Today I am asking for your help on behalf of some children who are in urgent need of someone to say “YES” to them.  And there are two very easy ways to help.   First, our annual art auction is now online, and 100% of the proceeds from this auction will go to fund medical care for orphaned children.  If you are on Twitter – would you please tweet that this auction is now through Tuesday the 19th? It is a great way for people to purchase a beautiful item that they can then know saved a child’s life.  Here is a shortened URL you can use to tweet your friends straight to the auction site:

http://tinyurl.com/6kttvla

The same goes if you are on Facebook or if you have a blog.  Please take just a few minutes to share the news that this is an auction that not only has beautiful things on which to bid, but that will give a second chance to some very sick children.

Second, I would ask that you look at the faces of some of the children who are desperately in need of immediate medical care and share their stories with your family and friends.  I believe 100% that people WANT to help children in need, but I think often times they don’t know how to get involved.  Please help share the news that they have the ability to personally impact the life of a child who is ill in a very real way – and that no donation is too small.

Keely is 16 months old and needs to be moved to Shanghai for immediate heart surgery, but she keeps getting too sick to make the journey.  She needs $2200 more for her operation.

Delyth is two months old and has been fighting to survive since she was born and then abandoned.   She needs $5800 for her surgery.

Aaron is a tiny baby born with a spinal tumor which has broken open.  He needs $7500 to receive medical care in Shanghai.

Daisy is a 16 month old baby girl from Anhui whose health has declined due to a heart defect, and she needs immediate surgery to survive.   She needs $4500 for her life-saving operation.

Wyatt is a preemie who came into our hands severely compromised.  We moved him to the hospital for immediate intervention, but he is in a battle for his life right now.  He needs $3500 for specialized NICU care.

These are just a few of the beautiful kids whose lives depend on all of us right now.   To read about them and even more children needing medical care, you can visit our medical sponsorship page here.

There just aren’t enough words to tell each of you how grateful we continually are for your support for the babies in China who are born with such complex medical conditions.  I know you have seen as we have – absolute transformations and second chances when we all come together to support a child who needs us.  I am so thankful that you all understand so clearly that these aren’t just “kids on paper.”   They are real children, in orphanages and hospitals right this moment, who have a very small window of opportunity to find healing.   Thank you for taking that deep breath with us and stepping out to ask for help on their behalf.

I know we can do this together – and give these priceless and wonderful children the gift of hope.

Amy Eldridge, Executive Director

Love Without Boundaries was honored to be mentioned in NEED magazine’s online blog this past week at http://www.needmagazine.com/blog/2009/07/21/love-for-orphans-in-china/.

NEED is an artistic publication featuring individuals and organizations who are dedicated to helping improve the lives of others around the world. We were recognized as a featured organization online.

We invite you to look for NEED magazine at Barnes & Noble and read this wonderful magazine about others making a difference. Many thanks to NEED for helping to make others aware of the story behind LWB and the children that inspire us!

The day started with us getting picked up for the luncheon, where Amy spoke to a packed house. The event was sponsored by Women and Co, a group sponsored by Citi created to address the unique needs of women as they seek more command over their personal finances.

That morning, Amy asked me how many people she thought she would be speaking to….she thought about 35, I said I thought more like 75…imagine our surprise when we arrived and the room was packed with tables…more than 200 people. The lunch was so elegant, but the main attraction was LWB. They showed the LWB/Amy video that Cookie had created and then Amy spoke from the heart about the children that LWB helps. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room…the children’s stories touched so many. Afterwards, we met so many wonderful people. They came up to us to ask us more, how they could help, and to thank Amy for her inspiration. There were so many people who stopped to talk, that we were late leaving.

Next it was off to the Lincoln Center, where we had a walk-though for the evening.
We met our handler, Elaine, a very sweet woman whom we all loved, saw where we were to sit, and Amy was shown where she would walk the red carpet, where she would speak, and then go for photos afterwards. The room was so elegant, with huge windows that overlooked Central Park. Surreal……

After that, we had a little down time, where Amy worked on her speech and had her hair and make-up done. The time flew and then we were off again.

When we arrived to the Lincoln Center, there were so many people and media, beyond what anyone of us had ever seen. There was a red carpet area where the media had set up to shoot photos and video of all of the stars and award winners. We met Elaine, and waited with her until it was Amy’s turn.

Amy did a great job posing for her photos, answering a few questions, and then had a photo op with Pilar Guzman, Editor-and-Chief of Cookie magazine.

We mingled with many of the people we had met earlier in the day…how great it was to see some familiar faces. So many were asking us what they could do to help. We also heard from Linda Duscano, COO of Women and Co., that their phones had been ringing off the hook from people that were so touched at the luncheon. What wonderful news that so many people were touched by the children.

Soon it was time to be seated for dinner and listen to the works of so many other wonderful charities. Among the speakers and presenters were Deborah Roberts, emcee of the evening, Leslie Stahl, Judy Woodruff, Debra Messing, Uma Thurman, and, because Salma Hayek had a family emergency, UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman, spoke on her behalf. In all, seven wonderful charities had a platform to spread their message. Last up, was Amy, and she did LWB so proud. Lisa Caputo, Executive Vice President, Global Marketing and Corporate Affairs for Citigroup, and Pilar Guzman presented Amy with the award and the check for $35,000. Amy thanked them all and then spoke passionately about the children. Again there were so many in the audience that were in tears.

She ended her speech with this:

“It would be my hope that everyone here in this audience would realize that if this mom from Oklahoma can make a difference, then anyone can. All around the world, there are children just waiting for someone to believe in them, whether it is here in our neighborhoods or halfway around the world. And so I accept this honor tonight on behalf of all the children around the world who are waiting, and I renew my promise to never stop working to make sure their stories are told.”

