like her. But, the smile on her face and the extra confidence in her step after having spent time with her friends is evidence enough for me that this is a very important part of her development. After all, I have to admit that I while it bugged me, a part of me felt a sense of belonging when people said my sisters looked “just like me.”

~Kelly

Knead Some Doh?

2010-08-05T07:30:00.000-07:00

It's always a challenge keeping our children entertained and occupied. My daughter and I spend a lot of time making different projects and crafts. In 2008, we began our journey "greening" our home and becoming a little more eco-friendly. Not over the top, but little steps to maintain a healthier lifestyle. One thing I am always concerned about is the amount of toxins in products and toys that my daughter plays with. So, when I stumbled upon an organic recipe for play-doh that I found online, I was very anxious to try it out.

It was very easy to make and uses the ingredients that you probably have in your kitchen. We make a fresh batch monthly and keep it stored in the refrigerator. We have experimented using different colors and color combinations. My daughter enjoys making and playing with the play-doh and I enjoy knowing it is a safe and harmless product!

Organic Play-Doh Recipe

2 cups flour

1/2 cup salt

1/4 cup cream of tartar

2 cups cold water

2 tbsp. canola or *olive oil

2 drops each of four different food colors

In a large mixing bowl, blend together flour, salt and cream of tartar.

In a cold non-stick sauce pan, add 1/2 cup cold water and two drops of food coloring. Swirl to mix. Add 1/2 tbsp. of canola or olive oil and stir with spoon.

Scoop in 1/2 cup dry ingredients and thorougly mix, forming a uniform paste.

Gently heat on medium-low heat, stirring the mixture, as it will quickly solidify. Roll it in the sauce pan; kenad the dough with spoon to cook. When smooth, remove it from heat and allow it to cool.

Start next batch with a new, cold pan. Repeat for remaining three batches.

Store in air tight container in refrigerator for one month.

*I ran out of canola oil one time and substituted with olive oil and had the same results

Enjoy!
Marla Boyle

Director of Communications

Dianjiang

2010-07-27T06:31:00.000-07:00

The anniversary of our daughter’s finding day was just a few weeks ago. I always start to wonder at this time. It’s difficult to imagine the events surrounding that day. Although I have photos and information about the area, I still wonder . . . Was it hot that day? Or rainy? Was it day or night? Was she sleeping when she was left there? What did it sound like? Smell like? I wonder how long it will be before my daughter asks these same questions. What will I tell her?

I’m so happy that I can tell her what it was like at the SWI. I feel fortunate that we were able to visit Dianjiang SWI when we adopted our children. I vividly remember the smoky smell in the air, the dampness and cold of that January day. She especially likes to hear that our guide told us it was a “good omen” when the clouds parted and the sun shone when we entered the town - as it is usually very overcast there in the winter.

I am thankful that I can also tell my daughter about the good things that are happening in her former home because of the kindness and generosity of each of our donors and sponsors. I am amazed by the generosity and commitment of others who have been touched by the children at Dianjiang. You have made such a difference for our Dianjiang Kids. Thank you!

Kelly

Then and Now

2010-07-26T07:14:00.001-07:00

We've been back 10 days from our second adoption trip to China. We have the same Gotcha Day for both girls - June 28th.

Finally developed the film from the cameras we sent to our second
daughter's healing home in her care packages. Amazing! Even though I had seen many photos of Teagan, posted on the Angel Home webpage, during the 4-month wait for her, these photos are precious. They show our daughter smiling, crying, sleeping, eating and playing. Her surroundings are bright with natural light, large play areas, and loving caretakers - male and female. The rooms were so nice that I wonder what she is thinking of our 1928 1800 square foot city house! LOL! We have been in contact with the director of that home since our return back to the US and have received more photos. We have a book of letters written to her from the nannies. We have clothing and gifts they sent with her on Gotcha Day. The photos of her being well cared for, happy and loved touched me deeply and bring us great peace for the 12 months she had at Angel's Home. I am hoping that one day it will also bring her peace to know she was so loved and cared for.

These also brought back memories of our older daughter's pictures - from the camera we sent to Dianjiang while we waited 6 weeks for her in the spring of 2004. The discrepancy between our girls pre-Gotcha Day care is striking. This was before Gracie's room at DJ. Before foster care. Before the renovations to the Dianjiang SWI. The contrast between our two daughter's early lives makes me even more grateful for the work this group has done for DJ children. In those photos, we see our first child standing or sleeping in a shared crib in small room, crowded with cribs and little else. Peeling paint, no air conditioning, dirty matts and blankets. While incredibly, despite her surroundings, she is often smiling in those photos, we see other children with vacant looks, banging heads, or crying in those photos. I saw those same looks when we were allowed to visit her room at DJ. To be fair, there are also some photos of the girls on the breezeway on blankets alone or on saucy bouncers. I know those who traveled with us that June saw the same things.

