Look at our precious Iris walking all over the place in her new wheels!

Thanks to Austcham (Australian Chamber) Shanghai, Baobei is now two walking devices richer!  They were custom built for our children and paid for entirely by Austcham Shanghai.  Devices like these are critical to the development of children with spina bifida and other neurological issues to get them standing upright and using their leg muscles.  They will be used and rotated among our non-infant children who are ready to walk.  And Iris IS READY…in the words of her healing home family, “She’s off in her new red Ferrari!”  You go, girl!!!

Ann and I were talking today about the importance of foundational relationships, those you know will always be there and and stand the test of time.  Bonita Lim and Jesse Price have been these friends to Baobei since the inception of our foundation.  Before we had our name, Bonita and Jesse had raised enough money through their networks to pay for a waiting child’s surgery.  Besides caring for a Baobei child themselves, they have continued to advocate for Baobei throughout Shanghai, helping many children over the last 2.5 years.  They are both entrepreneurs with a passion to serve the less fortunate.  Bonita owns and runs NuoMi (Brown Rice)- retail clothing and fashion design, and Jesse is an owner of Reya business consulting.

Their most recent contribution came for Baby Lianna.  In lieu of wedding gifts, newlyweds Mr. and Mrs. Price asked their guests to contribute to Lianna’s spina bifida surgery.  Through their benevolence, this sweet baobei’s surgery has been covered.

Congratulations, Jesse and Bonita!  We’re so grateful for your friendship and passion to help us save precious orphans!

Baobei Foundation was blessed with two wonderful interns from Concordia International School Shanghai (CISS) during the last two weeks of May. Now graduates of CISS and both heading into pre-med programs, Dorothy Lam and Lauren Burton worked so diligently to help our foundation in any way they could. Ann and I were inspired by their enthusiasm and are so thankful for all they helped us accomplish. Thanks, girls!!! Enjoy reading these excerpts from their summary reports.

Dorothy Lam:

“For the past two weeks, I had the privilege of interning with the Baobei Foundation. It was amazing—there is no better word to describe the experience. An aspiring pediatrician, I was extremely excited when I learned that I would be interning with Baobei. I did not have specific expectations beforehand, but I imagined that every day would be both interesting and challenging. I stepped into the job optimistic and determined to contribute my abilities to the organization’s work. Almost immediately, the internship eliminated any qualms I had about studying medicine and reaffirmed my desire to pursue pediatrics. I spent time with kids, wrote and researched, expressed creativity, and worked with a brilliant and compassionate team every day. From the day I decided to find my own internship, to the last day of the second week of work, I knew that working with Baobei would be an unforgettable opportunity. Indeed, it was. Over these two weeks, I joined the Baobei volunteers in helping children. I found a passion in spending time with kids and making their lives better, if only for a short time. Most importantly, I had fun and never ceased to be amazed by the love and compassion that the volunteers show to these children—no doubt love is a critical part of helping the kids improve and heal so quickly. Throughout the two weeks, I hoped to participate actively in every task, practice and improve my Mandarin, as well as acquire new skills as I learn more about working in the medical field.”

Lauren Burton:

“The past two weeks with Baobei Foundation have been some of the best two weeks of my year, and were the most valuable experience of my high school career. My classmate and I got to know our way around the Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, meet plenty of Baobei children, and see the ins and outs of the foundation. On the first day alone, we learned more about the foundation than most people ever find out about any charity, and learned how volunteers like us can be extremely helpful.

To be honest, I wasn’t sure to expect. I haven’t had very much job experience, and it was my first time working with a NPO. But after the first day, I lost any doubts that it wouldn’t be enjoyable, and was immediately enthusiastic about the coming weeks. Just listening to Ann and Carol talk about the foundation made me excited, because anyone could see how passionate they are about Baobei, and it immediately rubbed off on us. We were given our projects, and given an approximate overview of what we were going to do over the next two weeks, and after the short introduction day was finished, I was more excited than ever to be a part of the foundation, even for a short time.”

First photo caption: Left to right- Lauren Burton, Dorothy Lam and Lily Rong at SCMC’s Children’s Day

Second photo caption: left to right- Healing Home auntie- Shelly, baby Maggie, Lauren Burton and Dorothy Lam

Kelly Thompson has touched each Baobei child’s life in ways most of us will never fully know.  In her role as Healing Home Director, she has loved our healing families and the babies they care for with all of her heart.  While it’s so hard to say good-bye to Kelly as she and her family repatriate to Michigan, we know her legacy with our foundation will last in the lives of our children.  Xie xie, Kelly!  We love you and will miss you.  Enjoy some photos below from her going away party- with special guest, Phillip, all the way from Beijing!
Kelly worked tirelessly to mentor our medical managers and care for each healing home and their baobeis.  We have three wonderful new volunteers who will divide her responsibilities in their service to Baobei.  We’re thrilled to welcome Crystal Crawford, Lynne Liptak, and Charlene Stone!  Looking forward to a great year with these new Healing Home Managers!

Phillip visits from Beijing and shares his cool shades with Nan nan

Jennifer and Nancy lining up for seriously delicious food from Iiiit!

Lily and Jessica add their memories to Kelly’s book

Mary Claire looking as darling as ever

Baby Peter looking so healthy after his surgery and hospital release

Lily, Nahid and Phillip- dear friends to Baobei

Anita, Shelly and Baby Maggie enjoying the party

Kelly, our guest of honor, and Melissa reminiscing

Makayla, Gigi and Mary Claire just LOVE the ball pit!

The first grade girl scout troop, lead by Missy Kotkin, gave Baobei a sweet donation from their hearts today.  They each brought 30 RMB (some more) to help Baobei save lives.  Thanks, girls!  Keep up the great work!

