Heartbeat January 2020
From the Founder
As we peer into the new year, we expect to BE THE CHANGE for even more children, teens and young adults on our campus. Renovations are almost done, and the registration of a newly formed Tianjin NGO to carry out this work on our campus is nearly completed. As I’ve shared before, this new phase of The Philip Hayden Foundation will allow us to focus our attention not only on kids from the orphanage, but on many more local special-needs children as well. This vital part of our work is really “orphan prevention,” and provides local poor families with the training, therapy, counseling, education and other resources they need to successfully raise their children and keep them in the home.
Therapy Traning Grows
These types of services and resources have been nearly non-existent in China for families with special-needs kids, and especially poor families. While there are many for-profit businesses and services available, there’s a severe lack of good and affordable programs that focus on the family as a whole. It’s not just about doing things with the kids and for the kids – help for these children is infinitely more effective when the entire family is included.
In addition to all the new programming that will take place on our campus in 2020, our cross-country Therapy Trainingwill also increase. Our teams have trained orphanage staff members throughout China, and will continue to travel to government institutions across the country, providing training and education for the staff and caregivers of these special kids. This training will equip them with the tools they need to give the children in their care better lives. We’re thrilled to see our orphanage partners and the kids in their institutions achieve new heights through training and higher education.
It’s exciting to anticipate what’s about to happen in 2020. I personally want to thank all of you for sticking with us through the past 16 months. We’ve worked hard to make our campus and staff ready for this new phase of our work, and we’re grateful to have you partner alongside of us. Thank you and Happy New Year!
Campus Renovations are Nearing Completion
It’s here – the beginning of the new year and the end to our major construction projects! Worn-out wood floors in the living areas of all five children’s houses have been replaced with beautiful gray tile. New self-closing doors with safety glass panels have taken the place of our former dark wood doors, creating much brighter living spaces. Every kitchen has been given a much-needed overhaul, with new tile covering not only the floor but also all the way up the walls. The bathrooms are now fitted for older children and young adults – large bathtubs have been replaced with roomy, tiled showers.
The houses are not the only buildings undergoing changes on our campus. Our staff now have a new lounge in the main office, where they can safely store their belongings in lockers at the beginning of the day. This space will also offer a quiet area for one-on-one meetings and conversations. As winter rages, we’re extremely thankful for the new radiators from Rinnai in our Forever Families Outreach Center. The staff was all warm and cozy in December, as our school children dazzled us with a wonderful Christmas show before the holiday. We look forward to hosting events, parties and other gatherings for our residents for years to come.
Staff Spotlight Shines On … Dr. Li
After visiting Shepherd’s Field Children’s Village (SFCV) about two years ago, Dr. Li couldn’t sleep at night, and constantly kept thinking of the complex medical needs of the children she met here. This continued until she finally decided to BE THE CHANGE, leave her position at a large hospital in Tianjin and become our staff doctor. She began her full-time work here in early 2018.
While talking with Dr. Li, she smiled as she remembered children from SFCV she’s helped through the years. When official policy changed, and those children were sent back to their home orphanages in the summer of 2018, Dr. Li remained committed to helping our kids however she could, from arranging their medical treatment in Beijing to visiting them on our campus.
As we prepare for the next chapter of our work, Dr. Li will continue to use her skills to tend to the medical needs of the children who will join us on the new 7Acres Campus. Dr. Li is married and has a 15-year-old son.