I truly believe the nannies did the best they could with what they had resource-wise at that time. I know they played music for example for the girls and we even received two cassettes of music from DJ and a nice book and letter. Moreover, at 11 months our older daughter came to us severely malnourished and weighing 13.5 pounds, but crawling, eating solid foods, saying some Chinese words, laughing and giggling, dancing to music and able to grasp objects. I know she received attention from
her caretakers to get her to those milestones. Still, there were only 2 nannies in that room of many girls.

I've been reading some opinions on whether babies and toddlers have memories of their lives before they were adopted. Eight months after being home with us, at 19 months, our older daughter looked at me one day, and out of the blue said, "Mommy, I used to stand in my crib and cry a lot. But, it's ok now. I don't have to do that anymore." And then she cried.

I don't know if this was a real memory or not and there are many other possible explanations. I probably won't ever know for sure, but it was spoken from the heart when she said it. She had never heard me say she had done this or seen herself in a photo crying in a crib.

I don't want to be overly gloomy here. Our older daughter is a beautiful, gifted, athletic, exuberant child. I am inspired by her spirit and resilience. She is something else! Still, I grieve for her, or her first 11 months of care. At the same time, my commitment to DJ is renewed as I see what is possible in pre-adoption care in Teagan's case.

Lemonade Stand Fundraiser

2010-07-22T14:10:00.000-07:00

My Kids had a lot of fun running a lemonade stand fundraiser. We set up close to local bike path on a Saturday afternoon. Even though we only charged 50 cents a glass we raised $40 for Dianjiang Kids. Most people donated an additional few cents. The latest fundraiser idea we are working on is to collect recyclable bottle & cans and give deposit $$ to Dianjiang Kids. We'll keep you posted on how much we raise with this new venture.

We Did It !!

2010-07-22T14:00:00.000-07:00

Many thanks. We reached our goal and will be able to sponsor the remaining 3
children at Dianjiang You guys rock. Thank you all!!

Moya

Help us to Continue to Support Fostercare at Dianjiang Kids

2010-07-08T13:56:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all who have supported Dianjiang Kids. We are so lucky to have a group of parents and friends who have supported foster care and Gracie's Room and made such a difference in the lives of so many children and their families. Times has been tough for many. We are seeing this in the level of sponsorship. We have paid for sponsorship of 14 children at Dianjiang in March for the full year. We make our second payment in August for the remaining 11 children in foster care. That payment will be $5280. We have less than $1000 left in our bank account. And these children are not sponsored.

As a board we are considering reducing the number of children we sponsor. In fact, we will have no choice. But first we decided we would bring the situation to our parents and friends. So I am asking you. Would you be able to sponsor a child or help sponsor a child?

I got an e-mail last night from an anonymous donor with a really cool idea. The donor will match every $10 donation in the next week, with another $10 donation UP TO $500!! If we had 50 people donate $10 each and the donor matched that,we would have $1000 total!!.

If you can donate $10 please go to www.dianjiangkids.org and donate now. I'd love to double every donation. Thanks!!( and if you already donated in the last 24 hours, your $10 will be matched!!)

Moya

Chase Community Giving Campaign

2010-06-23T18:02:00.001-07:00

Dianjiang Kids International We still have no votes for the Chase Community Giving Campaign. The contest will be ending in a few days. Please, please, please cast your vote for DKI today! Thanks!

apps.facebook.com

apps.facebook.com

Did you get your Fathers' Day Card yet?

2010-05-27T17:23:00.000-07:00

We are having a Father's Day Fundraiser with the hopes of raising more sponsorships for the children. We are in great need, at this time, to increase our funds to help the children with Gracie's Room & the Foster Care Program. Economic times are still not too good for many, but if you can find it in your
heart to purchase ONE special card and help SPREAD THE NEWS about our fundraiser, that would be great!

And as an added bonus, the person with the most amount donated will receive a FREE PANDA BEAR WITH A RED CHINESE DRESS! Just as a thank-you for helping us make this fundraiser a huge success! If you would like to purchase a card, please visit www.dianjiangkids.org and click the donation button at the bottom of the front page. Each card is $25!

Again, thank you for all your support :-) You will be contacted for the name and address of where to send the card once your order is placed and the card (s) will be sure to arrive in plenty of time.