Karen Maunu is the Associate Executive Director for Love Without Boundaries. She lives in MN with her husband LeRoy and five children, Ryan, Tyler, Trevor, Anna (Guangdong province) and Ellie (Jilin province).

As you can see, little Juliana from the Kaifeng foster care program has quite a hold on both her foster mom and her bottle in this photo.

Her report from this month said that she kept a tight grip on her bottle, not even wanting to give it up when she was being weighed! Her happy expression seems to be saying, “What more could a girl want, a full bottle and my mama holding me, too!”

Tracy Fischer is the Kaifeng Foster Care Coordinator for Love Without Boundaries. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband Chris and sons, Jon and Alex. Tracy, herself an adoptee, works part-time as an adoption social worker. Besides her own family, working for kids in need of the love of a family of their own is her passion!

Who among us has not watched a child struggle with the challenges of the ageless stacking ring toy?

Recently our Manager presented the children in Xinxiang Foster Care with some new developmental toys purchased with funds provided by a generous donor. 

The pictures he sent made me smile as each child dealt with the challenges of the rings in their own special way:

Hmmmmm, if I could only get these open, I know I could do it!

Now I KNOW these are supposed to go back on here!

When all else fails, wear as jewelry!

Now we’re getting somewhere!

If I hold my tongue just right…….

Nancy Delpha
Xinxiang Foster Care Coordinator

Noah loves spending time with her and imitating her behavior. Maybe that’s why they have matching smiles!

Pammy Lee
Sanmenxia Foster Care Coordinator

This adorable little guy is the life of the party. His favorite activity is making believe that he is a super hero.

He loves to pretend that he is a kung fu master who is practicing his karate moves. He also enjoys playing police officer and saluting his foster grandmother. I’m sure he keeps her smiling and quite young at heart.

Penny Moeller
Shunyi Foster Care Coordinator

Daniel loved having his picture taken by a professional photographer. He posed and smiled like a little angel. But look closer—behind his beautiful smile and adorable dimples. Do you see it?

Each month when I read Daniel’s report, I laugh out loud because he is so full of mischief and uses his charm to get whatever he wants from his foster family and his buddies in the neighborhood. In China they call him “the big potato,” which I believe translates as “the big shot” in English. I bet you can see his boyish mischief now!

The ABC’s of a child needing a family…

A-Adorable
B-Brave
C-Cute
D-Dimply
E-Excited
F-
G-Giggly
H-Happy
I-Intelligent (he loves math!)
J-Joyful
K-Kind-hearted
L-Loveable
M-Marvelous
N-Nice
O-Outgoing
P-Proud
Q-Quick
R-Respectful (especially to his teachers)
S-
T-Talented
U-Unique
V-Vibrant
W-Waiting
X-Xtra Special
Y-Youthful
Z-Zestful

This handsome little boy is six years old and has a repaired cleft palate. He is currently in LWB foster care and loves being a big brother. In fact, when we were taking individual pictures of each of the kids for Chinese New Year, he insisted on having a photo taken with his little brother as well.

You may have noticed we are missing the letters “F” and “S”; that is because this little boy hasn’t found his FAMILY yet off of the shared agency waiting child list.

Could he be your SON???

Erika Callahan
Shantou Foster Care Coordinator

In 1994, Congress passed the King Holiday and Service Act, making Martin Luther King Jr. Day a national day of volunteer service.  On this day I am recommitting myself to bringing as much hope and healing to children who are hurting and who wake up every day without parents to love them. 

All around our world there are orphaned children who are sick with no one to hold them, who are afraid during the storms with no one to reassure them, and who are wondering what they did to end up so very  alone.  I also want to use this day to encourage others to make the same commitment to a child in need, no matter which country that child is from.

It is hard to get an exact figure on how many children live on this earth as orphans.  I have read numbers from 35 to 100 million.  Even if it is somewhere in the middle, that means over 50 MILLION children are growing up without a family committed to their future.  After working with orphaned children for the last six years, I know all too well the lifelong effects that being on your own as a child can cause.

Making an investment in the lives of children is without a doubt the absolute best investment we can make for our world.  Children who grow up feeling unloved and unworthy rarely are able to see this world as a place of hope.  I challenge everyone today to find one way in your life to invest in a child who is hurting, whether that child is your next door neighbor, in a foster care program two states over, or living in an orphanage overseas.  While I know our world is a busy one and that economic times are hard for all, I also know that committing to help someone “tomorrow” doesn’t change the lives of those who are sick, and often dying, TODAY.

Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”  Without a doubt, every single child on this earth matters.  And we can no longer stay silent to the fact that far too many children are being forgotten.  So use this day to step out of your comfort zone.  Pick a country that speaks to your heart, whether it is the U.S., or Haiti, or Mexico, or China.  Every child deserves help when they are hurting.  Choose a country, choose a charity, choose this moment, and commit to action.  With over seven billion people on this planet, I believe there is a home or at least a helping hand for every single child on this earth who is alone.  Let’s make 2009 a year of no excuses.  If you don’t have 20 hours to volunteer, give just one.  I can’t imagine a charity without jobs that need to be done, from writing thank you letters to donors, to writing reports, to running programs.  If you don’t have $100 to give, then give just $1.  No donation is ever too small when given in love to a child in need.  Charities put those dollars together to bring real change.  And if you truly have absolutely no time and absolutely no money to give, then use your voice to tell others who might that TODAY there are children living with very little hope.  For the well-being of our world, there can be no more excuses for not helping them.  One world, one commitment to change…. for ALL children.

Amy Eldridge
Executive Director
Love Without Boundaries Foundation