Meet Isaac

I was told about this cute little boy who needs a family. I agreed to write an advocacy post and get his information out there where parents could see it. So I opened up the Dropbox folder containing the information we have and this little face greeted me.

Oh my! Just look at him!

Isaac is 4 years old and has microtia. According to al of the information we have, his hearing is good and he is developmentally on target, though possibly a tad delayed with speech, he is speaking, but not yet in complete sentences.

This little guy sounds like such wonderful child! He dresses himself and likes to take baths. He enjoys playing in the water and having water fights is one of his favorite activities. He is described as active and imaginative. He likes to dance to music on the TV.

He sounds so perfect! And his only need is the way his ears are formed. Seriously, look at him!

Could he be your son? Please contact us at superkids@gladney.org for more information.

Mel & Milton Update! {Taiwan}

Meet brothers Mel and Milton. Mel is the older and Milton is the younger of the boys. These two boys are the sweetest, most tender hearted boys around.

Not only was Mel one of the gentlest, most well behaved boys but he was also smart. He could put together a package of Legos in record time. Once done he would gaze at his masterpiece and glow with pride at the work he had just completed. Without being prompted he said “Thank you,” when we told him that the Legos were for him to keep.

Milton was very shy and quiet at first and took a lot of cues from his brother Mel. To get Milton to warm up, we played an animal matching game with him.  It wasn’t until he matched two cards and said in clear English "frog", which caught us off guard, that we all burst into laughter and high fived him, that he came out of his shell. His competitive side started to come out after that and it was game on. When he got a match he would look up and give us a full face smile.

Mel and Milton played a game of “Spot it” and besides being quick learners of how to play, they both quickly became champions. Each one beaming from ear to ear when they won a round against the Superkids team volunteer. They clapped and smiled for each other when the other one won a round. You could see the brotherly love they had for each other.

 Mel and Milton have no known medical needs. Could these two boys be your sons? Contact Mary Chapman at mary.chapman@gladney.org for more information.

Hugh

Hugh is such a handsome little guy! It looks like we have dimples there!

Hugh will 6 years old this week. He has a corrected, minor medical need which we will be glad to speak about with any family interested in seeing his file. He seems like a smart, amazing little boy!

You know those little boxes that the orphanage checks for developmental abilities? They are all checked on his form! He can go up and down steps, he runs and jumps. He counts to 50. He speaks clearly in long sentences. He really seems to be doing so, so well!

Please contact us at superkids@gladney.org for more information! This sweet little boy needs a family!

It's Family Friday!!

We are a little late getting this up today, but the news is worth waiting for! Matches, matches, matches!!

Pearl 

Samantha

Harley

A huge congratulations to all of the families. We are so happy for you. Get these babies home! 

Like, comment, or share to congratulate the families!

Iris

Iris is a sweet little 5 year old girl. She is described a quiet and imaginative.

Iris' file indicates that she is developmentally delayed. She speaks in simple sentences, but it is noted that she has a lisp. She understands and follows directions. She runs and jumps and can kick a ball. She goes up and down steps and enjoys playing games.

She is close to her care givers and gets along well with the other children in her group. She feeds herself and can put on her own shoes, though she doesn't tie them yet. She really sounds like she is doing well!

We would love to share more information with you about Iris! Please contact us at superkids@gladney.org for more information!

Ethan

What a cutie!  Ethan is described as an amazing, snuggly and happy go lucky toddler!  Ethan turns three this summer.  He loves to sing Twinkle Twinkle and is able to speak in Mandarin and English- he is in a multi-language speaking household!  

His American foster dad reports that he is a good learner, speaks clearly and easily engages in conversation.    He likes being around and receiving attention from older children and has other foster siblings in his current family.  

Ethan’s needs include blindness (no eye structure) and urogenital issues. He is able to get around the home and is learning shapes by touching the edges and working on vocabulary such as rough and smooth by exploring different objects. 

Could this handsome little guy Ethan be your son? Please contact us at superkids@gladney.org for more information.

A Cultural Lesson

The Superkids team spent day 4 of this Taiwan trip at Chungyi Social Welfare Foundation. When it was close to lunch time, we learned that we will have lunch at Chungyi. A beautifully designed flower printed lunch box was laid down at the front of each seat. Along with the lunch boxes, there were three big fruit bowls, one for grapes, one for guava, and the last one is sliced pineapples.

While we were still waiting for the last child evaluation in the morning to complete, we were all standing there around the table. Jokingly, some young Chungyi social workers asked us if we knew  the meaning of pineapple in Taiwan. Several of us said we don’t know, but Janel, a Superkids volunteer, said that in Hawaii, pineapple means “welcome.” She was expecting it means the same thing in Taiwan. Vina, a young Chungli staff member continued, “pineapples in local dialect in Taiwan means PROSPERITY. So we social workers do not eat it at all.” That statement puzzled me, and other Superkids volunteers as well. What? Your social workers don’t like being PROSPEROUS? Isn’t it that being prosperous is a goal that many people pursue? I looked around and found my colleagues eagerly waiting to learn why Chungyi social workers turn down prosperity.

The girls were giggling, naturally as they noticed the puzzled looks on our faces, so they went on to explain.

“Prosperity is a good thing, but social workers, as case workers, do not want to be “prosperous.” To them, being prosperous means the increase of case numbers, hence work load. Giggling young social workers even pointed one of Jane, a colleague of theirs, saying that the last time when she had pineapple, the next day, she got two new cases from Penghu Island.  Everyone began laughing. Penghu is one of the 64 islands from the Taiwan strait. This means she had to travel to that island when there is a need. That means hardships.

Erin was quick in thinking. She said you all should have pineapple. Prosperity, when it comes to inter-country adoption, is a positive thing. We would like to see more and more children going to families through adoption! So, let’s try pineapples. Several plastic forks were extended, immediately.    

-written by Gongzhan Wu (program director)