The Inside of the Card Reads:

A gift has been made in your honor to Dianjiang Kids International's Gracie's Room program at XinXiang in Henan. /or Foster Care at Dianjiang You will receive quarterly reports with pictures for the next year as part of this gift. You have made an important difference in the life of a child. Have a wonderful Father's Day!

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us! Click here for more info

2010-03-16T10:57:00.000-07:00

On To Dianjiang

2010-03-16T10:53:00.000-07:00

We were met at Chongqing airport by the lady I have always known as the assistant director, Director Dai. Xia told me she is actually the party represenatative (no , not that kind of party) at the social welfare institute.(Li Jiang Hong is now assistant director.) She welcomed us and we set out with the driver to Dianjiang. Also joining us was our translator, Wang. He is a student of our former translator, Oriole, who among other things now teaches at the university. He is studying English and was glad to have the opportunity to travel with us. Xia had been our unofficial translator up until that time. It is absolutely exhasting for her to do her work and alsotranslate back and forth ...English to Chinese and Chinese to English. Especially when that is not her job.

We set out for Dianjiang, an approximately 2 hour drive, going between 130 and 140 km per hour the whole way. Not only that, but our luggage was crammed in the trunk and in the backseat was Director Dai, Xia, Krista and Wang while I was scrunched up in the front ( my legs are on the long side!). We were greeted at our hotel by Li Jiang Hong, the business manager also named Li and the woman in charge of foster care at Dianjiang.

After depositing our bags in our rooms, we joined the SWI personnel at a local hot pot restaurant. We were met there by the new SWI director. He used to be at the local Civil Affairs office and oddly enough has the same family name as the previous director. He is Director Gao. He is a friendly and outgoing person and we could see how comfortable his relationship was with the women he worked with. In fact we both also made note of how the women had all been at Dianjiang as long as we could remember and how they seemed to work so well together.

This was a different hot pot than I had ever had as each person had their own individual hot pot on an element in front of them. The food was, as always , delightful and some of the presentation was gorgeous too. This was a time to renew acquaintances and build relationships. Business would not be discussed until the next day.

The next morning we awoke and had breakfast at the hotel. We then met the driver downstairs and drove to our first meeting of the day. We had requested to meet with 5 specific foster children and the first was a little boy whose family is waiting for news that they can come an bring hi home. We were met on the street by him in his foster mom’s arms along with the foster dad. We were also met but another DJ baby who was with her foster mom. I was able to whisper a special message into her ear from her waiting mama in the USA. We followed the couple up to their apartment on the third floor of a building not too far from the orphanage. We were welcomed in and encouraged to remove our shoes and put on slippers. The place was spotless and surprisingly large. There was a sunken living room with nice furniture and a gleaming floor. There were three bedrooms. We played with the kids, took pictures and asked questions for the parents who were waiting to adopt them.

We then left and walked a few blocks down the street to meet with another foster child and her foster mom. The baby was a sweet thing who was obviously shy and looked away. That meeting lasted only about 5 minutes as some locals who of course would have no idea of what we were doing, objected to us taking pictures and were getting quite vocal about it. A group of men were starting to congregate and we were rushed off onto the car so as not to create a big fuss. So we saw this little one and talked a bit bit did not have as long a time as with the others.

We went back to the orphanage and there were met by another beautiful Dianjiang child and her foster mother. Because that child is going to a family in Canada, Krista put a Canada sticker on her and took pictures. the child waved and blew kisses and most precious of all, when her foster mom would tell her to, she would join her little hands together and bow.

Soon another family joined us. They have two foster children and also with them was their young son and the grandmother who lived with them. You could see their love and affection for the children. The girls were both wearing ballon animal backpack. You will have to look at the pictures because I don’t think I can adequately explain them. Too cute tho. The older girl who has delayed development was just delighted beyond belief to see pictures of herself in my digital camera, and the younger one, who reminds me of my Dianjiang girl, was very happy to let me practice my sad little bit of Mandarin and imitate my English.

All the kiddos were happy to receive the yogurt drinks we bought for them, although a few made the expected mess!! But that makes it all the more fun, right?

The children were all obviously well loved and cared for. They were happy and you could see the attachment to the foster mom/parents. they sought out the foster parents for comfort...just like they should. The staff told us they have over time weeded out any foster families they have not felt provided good care and kept those who have. For these children, being in a foster home is the next best thing to having a permanent family. It is tons better than being in the orphanage. We are so glad to be able to help provide this kind of care.

