We’re so grateful for Erin Garvey who is now in 6th Grade at Shanaghai American School, Pudong.

Last spring she came up with a unique way to help Baby Ruby get her surgery.

My name is Erin Garvey. Last year I hosted a Dodgeball Tournament Fundraiser for Baobei. To get into the tournament you had to pay 25 RMB.
All the money that was collected was donated to Baobei to pay for a little baby named Ruby. Sadly we didn’t raise enough money to pay for Ruby’s entire surgery but we did raise 17,000 RMB!
I was so grateful to those participated in the tournament! I really admire all the work that Baobei does and was so happy to be able to help.
- Erin

We appreciate you and your classmates from SAS, Erin!

CISS is so good to Baobei.  Over the last three years- from our inception until now- many of their staff members have supported us in more ways that I can begin to explain- including funding some initial surgeries to help us get started and providing critial after care for our babies.  The recent 83,000+ RMB raised by their Wu Mao club just shows how they have again and again taken our foundation’s interests to heart.  (More blogging about that later.)

So naturally we want to support CISS’ internship program each spring, but I confess that each year it comes around, I get the feeling that it’s going to be a lot of additional work for me.  After the last two weeks, however, I am again looking back wondering how I could’ve ever had those feelings.  The students are always so passionate about what they do- from the mundane (inventory management) to the most meaningful (helping babies at the hospital) and our volunteer management staff always steps in to round out their internship experience by showing them the breadth of our work.

This year we were blessed by the hard work and big hearts of Kelly Thielman, Katherine Abel and Alexandrea Lee this year.  They are all juniors at CISS and pictured in order in the below photo.  I can’t say much more that would be nearly as meaningful as their own words- so keep reading to see how much they gained from their experiences with us.  Thanks, girls, we’ll sure miss you, and thanks Baobei management team for all of your support!

“Holding these babies, making them feel loved, taking inventory, and organizing garages are not necessarily skills learned in school, or even at college. In fact, this whole internship is not academic learning.  I’m not learning how to use fancy technology, or about economics, or how to be a salesman. And the more I continue with this internship, the more I realize that that is not what I’m going to be doing. I never believed my career would be one in an office, and now I’m even more sure of it. The more ‘office’-type skills are still important to learn as they will be a useful resource in life, but I need something that I can be passionate about, something I can live my life for.” Alex Lee

“As the babies started waking up before they would open their eyes they began to cry but would calm down as soon as you spoke to them or put your hand on them, it broke my heart that these kids, especially Caleb who is 4 months, just wanted to know that someone was there with them. It gives reason to think that at some point they didn’t have someone there for them that they automatically think of if someone is with them. I wonder if Caleb remembers his parents at all, the way they smelled, the way they sounded, the way they felt, and for a 4 month old there is no way to understand why you have something then suddenly don’t. Perhaps I am reading into the feelings of a baby too much, but I suppose that this would be true with any orphan and there are plenty of those.” Kelly Thielman

“Today Mrs. Liptak took us to the hospital to see two new babies.  One was 19 days old and the other was 4 months old. I was shocked at how young the little one was and to think that around the time of exams while I was worried about getting a good grade there was a little baby boy being abandoned by his mother and taken to an orphanage. Today was a humbling experience, it reminded me that I need to think less about minor issues occurring in my life because there are far worse circumstances that people, or in this case; that babies, are being faced with.” Kate Abel

Thanks to Nelson Marote and many of his classmates at YCIS, Baobei is 12,000 RMB closer to another orphan surgery. The group of students in the attached photo (Nelson was away at a soccer tournament), came together for a rocking night of music and fun. Student bands played at the school and refreshments were offered. All proceeds went to help children like Baby Natalie who was born with spina bifida (see photo). We’re so appreciative of the youth in Shanghai- those like Nelson and his friends- who are already thinking much beyond themselves to make a difference in their community. Thank you, YCIS!

Nelson’s mother is Christine Marote who is Baobei’s Volunteer Coordinator for hospital visits. She can be contacted at christine@baobeifoundation.org if you’re interested in learning more about this work. We’re glad the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree in the Marote family!

Baobei had a GREAT showing at the race last Sunday!  Among thousands of neon yellow shirts were over 100 Baobei gray logo tees donning our great sponsors, Wagas, Fields and Subconscious Day Spa.  Wagas provided 100 smoothies and wraps, Fields brought trays of veggies and fruits and Subconscious Day Spa topped it off with 80 RMB gift vouchers for each racer!  We used ours the same day- a foot massage never felt so good!!!  THANK YOU SPONSORS! 

Kim Brewer, new Baobei volunteer, did a great job of organizing us this year- from buying t-shirts to stuffing race packets.  We appreciate you, Kim!!!

