JCCC End of Year Celebration

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This past weekend, the Joyous Chinese Cultural Center celebrated the end of yet another successfull school year with some fun in the sun, delicious snacks, and their end-of-year performance!  This marks the conclusion of JCCC’s 16th school year!  What a treat.

JCCC has facilitated in the cultural education of thousands of students over the past 16 years and continues to think up new and fun ways to bring cultural immersion to the adoption community.  They always know how to have a good time!

Registration for the upcoming ’13 – ’14 school year is NOW OPEN so don’t miss the chance to sign up and join in on the exciting community!  Please visit https://joyouscenter.org/Registration/Default.aspx.

JCCC also offers Immersion Summer Camp Sessions throughout June and July.  Please visit https://joyouscenter.org/Registration/frm_CampList.aspx for more information!

1st Annual Never Alone Foundation Music Festival

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Never Alone Foundation Music Festival

Never Alone Foundation was established in the memory of Laurel Constantinides and her three adopted daughters, Hannah, Zoe, and Lucy.

Laurel and the girls lost their lives in an accident in the Summer of 2011.  Laurel was a CCAI social worker and, apart from her family, adoption was the thing she loved most in the world.  She was especially an advocate for international adoption.  The Never Alone Foundation will be Laurel’s heartbeat in the adoption community with grants that help families with adoption-related expenses in three areas:

1)  Hannah’s Halo offers financial support for post-placement counseling.

2)  Zoe’s Rainbow grants contribute to international adoption expenses, helping families to complete their adoptions.

3)  Lucy’s Love is especially for families shouldering significant medical expenses to bring their internationally adopted child to full physical health.

The Never Alone Foundation is hosting a music festival on June 1st at the Lakewood Heritage Center. This will be a family-oriented day filled with bouncy houses, bubbles, and other activities for children, including a visit from some of our friends in the animal kingdom from the Denver Zoo!  The Never Alone Foundation wanted to reach out personally to invite CCAI families to attend in support for the Foundation in its work and in celebration of families made by heart.

Tickets are available through Never Alone website at www.laurelsmessage.org

CCAI Colorado JOB OPENING

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CCAI Colorado JOB OPENING

Accounting Assistant (full or part time)   CCAI is seeking an Accounting Assistant who is  energetic, responsible, self- starter, with a positive and professional attitude and presence.  This individual needs to be detail oriented, organized, and have great people skills.

The Accounting Assistant is responsible for processing accounts payable, creating deposits, credit card processing, data entry and cash applications, donation receipts and other duties as assigned by the Accounting Manager.

The ideal candidate will have an Associate Degree and/or 2 years of experience, working knowledge of accounting, a strong aptitude for accuracy and details, and familiarity with accounting terminology and procedures, working knowledge of Microsoft Office 2010 products.  Experience with Access and Fund EZ software a plus.

Please send resume with cover letter and salary requirements to:  Nancy Byington at accounting@CCAIfamily.org

SAVE THE DATE! CCAI Annual National Open House & Reunion

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SAVE THE DATE!!!

The 2013 CCAI Annual National Open House & Reunion will be held at the CCAI Headquarters in Centennial, CO on JUNE 29th, 2013!

Please mark your calendars and join us for our BIG family reunion! We have so much fun every year, seeing everyone’s beautiful families and taking in the memories. This is our most favorite event we hold and we CAN’T WAIT!

For more information, please visit our website: www.ccaifamily.org

THANK YOU!  We’ll see you soon!

Post Adoption Center Condensed Class Offering

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We are happy to announce an additional offering of our Post Adoption Center class, Parenting the Hurt Child! The class will be offered as a camp/conference on June 14-15 from 9AM-4PM each day. The class will cover the same information as our 8-week course, and also offer the children’s nurture group!

We hope this shortened version is more accessible to families unable to commit to the longer 8-week program, or unable to make it to our office each week. Cost is $400 per family and the REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS JUNE 3, 2013.

Please contact Heather Diaz at postadoption@ccaifamily.org for more information!

Conclusion of First Post Adoption Center 8-week Course

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Our Post Adoption Center wrapped up the final week of our 8 week class, Parenting the Hurt Child. It was a great success!  Some of our favorite feedback we have received about our pilot run:

“Our son is sleeping better than he has since we adopted him 3 years ago!”

“My daughter used to say, ‘I hate you,’ to me every day, several times a day.  Now she says it hardly at all.  When she gets upset, instead of yelling and screaming, she takes a deep breath and says, ‘I need to be respectful’.  It is an amazing feeling.”

“I underestimated what my kids could do and how well they can behave when they are given the tools they need.”

“We’ve already started using some of the principles we’ve learned in the parent’s and children’s classes, and averted 3 behavioral meltdowns in one day.”

“My daughter and I both loved the classes and it has truly helped us a lot at home.  We’ve had a lot of fun working together to use everything we’ve learned.”

We are thrilled about the feedback and so glad families are finding support and help through our new program!