Currently there are 28 children from Dianjiang in foster care. Dianjiang Kids sponsors 25 of those. Sponsorships are available if you are interested in helping out with this program and making a difference in the life of a child. (www.dianjiangkids.org)You can sponsor a child for $480 annually or donate what you can and your donation will be joined with others to sponsor a child. As a sponsor you will receive quarterly reports and pictures of your sponsored child. And you will know you have helped a child get a good start.

Kelly coordinates foster are for Dianjiang Kids International and would be happy to talk to anyone who is interested in the program.

That afternoon, we were thrilled to be able to go to the country side to enjoy the annual rapeseed blossom festival. We ate lunch outside a rural home which during this festival, becomes a restaurant. Over 20,000 people were estimated to be attending the festival that day. Pictures really do not do the scenery justice.

We were able to share the pictures, letters and books DJ parents had sent us to give to the orphanage. It was fun to watch the staff ooh and ahh and call out to each other to point to a child they recognized. They were particularly thrilled with the calendar. Thanks Lionel for all your hard work!

The director of the Social welfare institute. Director Gao told me that they really appreciate all that Dianjiang Kids International does for the children at the orphanage. He says there are currently between 10 to 20 children abandoned at Dianjiang annually. A far cry from just a few years ago. Most of those children have special needs.

Director Gao and the other staff made sure to say they hope to continue our relationship and that they are aware that they have a huge responsibility to us to run the program well and be sure the children are well cared for.

Overall Krista and I were very impressed with the foster care program. We hope it can continue to run in the future. For us, its all about the kids.

Moya Smith
www.dianjiangkids.org
Sponsor a child in foster care or in our Gracie's Room program
YOU can make a difference in the life of a child!!

Photos from Luo He

2010-03-15T18:36:00.000-07:00

Lily’s Orphan Care Centre - LOCC Henan

2010-03-15T18:27:00.000-07:00

After the morning at Xu Cheng, we went for lunch accompanied by Director Cheng and Vice Director Li of Xin Xiang orphanage, the Director and 2 Vice Directors for Xu Cheng SWI, the Director and Vice Director of Luo He orphanage. It was a charming place where food was ordered by looking at prepared plates that was actually cooked outside. There were jars of liquor (rice wine) lined up inside the door each filled with fasinating things, such as seahorses and snakes and chili peppers!

After lunch we headed out for a 90 min drive to Lou He. There we would visit CCAI’s Lily’s Orphan Care Centre (LOCC). It’s concept is like that of Gracie’s Room except the kids in that program have care for 24 hours a day. They get special care from specially trained nannies (by the way, CCAI offers this training free of charge for the other care takers in this orphanage, but no one has taken up this offer).

There are currently 25 children in LOCC with 17 care givers working 5 days weekly in 12 hour shifts covering 24 hours a day 7 days a week. There is 1 large room with cribs lining the room, there are 2 small rooms off this main room. 1 is a sick room with an incubator (the only incubator we ever saw in all of the orphanages by the way) with a crib and oxygen, it also had medicine lined up neatly and in vials on the counter. The LOCC pays a local doctor to come to see the children.

The next room is an office with a desk and computer where Cenxi, the LOCC supervisor does her paper work. Cenxi travelled with us and Xia to see the other orphanages. She helps Xia take pictures and information on babies whose paperwork should be prepared for adoption. She is a college graduate who speaks some english and obviously has a passion for what she does. She works only day shifts but often travels with children to appointments and surgeries. When she is at the appointments, another LOCC employee acts as supervisor. We saw her interact with the babies and she knows each one very well.

In that room, there was a LOCC worker folding diapers. There are folded in a very special way to insure that the cloth diaper does not impede the children’s movements. At XinXiang the kid’s diapers were very thick between their legs making mobility difficult. We were thrilled to learn that Vice Director Li asked to be taught how to fold them, so this could be implemented at XinXiang. They are so eager to make the lives of the children better. Sometimes its the simple stuff.

The third room was actually 2 rooms with an open doorway between them. Each room had a play area and cribs. The first room has kids about 12 months of age, several repaired cl/cp and one beautiful little boy with albinism. The kids were being held and fed by the nannies along with an American volunteer, Glenn. Glenn, along with his wife,Pam and 2 daughters (4 and 6) adopted from China, were spending 3 months volunteering at the orphanage. We met the whole family and what a great adventure they are on.

The smaller room had a few smaller kids (approx 3 months old) and some about 6 to 9 months. One child just had surgery on his cleft lip just 2 days before and he was looking great. He wasn’t yet back on solid food but was standing at the bar in the play area. He and Moya played the world famous baby game “You give me the ball, and I’ll throw it for you to go get and give to me again..and again...”