First Grade Concordia Girl Scouts

Liv Svanheld and Jaden Deneef, 3rd graders from SCIS Pudong, are already talking about starting their own charity after visiting Baby Wade at SCMC. 
Liv’s mother, Inga, said, “They feel so privileged now and want to help children less fortunate than themselves.”
The Svanhelds are moving to Singapore soon, and Liv had the idea to have a garage sale and donate the money to Baobei.  Jaden and she organised all of the items and after two days of sales raised 1300 RMB for Baby Wade’s surgery.
Thanks girls!  Keep up the great work!
Baby Wade will return to Anhui province with his caretaker later this week after having surgery to reconnect his colostomy. 

Liv and Jaden presenting money to Christine Marote (Volunteer Coordinator) who is holding Baby Wade

Baby Wade- 1 year old- he even celebrated his birthday at SCMC with a small cake from Baobei

Liu came into our lives in 2007 via BaoBei Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Shanghai that provides life saving surgeries for Chinese orphans. She was born with an Encephalocele (a rare condition which causes hydrocephalus). Liu was abandoned at an early age, and was subsequently taken into care at an orphanage in a province close to Shanghai. BaoBei Foundation became involved in helping Liu through a visit to her orphanage by one of their staff and a doctor from Shanghai Children’s Medical Center. She was found to be in need of a critical neuro-surgery that could only be done in Shanghai. Baobei Foundation’s volunteer staff helped to raise the funds necessary to help Liu and then arranged the aftercare she needed to be sure she did not have any complications.

My wife Claudine was aware of this, and offered to provide a Healing Home for Liu during her recovery.

So this timid, withdrawn, weak child came into our home, unable to communicate or walk, and immediately became part of our family.

We cared for Liu for 2 years, until my family moved back to UK . During that time, with much love from Claudine and my daughters Olivia and Sophia, Liu blossomed into a strong, confident, talkative, jumpy, beautiful young girl, and is now in the process of International adoption. We wish her adoptive family all the best fortune in having this approved by China’s authorities as soon as possible.

We became acutely aware, while living in China, that organizations like Baobei Foundation play a vital role in saving the lives of children with critical medical needs. The word ” Baobei ” means, Precious Child. Liu will always be a very special Baobei to our family. It is clearly apparent that without the help of this foundation Liu’s life would have turned out quite differently. We also know that there are many more who need help.

I am therefore undertaking a 250 km walk through the Western part of the Gobi Desert in July 2010, by competing in the Gobi March, as part of RacethePlanet (http://www.racingtheplanet.com/), in an effort to raise funds for BaoBei Foundation. This challenge is tiny in comparison to the challenges these Baobei’s encounter daily in just trying to cope and adapt to their every changing lives. I hope you will click here, and make a contribution that will change their lives.

Best wishes to all

David Wallace

TEACHING children about helping others while also encouraging their creative talents was the aim of a recent competition held by Shanghai coffee chain Wagas.

In collaboration with four international schools and pre-schools, the chain held a competition for students to design artwork.

Jacquelyn Wu, 10, of Concordia International School, Jessica Wang, seven, of Shanghai American School, and Sophie Xu, five, of Kids Bright Star won the “Kids Help The Kids” art competition.

The winners have had their artworks printed on gift cards that are sold in all Wagas stores to raise money for Shanghai charity Baobei Foundation.

The gift cards cost from 15 yuan (US$2) each and all proceeds go toward the Baobei Foundation.

Baobei means precious child in Chinese and the charity was founded by Chinese and foreigners to raise money for lifesaving neurological and gastro-intestinal surgery on orphan infants and young children.

As well as surgery, the foundation also provides intensive post-operative care and therapy to ensure that the children make a full recovery.

Baobei’s managing director, Carol Hoag, says that since the foundation was launched two years ago it has helped 45 children have operations that cost about 42,000 yuan each.

Wagas has raised more than 80,000 yuan since partnering with the charity last year.

“The money raised through Wagas has effectively saved two lives and they have also helped raise awareness about the vital work we do through displays in their shops,” Hoag says.

“This is something that we can’t always do that well easily ourselves so it is great exposure.”

Baobei works with Dr Bao Nan and the Shanghai Children’s Medical Center (SCMC).

Dr Bao donates his time to travel to orphanages to visit children in need and is one of China’s foremost experts in pediatric neurosurgery.

Wagas has run a number of fund-raising initiatives through its 14 outlets, including a Baobei tea that raised 60,000 yuan and a Thanksgiving dinner that raised 15,000 yuan.

Wagas part-owner Jackie Yun says the cafe and restaurant chain had chosen to support the charity because money raised was used for urgent lifesaving surgery for some of China’s most vulnerable young lives. “With Baobei we see the immediate results of how the funds we raised are used,” Yun says.

In an example of the work the foundation does, Hoag says they had transported an infant from Henan Province that morning and she would undergo surgery the same day.

Baobei has funded nine operations since the start of the year.

The donors, many of them from Shanghai, are usually individuals and community groups organizing fund-raising events.

“We have been able to do surgery for 45 children so far and half of those are already matched for adoption or have been adopted so it is going even better than we initially thought,” says Hoag.

“Seventy percent of the money we raised comes from Shanghai and 30 percent from the United States, and because we have this great partnership with SCMC we get a lot of good attention and people can really see what we do. They visit the babies and help care for them after their surgery.”

Donations for the US-registered charity can be made via its Website at www.baobeifoundation.org.

Wagas and its new bakery outlet Baker & Spice will be selling the cards throughout the Chinese Year of the Tiger.