Autumn Moon Festival

The Autumn Moon Festival, also known as the Mid-Autumn or Mooncake Festival, is held on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese calendar. This year, it will fall on September 30th. With the moon at its fullest and brightest, it is an ideal time to celebrate the abundance of the summer's harvest.

 

Gladney familes brought handmade lanterns to the September 2010 NYC harbor cruise with delegates from the CCCWA.

The Festival is one of the most important holidays in China and other Asian countries. It is a time for farmers to celebrate the end of the summer harvesting season and for family and friends to gather for reunions. When the full moon rises, they watch the moon, eat moon cakes, and sing moon poems. Brightly lit animal and fruit lanterns are often paraded around by children.

 

According to a folk tale, mooncakes are eaten during the Festival in commemoration of the successful overthrow of Mongol rulers in the 14th century. Group gatherings had been banned, so, the Chinese inserted messages in mooncakes of their plans to attack the Mongols on the night of the Autumn Moon Festival.

 

Fun celebration ideas for children include: reading stories related to the Mid-Autumn Festival about Chang'e, the Goddess of the Moon and the Jade Rabbit, making paper lanterns (click here for instructions), and eating mooncakes.

 

For the October Asia Program Newsletter, we would like to feature stories and/or photos from our families celebrating the Autumn Moon festival. Please send contributions to Lydia at ljjmacci@aol.com.

 

  

Adoptive ParentTrainings: On-line and In-Person

Education and training are an important part of the international adoption process. Although no parent can anticipate every issue they may encounter, beginning to prepare even before the adoption is complete will make for a much more successful transition to parenthood. All families adopting through Gladney's international adoption programs are required to complete a minimum of 10 hours of training, the content of which meets the standards of the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption. Information on registering for this training is provided to adoptive parents in the "Gladney Approval Packet" once the home study has been completed. Gladney also offers a live 2 day workshop called "Pathways" which is required for all families planning to adopt a child over the age of 2. Your caseworker can provide you with more information on both training series.

Our Featured Photo

This month's featured photo was taken at the Humble Administrator's Garden in Suzhou, China.

 

Each month we enjoy selecting photos taken in Asia for our newsletter. We invite our familes to share their landscape photos, taken during their adoption or heritage trips. Beginning this month, we will be placing the monthly featured photo in our blogs. Please email Lydia ljjmacci@aol.com if you have a photo you would like to have featured.

Gladney Family Cheers on Friends in Dragon Boat Race

On Saturday, August 4th, a New York Gladney family cheered on friends who crewed a dragon boat representing their school district's Special Education PTA (SEPTA).

 

 

 

The Dragons on the Hudson races, held annually during the Peekskill Celebration, hosts Cancer Awareness teams in the morning and local organization teams in the afternoon. The SEPTA team, who rowed together last year for the first time, won their race in record time!

China Guang Ming Program

Superkids Webinar!

Last month, Gladney hosted a special webinar featuring physical therapist Pat Marcus. Pat is a committed volunteer with Superkids Charity and has been to China numerous times to help children in need. In this webinar, Pat shares about her most recent trip to Shanghai and Jiangxi Province. Webinar attendance was at an all-time high and we were thrilled to welcome Gladney mom, Erin Martin, to talk about her experience adopting her precious daughter through Gladney's Guang Ming program! The recording of the webinar is posted in two parts on Gladney's Asia Waiting Child blog and can be accessed here for those who were unable to attend the live presentation.

Two of the adorable children in Jiangxi Province awaiting

placement through Gladney's Guang Ming Program.

Stay connected with Glandey's Guang Ming program and the kids that are available

through our partnerships in China and Taiwan by visiting our Asia Waiting Child blog for profiles of girls and boys that are available through the Gladney Center for Adoption.

Recently in China Adoption News

• CCCWA has matched families with LIDs through September 19, 2006.
• CCWA has reviewed dossiers with LIDs through February 28, 2012.

Gongzhan Wu - NYer of the Week

We are very excited to announce that Gladney's own Gongzhan Wu was featured in a segment of "NYer of the Week," which runs on NY1 weekly and also online.

The show profiles New York's unsung heroes, who, through their careers or their volunteer activities, are making a positive difference on the world around them. Gongzhan was recognized for the difference he has made in the lives of hundreds of children and their parents through his dedication to helping orphans in China find a permanent family. Click here to view the show.

Gongzhan with 7 1/2 year old You You who

was recently matched with a Gladney family.

Announcing China Winter Tour!

National Council For Adoption (NCFA) and China Center for Children's Welfare and Adoption (CCCWA) Announces "Celebrating Culture and Experiencing China" Winter Tour

December 23, 2012 - January 1, 2013

In cooperation with the China Center for Children’s Welfare and Adoption (CCCWA), National Council For Adoption (NCFA) is delighted to announce the “Celebrating Culture and Experiencing China” Winter Tour from December 23, 2012 – January 1, 2013. Unlike previous trips, in which only children participated, this year’s cultural experience will be open to children who were adopted from China, adoptive parents,and siblings.

The trip will begin with a four-day tour of Beijing, during which participants will have the opportunity to experience the vibrant and colorful culture of China’s capital city. From there, tour participants will travel to several cities throughout China, including Xi’an, Chengdu, and ShangLi. Among other activities, participants will visit the Great Wall, feed and clean panda bears at the BiFengXia Panda Center, and experience enriching local cultural activities. Visit www.adoptioncouncil.org to view the full itinerary here.

All children who were adopted from China are invited to attend. Also invited are their adoptive parents and siblings; however, parents and siblings are not required to accompany the adopted child. Chaperones will be provided for unaccompanied children. Adopted children attend for free. The cost is $1,799 for adults and $1,499 for children under 12 and covers all routine in-country expenses.All participants, including adopted children, are responsible for travel expenses to and from China.

Applications will be made available soon. All inquiries at this time should be directed to Gongzhan Wu, project coordinator, at gongzhan.wu@gladney.org or Vicki Allgaier at vallgaier@adoptioncouncil.org.

Waiting Child Webinar Tomorrow!

Don’t forget to register for tomorrow’s webinar! The webinar will be held at 1pm EST. The webinar will include information about our Waiting Child Program and also will share information about children who are currently available for adoption – including children who were recently designated to Gladney through our partnership with Shanghai Children’s Home. 

Gladney Family Cheers on Friends in Dragon Boat Race

On Saturday, August 4th, a New York Gladney family cheered on friends who crewed a dragon boat representing their school district’s Special Education PTA (SEPTA).

The Dragons on the Hudson races, held annually during the Peekskill Celebration, hosts Cancer Awareness teams in the morning and local organization teams in the afternoon. The SEPTA team, who rowed together last year for the first time, won their race in record time!

Cultural Connections: Sister Cities – Suzhou, China and Portland, Oregon

Three summers ago our family took a Gladney China Heritage Tour. During our trip, we visited Suzhou, a historic, fabled city outside Shanghai, famous for its traditional gardens.

2009 Suzhou, China

This summer, we took a three week tour of the U.S. West Coast, including a visit with my brother near Portland, Oregon. During our day in the city of Portland, he surprised us with a stop at Lan Su Chinese Garden in the Old Chinatown section of the city! This amazing, beautiful garden, which was planned and designed by artisans from Suzhou, was exciting to see and a wonderful cultural connection for the girls; here was a piece of China in the U.S.!

2012 Portland, Oregon