At the back of that room were 2 smaller rooms similar to the ones in the front room. One was used as a bathing / changing area and the other held a small fridge and sink and stove as well as some shelves. Fresh food, including eggs and vegetables are brouggt in daily and the children’s food is prepared here. (the children in LOCC only)

They have a system with specially coded tags for each child’s bottle so they can keep track of how many they have had. After the kids are there lunch they were given a bottle of water. It is very important for hydration, but this is time comnuming and very few orphanages do this.

Krista and I stayed in these 2 rooms and played with the kids. Krista was holding a baby with cl/cp, when they came around with water bottles, the ayis offered Krista the bottle (a special one for cleft affected babies) This bottle works differently because the baby cannot suck so there is a rhythmic squeezing of the bottle to let the baby swallow, breathe, swallow etc.. The ayis knelt down beside Krista and very patiently showed her how to do this. This was the Krista first time ever feed a baby with cl/cp and although the ayis was patient. Krista was frightened that the baby would get upset at not being fed properly by her, so the ayis took the baby and gently fed her the bottle!

One thing that we both noticed, was that when a baby would get upset, the ayis would immediately rush over to them and pick them up and rock them. We would see 1 ayis, with a baby in her arms sleeping as she was gently rocking another beside her. The whole time she was smiling and cooing. (this was not the case in the other SWI)

We left at nap time and toured the baby rooms in the regular part of the orphanage. We went to a room where maybe 6 or 7 children about 9 to 12 months of age, were in walkers. There were no toys visable in the room, the room was cold and breezy and the ayis just stood around. One little one with Down’s Syndrome was rocking back and forth in her walker in an attempt to self soothe. Cenxi is going to try to get her moved into LOCC. It is so sad that all of the children cannot get the superior care offered by LOCC (which is literally around the corner on the same floor) and bloom like the kids in LOCC!

“All they need is to be fed, held and played with,” Xia said memorably “it’s so simple”

Another room had older children, with very severe special needs, prehaps 8 of them all lined up against the wall in potty chairs. There was a TV at the end of the room. Three children lay in beds and 1 child was in a chair in front of the TV. All ranged in age from 6 to 10. It’s too hard for us to write more, we only saw them for a minute.. but this is their lives!

The final room we visited at Luo He had 6 babies in it. There were 2 ayis who were trying on jeans when we walked in (obviously surprising them). 4 babies in bouncy chairs, perhaps 5 months old. They were 2 x 2 facing each other, covered with a large blanket. Xia and Cenxi looked at each child’s special need, and took notes to encourage the orphanage to get their paper work sent to Beijing for adoption. One child had a limb difference with her arm ending with a small deformed hand at her elbow, one child had microtia and another had club feet and hands.

1 crib held a sleeping 2 month old who had been jaundiced and the other held a child with cl/cp. We stayed there a bit interacting with the babies. Those babies could all find adoptive families, and they all should have the level of care that LOCC offers.

We left that day emotionally exhausted. We had been to 2 orphanages in 1 day and seen many many kids. We were impressed by the LOCC and feel with the right support - including nannies paid well enough to stay in their jobs and be consistant care givers, and including 24 hour Gracie’s Room care, of our XinXiang kids - our Gracie’s room could be that good. We think XinXiang orphanage is trying their best to work with us to help the children but some changes need to be made with the program. We were emotionally exhausted by what we saw, by inspired by what could be.....

What Dianjiang kids could do....

Please keep all the children in your prayers.

Photos from Xu Chang SWI in Henan

2010-03-14T17:22:00.000-07:00

Lou He, Henan

2010-03-14T17:19:00.000-07:00

Let the good times toll..... (as seen on a sign in Luo He)

We left XinXiang after breakfast, the director for XinXiang was coming with us to visit these other Henan orphanages. We were headed for Xu Cheng, it was about an hour north of XinXiang. This was a new facility and apparently a huge improvement over the former space - including a huge improvement in care provided.

We took an elevator to the top floor and visited an infant room. We were allowed to take lots of pictures. There were several newly arrived babies, including one who had been left just the day before, she still had the remnants of after birth in her hair and ears. She had a large tumor on the base of her skull that was almost as large as her head. She will not live long.

We other babies with cleft lips and palate, spina bifida, and limb differences, each one a precious jewel.

We went to room after room, Xia was doing a magnificent job seeking out those babies who could be adopted and advocating for their papers to be prepared for adoption. Beautiful children, a boy with albinism, a sweet girl with down syndrome children with limb differences. Oh my heart!! We were able to hold and briefly love on these kids. How lucky any family would be to have them.

and there was heart break.... we were separated from a room with older toddlers and children by large glass windows. One child was sitting up in his bed. So Beautiful. He waved and Krista waved back. She blew a kiss and he blew one back. Over and over again! You could see so much from his eyes!!