Registration for our next 8-week session, beginning June 4th, 2013, is NOW OPEN. The deadline to register is May 27th, 2013.

Please contact Heather Diaz at postadoption@ccaifamily.org for more information.

CCAI Collaborates with University of Denver’s COMM 3900

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For their Winter Quarter, the University of Denver’s COMM-3900 class partnered with CCAI for their Community Engaged Research Project (CRP).  Together with Dr. Beth Suter, Associate Professor in the Department of Communication, students worked with CCAI’s Director of Adoptions, Judy Winger, and Domestic Adoption Program and Parent Training Coordinator, Sheila King, to develop concise training presentations and compile valuable research-based articles.  The students did an amazing job and we were thrilled with the results!

Image Source: DU 2013 Spring Newsletter

This rewarding partnership was recently featured in DU’s Spring Newsletter.

In the words of one student: “…this is the first time I felt that all my work has had a tangible purpose. Instead of focusing my education around myself and my needs, I was motivated to learn because I knew it could benefit the families served by CCAI. Talk about heart-warming, life-affirming.”

Heart-warming, indeed!  You can read the rest of the feature at http://www.du.edu/ccesl/media/documents/newsletters/2013_pg_spring_newsletter.pdf.  You’ll find Dr. Suter’s awesome students on Page 6.

Thank you COMM-3900 for your hard work and passion!  We were honored to work with you.

Haiti & China Adoptions Update

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CCAI Family and friends, please help us congratulate and celebrate TWO new families who came home from Haiti this past weekend with their beautiful children! Please also help us congratulate and celebrate the homecoming of THIRTEEN new families who came home from China last weekend with their precious bundles of joy!

Since 2010, CCAI has helped 73 children come home from Haiti and 16 just since January! Since 1992, CCAI has helped facilitate 10,510 adoptions from China and 129 children have come home since January!

Our hearts are always so very full.

Happy Monday!

Baby Safe Haven Conference A Huge Success!

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A Letter from Joshua Zhong:

I am finally home and want to share with you the great success of the historical Baby Safe Haven Conference in Shijiazhuang last week!

Over 200 provincial child welfare officials and orphanage directors representing all provinces and autonomous regions in China, including Tibet, joined the two-day conference to hear about, learn, and discuss the historical, legal and social aspects of Baby Safe Haven. Legal and child welfare experts from the USA, Italy, as well as China gave in-depth and comprehensive presentation on Baby Safe Haven as a way to protect the lives of abandoned children. Shijiazhuang’s Orphanage Director also shared his journey on setting up the first experimental Baby Safe Haven in China.

Conference participants had the opportunity to ask questions, share their concerns, exchange opinions, and discuss ways of implementation and improvement. They also paid a visit to the first and only Baby Safe Haven that is being tested by Shijiazhuang Orphanage, which has received 168 babies of special needs since June 2011.

“I came to the conference with many concerns and questions. Today, I walk away with a clear historical and legal understanding and a strong sense of responsibility to start this program in our orphanage quickly,” said Beijing Orphanage Director Zhang FengLiang at the end of the conference. Most of the orphanage directors echoed his sentiments and voiced their support to build a Baby Safe Haven soon.

“Saving lives of the abandoned children is our moral responsibility,” Mr. Zhang Shifeng, the Director- General of CCCWA spoke at the conference. “Baby Safe Haven saves lives and that is what is most important.”

I want to thank you again for your generous donation which made the success of this life-saving conference possible. I can predict confidently that more Baby Safe Havens will be built very soon across China and thousands of lives will be saved as a result!

Josh

So there you have it!  We are absolutely thrilled about the positive reception and very anxious to see the Baby Safe Haven initiative succeed in orphanages throughout China.

Here are links to a short video Joshua recorded upon visiting the very first Baby Safe Haven station!

Part 1: http://db.tt/H3vjihec
Part 2: http://db.tt/wm4KCsfL 

Lily Nie Awarded with Rocky Mountain PBS 2013 Be More Award

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Lily Nie with CCAI staff and board members at RMPBS NewMakers Luncheon

This past Wednesday, Rocky Mountain PBS hosted their 2013 News Makers Luncheon and Be More Award Ceremony in downtown Denver.  CCAI is so proud and honored to say that CEO & Co-Founder, Lily Nie, was one of three 2013 Be More Award recipients!

Rocky Mountain PBS President & CEO, Doug Price, presents Lily Nie with the 2013 Be More Award

PBS’s Be More Award is part of their Women and Girls Lead program.  You can read more about Women and Girls Lead from our previous post.

Lily Nie’s Thank You clip that PBS has been airing has been posted on CCAI’s Facebook page, here! Congratulations to Lily and, like her, we want to thank ALL of our amazing CCAI families for taking us along on your incredible journeys.

From L to R: RMPBS President & CEO, Doug Price; RMPBS Executive Producer, Cynthia Hessin; fellow Be More Award recipient, Kara Johnson; President & CEO of the CPB, Patricia Harrison; Lily Nie; and fellow Be More Award recipient, Ashley Riley Lopes