SPECIAL PROJECTS

Tuan Yuan Adoption Assistance Grant

Announcing our new Tuan Yuan Grant recipient Rocky!

Zhi is a wonderful little boy who has been featured in our Kids for Kids newsletter and is a favorite among LWB volunteers, who have nicknamed him “Rocky.” Rocky earned his nickname as a student in our Believe in Me school in Changde, Hunan. Rocky was shy and would pretend to be asleep whenever the volunteers would visit. When he thought no one was looking, Rocky would open his eyes and take a peek at the visiting LWB volunteers, who would chuckle and pretend not to notice. Even though Rocky was shy, he bravely watched the volunteers. In time, he overcame his fear and learned to giggle and have fun with them. His bravery earned the respect of the LWB volunteers who gave him the nickname “Rocky.” Rocky is now six years old and needs a Forever Family to help him reach his full potential.

Rocky has a $3,000 Tuan Yuan Grant to help with his adoption expenses. Please help Rocky find his Forever Family!

Rocky’s teachers say that he is learning to identify colors, shapes, and characters. He can count to ten, communicate his needs, and he plays well with other children. Rocky’s teachers say that he is becoming less reserved with the teachers, is learning to trust, and is showing his personality more and more. He sings and recites poetry from memory! His teachers tell us they are so proud of how hard he works to overcome his disabilities. He tries to do things for himself and will ask his friends for help when he needs it. Rocky is a very special boy!

Rocky’s special needs are CP, club feet, and limited use of his hands. You can learn more about these and other special needs in our Special Needs Manual and blog archives.

For more information about Rocky or our Adoption Assistance program, please contact our Tuan Yuan Program.

Please view our March 2007 Kids for Kids archives to enjoy our kids’ newsletter article about Rocky and a very special fundraiser that helped Rocky and his Believe in Me friends receive funding for their school.

Watch Rocky's video!

2008 has been a banner year for the Tuan Yuan Adoption Assistance Grant Program. We are excited to have had six Tuan Yuan grant recipients so far in 2008! Please help us bring special needs children into loving Forever Families by donating to this program.



More about Tuan Yuan Adoption Assistance Grants

One of our basic beliefs at LWB is that every child deserves a family to call his or her very own. Since we began offering Tuan Yuan Adoption Assistance grants to children in 2004, we have helped 15 children find their Forever Families. Twelve of these children are treasured members of loving families, and three families are currently waiting to travel to bring their children home.

Tuan Yuan grants are offered to CHILDREN on China’s waiting children program to help make their dreams of a loving family a reality. When we see that a particular child needs extra help to find just the right family, whenever possible we offer that child a grant. It is our hope that a Tuan Yuan Adoption Assistance grant will give a child that little boost needed to be chosen by a loving family. Our Tuan Yuan program generally has the funding to provide 2-4 grants per year. We’re not the best known program at LWB, but even helping only a few children a year is forever meaningful to those precious children who become cherished members of loving families!

Please help us bring other special children into loving families! You can help by donating to this program. While supplies last, donations of $35 or more will be acknowledged with a silk purse and a gift card from Love Without Boundaries. The purses were purchased on Shamian Island by an adoptive family and donated to LWB exclusively to raise money for Tuan Yuan

Adoption Assistance grants. Tuan Yuan means “bringing families together” and you can help us do that through a donation to this program!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

What does it mean when you say that you give grants to CHILDREN but not to prospective parents? By this we mean we offer grants to children who are in need of a little extra help being chosen by a family. The grant is attached to a specific child rather than to a particular agency or certain parents. The grant will cover a portion of the expenses associated with that child’s adoption. Generally we donate the funds toward the child’s orphanage fee after the family has traveled to China for the adoption.

Can I apply for a Tuan Yuan grant for a child I have chosen from China’s Waiting Child Program? While many grant programs are available for adoptive parents needing funds for their adoption process, the Tuan Yuan Adoption Assistance grants cannot be used for preidentified children. A child is eligible for a Tuan Yuan Adoption Assistance grant only if he or she is at risk of not being chosen by a family and is identified by LWB.

If I know of a child in China’s Waiting Child Program who is at risk of not being chosen by a family, can I bring him or her to the attention of the Tuan Yuan Adoption Assistance Coordinator? Absolutely! We don’t always have available funding for a Tuan Yuan Adoption Assistance grant, but our team is always glad to receive information on children who are at risk of having their files returned without being chosen by a family. Just as important as bringing children to our attention is promoting donations to our Tuan Yuan Adoption Assistance fund to ensure that funding is available when a child needs it.

If you  have questions about this program, please contact our Tuan Yuan Adoption Assistance Grant Coordinator here.