We noticed here and also in XinXiang way more boys than girls in the orphanage. Xia explained that this is unique to Henan. More boys than girls are abandoned. There are also a high number of special needs children here.

We went on to a room with school aged children probably ranging from 7 to 12 years of age. there were sitting at desks when we went in. One little girl there is special to Xia and we could see why. She held her hand out and greeting us in english, “hello” she said, so softly. She is 9 years old and so tiny. She has trouble walking. Krista squatted down and held out her hands to this beautiful little girl, and she walk to her, hands out stretched. “goodbye” she said clearly as we left, it was hard to walk away. If anyone is interested in more information about this little girls, please ask...

Our last stop at Xu Cheng was a dorm within the orphanage, for the older kids. There was a local film crew that interviewed us. They were doing a story about foreigners that come so far away and case so much and that locals should do the same.

The rooms were bright and clean and the kids seemed happy. One little boy we talked to was orphaned when his parents died. When asked if he liked it there, he replied

“yes, it is my home”. There was another boy who was about 8 years old and had the most mischievous all boy grin and a sweet 11 year old girl with cerebral Palsy who wrote her name for us, and showed us a pictured that she had colored.

We left Xu Cheng and headed out for yet another multi dish meal which again included hosts toasting with shots of local rice wine and the culturally necessary drinking if the shots. Luckily it appeared to be .53% so it didn’t seem to have much effect.

Photos from Gracies Room Xinxiang & New SWI

2010-03-14T17:00:00.000-07:00

More from Xinxiang

2010-03-14T16:57:00.000-07:00

After we left the children in Gracie’s room we drove with the director and vice director and Xia to the construction site of the new SWI. That site will have an administrative building, building for the elderly and disabled adults as well as the orphanage.

We toured the orphanage and it is well laid out. Instead of single rooms there are pairs of rooms that the children will play in one area and sleep in the other room next door. This would work well for the concept of Gracie’s Room as currently are with their Ayis in Gracie’s room 6 days a week from 7:30am to 11:30am and again from 2:30 to 6pm. During the Ayis lunch break and from 6pm to 7:30am they go to their cribs in an area away from the room.

The director told us that she would like to have a Gracie's room at this new facility. We of course agree but will have to look at costs. We will have some capital start-up new construction costs in this new facility. Plus we are seeing that the Ayis being hired for Gracie’s Room are not staying in the job longer than a few months. We have raised their salaries once but they are still not competitive. It looks like we need to bring the salaries to about 1000$ per month which include insurance. That is a whopping 142$. That will attract quality workers who will appreciate their jobs and be committed to them. CCCI provides training for the Ayis but with such frequent staff turn over we no longer have well trained staff. Also with high staff turn over there are 2 important outcomes.

1. The babies are not gaining secure attachment with the care givers, learning trust and love and

2. the care givers do not really know each baby in their care.

Computer problems...

2010-03-13T19:04:00.000-08:00

Krista and Moya are having computer problems in China. They can only get internet for a few secs at a time. They wanted me to let everyone know that they should have better internet tonight and will be posting lots of information and pictures then.

