Join Our Generous
Open Arms 2009 Donors

Vickie & Jim Bennett in honor of all the children who remain in ZJ swi
Laura Berry
Roger Blobaum
Kelly & Bill Bloodgood
Victoria Bloom
Fredrik Brandtman
Donald & Donna Bucher in honor of granddaughter Mia Hai Bucher
Jon, Diani & Lili
Philip Caron in honor or our precious daughter, Phylicia
Leslie Clark
Lisa Clark on behalf of Grandma La La Loo and on behalf of Ms. Rau's 1st grade class
Lisa & Jamie Clark in honor of daughter Maddie Clark
Garth Cowan
Jerry Culpepper
Michael & Pamela Dean
Amy & Mark Deboer
Mike & Diane Diana in honor of Kimberley Simms & Tuesday Blobaum
Al and Charlene Dobberfuhl in honor of granddaughter Sonja Aiyang.
Susan Doshier
Tracey & Jaden Ellis in honor of R. Vodden
Robert & Alice Emmert in memory of Aunt Nell Stickney
Mary Ann Eng
Adam Fratto
Sara & Pete Hagen
William & Judith Hausner
Linda Hettinger
Deb Heydinger
Randall High
Brian & Sherri Holt
Lizzie Hughes in honor of Laura Cuddy and Robert Guatelli
Vincent Irizarry
The Kaji Family
Michael & Ann Marie Kennedy in honor of Savannah Ming Quan
Michael & Amy Koptke in honor of our daughter Liliana
Laurie Kornafel
Ken, Susan, Kaylyn & Hannah Laws in honor of the Zhanjiang SWI staff
Wendy Lee
M Mahathy
Robin Mann
Valerie & Doug Martin
Joel & Ericka Maynard in honor of their granddaughter Savannah Kennedy
Victor & Marie McCool
Jill & Chris McDaniel in honor of Donald & Patricia Simms
Gloria McDonald
Christine McGovern
David McGuire
Joe & Kelly Metcalf
Janis Moss
Tricia Murphy
Grace Nelson in honor of our daughter Guo Xiao Ting (Emily Nelson)
Kathlene Postma & Scot Dobberfuhl in honor of daughter Sonja Aiyang
Philip Rogers
Debra Rothwell
Francis Schloss in honor of Huang Ying
Rosemarie Schmit in honor of grandfather Lloyd Joseph Schmit
Lisa Seppi
Lorna Sgroi
Kimberley Simms & Chris Blobaum in honor of beloved daughter Tuesday
Tanglewood Research (Melody Fearnow-Kenney) in honor of Mia Dawn Weiling Kenney
William & Donna Thomson in honor of granddaughter Marlee Sgroi
The Travel Group
Tom & Diane VanderVeen in honor of Sara Kate
Ruth Wengard in honor of Vickie and Anagrace Bennett
Leslie Willis
Bradley Winfield
Alison Won
Cindy Woodall

In Honor of Stephanie Kidd:
John & Karen Brownlee
Jeffrey & Jennifer Creek
Stephanie & Sheila Kidd
Stephanie Lunz
Elisa Mangeot
Christine McGovern
Darren & Crystal Overholser
Robert Schneider & Michelle Wilson
RP & SC Van Den Brink
Brian & Melissa Weiss

In Memory of Anna Marsh:
Judy & James Bosgraf
Bill & Nancy Curren
Hurst Funeral Homes
Frank and Debbie Marsh
Carl Muenzmaier
Lisa Peterson
Lavonne Vaas
Donna Van Ess
Jeff Van Ess
Tom & Amy Van Ess
Steve & Dawn Wycoff

Infants and Toddlers Thrive in Open Arms

In the last two years over 100 children, from infancy through toddlerhood, have been strengthened by this innovative and lovingly designed program.

Every day they spend hours playing--and for children play is work--on the floor with aunties specially trained to teach them the world around them is theirs to experience.

The Tangible Results of Loving Attention

The children learn tangible skills, such as how to walk or how to hold a cup.   The aunties work to keep them on target for their age group.   

Progress reports on the children are kept daily and filed quarterly.   Every child is tracked, and the interactions are adjusted to help that individual child's needs.    In this way we know Open Arms has been an unqualified success.

And the Intangibles that Change Lives

What is harder to track but perhaps even more crucial is how the consistency of care the aunties gives the children convinces them they are valued and that they can trust someone will be there to care for them.  

This most basic right and expectation may be the most important building blocks we can offer these children as they wait for families.   It will be key to their happiness as they grow.

All of the Children Are Special

Over half of the children in the Open Arms program have special needs.  The extra attention they receive at this crucial point can make possible a functional life and in some cases the potential to be adopted.    All of the children, with or without special needs, are tended equally by their aunties.

A Noisy, Happy Place

The Open Arms room can be a noisy happy place, full of music, children learning to talk, being comforted by aunties, or receiving applause for learning to roll over or stand for the first time.  

Newborns may be rocked by their aunties while the auntie's toddlers are napping, and another child may be strengthening her motor skills with new toys kindly sent by adoptive families.

Your donation goes very far in giving these deserving children a great start and a sense of their importance in this world.