Thanks to ALL of our runners- from less than 5 to over 50 years old!  Lucas Allen (junior at Concordia) easily came in first among the 8K Baobei team with a time of something close to 35 minutes!  Seth Liptak flew ahead in the 2K and finished as some were barely starting (well- it seemed like it anyway!)  Great job, guys!  It was encouraging to see so many students “racing for their lives”- a small glimpse of our great generation following in our footsteps (no pun intended).  Gorgeous day with great memories…  enjoy the photos, Team Baobei!

To see more photos click here.

Shanghai International Studies University students came all the way up from Songjiang today to see beautiful Baby Miriam.  It was so nice to have a visit from these young ladies who are committing their time most Saturdays to visit babies and give the ayis a little break.  Thanks for your time!  Miriam is healing well and should be sent to a healing home on Saturday.

Baobei Foundation has a number of Latin families who help as healing homes and with raising funds. These special friends and others from different nationalities recently donated over 17,000 RMB from sales of a new book, The Legend of the Pirate Boy by IÑIGO ORTIZ CASTAÑO. This story teaches a lesson of the beauty in being imperfect, taking care of the sea and keeping our promises. All of this in three different languages!

The inspiration for this story came from Iñigo’s son, Lucas. When he was a year and a half old, he jumped over his crib railing, fell and hit his mouth and lost a tooth. Given his age, an operation was not feasible so he remained like that, without that tooth, until his permanent teeth came out. He was a bit distressed with his “difference”, so he came up with the story emphasizing the absence of a tooth as something positive.

The author’s friend, Reyes Teixeria, lives in Shanghai and is part of the passionate Latin group helping Baobei. She decided that this story could help others in a number of ways and together, she and Inigo set out to translate it into English and Mandarin. Reyes then worked with a class of students at the British International School Shanghai and the Spanish book club of Shanghai to have it illustrated and published. That is how the story transformed itself into a “hardcover dream” come true. They hope that this book and it’s already planned sequels can continue helping to improve the lives of orphans. All of the 100 RMB book price will go to Baobei Foundation. If you would like more information, please email Reyes at rtenciso@yahoo.es.

Author, IÑIGO ORTIZ CASTAÑO, with his two children- youngest one for whom book was written.  

Reyes Teixeria preparing for book promotion 

Last week, Shanghai International Studies University students launched the first Baobei fundraiser to increase awareness on their Song Jiang based campus.  One of the English language students, Amy, was at a SCMC event last spring and we started talking about Baobei.  She was so interested in telling her classmates with the goal of fundraising for us.  Last week, Anita Haycook- Baobei’s Product Sales Manager- went to the university to help the students kick off a lunch time sale of Baobei items.  In the evening, I (Carol Hoag) went to tell a group of interested students more about Baobei and why what they were doing was making a difference.  The students raised about 1000 RMB and promise this is just the beginning.  They have so many ideas.

We’re thrilled to see this generation of Shanghai kids so interested in helping.  It’s people like this who can influence the long term success of Baobei in this great city.  It’s just the beginning of Baobei’s goal to focus on integrating more in the local community.  Thanks, SISU, for continuing to make a “Better City and Better Life” in Shanghai even after the Expo.

On Halloween night, as usual, children dressed up in their favorite costumes and headed out to trick or treat for candy.  But this year, many of the kids were collecting more than candy.  Thanks to the organization of Anita Haycook, Chinese take out boxes brought all the way from the US were distributed to children in Bellewood, Beverly Hills, Greenhills/Willowbrook, Emerald and Vizcaya for the first ever Baobei Children’s “Funraiser”.  The children collected more than 12,000rmb for Baobei Foundation.  Special thanks to Bonnie Highlander, Nancy Betzen, Hui Ying Fu, Susanne Kargl, Rachel Dicker, and Anna Fotheringham for helping with box distribution and collection.  Wagas Restaurant also helped out with the “Funraiser”.

Baobei has had the opportunity to help a couple of other orphan charities in China over the last month.  Newborn Baby Fu Ming recently came from International China Concern (ICC) with spina bifida.  Baobei arranged for him to get to SCMC from the train station and helped him and his ayi at the hospital from pre-operation to discharge.  We’re grateful to be able to help other charities sharing a similar mission.

Enjoy these precious photos of Fu Ming while he was still in the hospital (soon after surgery).  He’s doing well now and has returned to ICC.

International China Concern (ICC)
Founded in 1993, International China Concern is a Christian development organization that changes lives by bringing love, hope and opportunity to China’s abandoned and disabled.  ICC partners with the Chinese government to provide holistic care and support services for China’s neediest children.  ICC also empowers and trains Chinese nationals to save lives, support families, transform communities and change attitudes.