Xinxiang Photos

2010-03-11T06:46:00.000-08:00

Our Visit to Xinxiang

2010-03-11T06:42:00.001-08:00

Monday/Tuesday
We, Krista from New Brunswick and Moya from Denver met in Beijing after close to 20 hours of plane travel, we've arrived in Zhengzhou Henan. We took a pass on taking the bus into town from the airport and took a cab to the Holiday Inn Express. (It was 10pm) There we found a note waiting for us, from the wonderful Xia, from CCAI, along with 2 much appreciated apples for a snack!
We were to meet Xia at 9am the following day to go to XinXiang. Up showered and down for breakfast!! We were starving after not eating well for the past 2 days. Xia arrived and we discovered that we would be staying at XX that night, and had to run to our room and quickly check out. We loaded up the car (and gave our driver a hernia trying to lift the heavy suitcase full of vitamins and toys..) and drove the longest way possible to XX. With a population of 6 hundred million, most of them must of been on the road this morning, as the traffic was bumper to bumper! and sometimes pedestrian to bumper..
After lots of new construction and wheat fields we arrived in XX, a town of approximately 600 thousand. We were met by the orphanage's assistant director, who brought us into the board room and served us tea, apples and lots and lots of candies!! The orphanage director was in a meeting and would be joining us after lunch.
The Gracie's Room nannies were on their lunch break so it was decided that we would eat first then visit. We had a great meal, in a private room in a small restaurant which included fish, mushroom soup, and eggplant in fresh tomato juice and deep-fried dumplings stuffed with the local vegetable.
After lunch we check into our hotel, and got to use a western toilet!! whew!! We quickly headed back to the orphanage to meet the director and FINALLY meet the babies!
We were greeted by the director and she gave a speech about how much she appreciates DJ Kids International and how our work with them has made the kids healthy and happier and many more kids are being adopted and also so many more kids are getting paper ready to be placed for adoption.
The Henan government is strongly encouraging orphanage directors to send more babies file to Beijing for adoption. Henan has gone from 8 international adoptions in 2006 to close to 300 in 2009 and re hoping for 400 this year. XX orphanage building is over 50 years old, they are currently building a new orphanage on the side of town. They will consolidate several local orphanages to this new building. They will also be able to take in more children. There hope is for more children to be internationally adopted.
We were invited to visit the new building later in the day and the director expressed hope to have a Gracie's Room there.We went up to the 3rd floor and through a doorway covered by a curtain, to see all the beautiful Gracie's Room kids!!

They were sitting on a padded floor, crawling around. As we arrived, they gave them little crackers. We figured it was to get them to sit quietly for our visit. The room was bright, and cold!! Their little faces and hands were red from the breeze coming in the open window! The room had 2 small bins of toys, we noticed that many more interactive toys are needed. We took time to visit with each child and talk about their special need and whether they were available for adoption. We were delighted to know that many of them already have their papers sent to Beijing. We were THRILLED to learn that one child already has a family waiting for her!! She was a sweetheart.
We were both impressed and how easy the kids were to smile and although they were timid at first, they were quick to warm up. They all loved having their little red faces touched and stroked. When we reached into their sleeves to touch their cold hands they would grab onto our fingers tight!!
The nannies were so proud to show a little boy that has cerebral palsy could walk. Another little one made us both laugh when she would imitate Moya shaking her head saying NO!! It was so cute. There was a little girl with Down's that would giggle every time Moya would pretend to let her fall then quickly catch her again. One little girl, who is blind, sat on my lap and when the nanny called me mama, she laid her head down into my neck and cooed. She sounded like a little dove.
A toddler who was developmentally delayed was curious and loved to look at pictures of himself on the camera and he kept trying to eat Moya's watch! Each one of the children in Gracie’s room is beautiful, pictures can't capture their spirits. The nannies care and love each and everyone of them. It was obvious. They knew everything about every child there and even some that were no longer in Gracie's room. There were 2 babies in particular that made us sad. One little fellow has been in and out of the hospital fighting an infection and the other has a very severe special need that will limit her development. She is getting the love and care that she deserves in Gracie's room. We distributed the toys, every child received a new toy! Much to their delight, but we noticed things are the same here in China as in the USA and in Canada. The babies ended up playing with the boxes!!
We also distributed vitamins (and careful instructions) and toothbrushes that were donated.

As we said goodbyes the nannies encourage the children to wave bye bye! It was very sweet. We pasted classrooms with several children in each class, each at their own desk, either learning math or music and we happened to see a Gracie's room graduate, signing and smiling and learning!!

We will post more tomorrow about the new building. It has been a long and exhausting day and it's almost 1am here.

Leaving for China tomorrow.....

2010-03-07T13:15:00.000-08:00

Bags are packed, documents all together and, the hardest part, getting ready to say good bye to my sweet little and big kiddoes fro 10 days. Krista and I meet in Beijing airport and four after we arrive in Beijing we will head to Zhengzhou in Henan.

A friend of mine asked if DianjiangKids International is paying for this trip and I thought I should let you all know how this works in case you were wondering. Krista and I are paying our own expenses. Totally. 100%. With DianjiangKids, all the work is volunteer so whether it’s Ginnie doing our webpage, Emma helping out with the blog and doing the XinXiang Kids webpage, Lionel coordinating our big calendar project or Kelly doing foster care reports and Krista doing Gracie’s Room reports, all are volunteers. Great volunteers I might add, who make what we do for the kids, possible. With DKJ Kids 100% of donations go to the kids. The P.O. Box is paid for by a volunteer. Postage? Paid by a volunteer. All money donated goes to the kids.

I will be sure to post photos of the vitamins and thermometers we are bringing with us for the kids. And of the clothes we buy in country. What a blessing to be able to help these children. And how blessed we are by the support we get from family, friends and fellow adoptive parents.

Please offer comments once we start posting from China. We might need a few words of encouragement from home while on this adventure.

Moya

Donations for the Trip

2010-03-03T17:37:00.000-08:00

Moya is collecting donations to buy supplies for the orphanages when she gets to China. She will buy vitamins, toys and equipment for Xinxiang. She will also be bringing toys to another Henan orphanage with no programs. She is also buying clothes for kiddo's in foster care at Dianjiang and kids at XinXiang. To donate click on the "Chip In" widget in the sidebar. Every little bit goes a long way, even you can only donate $5 or $10 dollars. Thanks for your help.

We leave for China one week from today...

2010-03-01T16:18:00.000-08:00

Krista and I are very excited. We leave for China one week from today. We will land in Beijing and then get a flight to Zhengzhou. We will get the bus to the hotel in the city and meet Xia from Chinese Children’s International there. The next day we will go to XinXiang to see our Gracie’s Room for the first time. Gracie’s Room has been in operation for over 18 months now and I cannot wait to visit the children and the Ayis. We plan then to visit two more orphanages in the area before going to Dianjiang where my Andie and Krista’s Lily are from. We will meet the foster families there and are excited to visit a foster home or two. Plus we get to look for a few special children whose parents are already waiting for travel approval to come get them. So stay tuned, and look for our pictures. I will be bringing a suitcase of clothes to the kids at XinXiang and we will go shopping in Dianjiang for clothes for the foster children. Please follow along as we will send e-mails to the wonderful Emma ( mom to A Dianjiang kids and a XinXiang kid) who will post them on this blog. We will also send photos and maybe even video. Look forward to sharing. We ask for the blessing of your prayers and good wishes as we travel to China and visit these amazing children.

Trip to China March 2010

2010-02-18T15:55:00.000-08:00

I am so excited to let everyone know that Moya and I (Krista Dolan) are going to China March 8th to check on the progress of Gracie's Room First Hugs program in XinXiang Henan. We will also be assessing the need in 2 additional orphanages.Gracie's Room has been set up there since late 2008. Henan is China's most populous province with fewer than 100 adoption in 2008 from the whole province and most of those were special needs.

We will also be traveling to Dianjiang for a few days to see the foster care program. We are hoping to be able to blog while we're there, however it seems that Google and China, are not playing nice with each other and we may have to get someone back here to post for us! We are so excited to have this opportunity to see all the children at both orphanages! We promise to take lots of pictures.

Thanks !!
Krista Dolan
Coordinator Gracie's Room

Trip Postponed

2009-05-22T04:18:00.000-07:00

Thanks for your support and notes this week about our upcoming trip to China. Sadly we got a call yesterday telling us the orphanages did not want us to visit because of the threat of swine flu. We were also told that if we did go and anyone on the plane had a temperature, there is a chance we could be quarantined for 7 days. Not good.
So we have postponed our trip. Our current, tentative plan is to go in September. I will let you know then what our plans are so you can follow us on the blog and keep us in your thoughts and prayers. We will get the nebuilizers that Cathy had already bought to China asap with traveling families and we will save the money donated for the trip til September and buy vitamins for the kids with that money! Again, thank you for all your support!

Moya

Off to China...

2009-05-14T06:48:00.001-07:00

Gracie's Mom, Cathy Reilly and I are off to China on May 30. We will join Xia Zhong of Chinese Childrens Charities there . We will visit the new Gracie's room at XinXiang and view a few other sites where there is currently no outside help and they are very much in need of any help at all. We will be blogging. I am bringing vitamins (which Xia
says the kiddoes need to supplement their poor diet) and toys. If you would like to contribute to these purchases, please click on the "chip in widget" top right of this page and contribute through Paypal. I will take pictures of whatever is purchased and post them to this site.

I am excited to go and hold these babies. And to see what DJ kids has done in Henan.I appreciate your good thoughts and, if you are so inclined, your prayers as we go on this journey!

Moya

Dianjiang Kids International

2009-05-14T06:45:00.000-07:00

Dianjiang Kids began with buying bouncy chairs for Dianjiang in 2007 and a year later we were able to begin Gracie’s Room. Together with Chinese Children’s Charites, the non-profit arm of the adoption agency CCAI, DJ Kids also supports foster care at Dianjiang. When abandonment numbers went down, there was no longer a need for Gracie’s Room at Dianjiang. We asked our contact at Chinese Children’s Charities where we could help. Henan is China’s most populous province and also has the fewest adoptions. Dianjiang Kids opened a Gracie’s Room in XinXiang, Henan in August 2008. To read more about the history of the Gracie's Room project click here.