Hey everyone, this is Vickie with ZKO. Fall is my favorite time of the year. The beauty of the colors on the trees, the cool crisp air and most of all it serves as a reminder to me that the holidays are quickly approaching! This means lots of time with friends and family.
But this year fall has a different meaning for me. Since 2007 when ZKO implemented our amazing Open Arms infant nurture program, I dreamed of the day we could go to the next level and start a pre-school program. For those children coming out of our Open Arms program, and whose special needs have not allowed them to be adopted, there wasn’t a next step after OA.
That dream will soon become a reality and the needs of our little Open Arms graduates will soon be met. ZKO is excited to announce its newest program in the Zhanjiang orphanage…..Shining Stars Preschool!! We will be traveling with a team of professionals to Zhanjiang leaving November 2nd. This team has poured countless hours into the planning of this program. For months now equipment, furniture, toys and supplies have been delivered to the orphanage.
Our team will arrive in the orphanage this Friday and begin the task of setting up the classroom and getting the staff trained. Our new teacher for Shining Stars is Ms. Li. She comes to us with several years of teaching experience, all with special needs children. This is a rare find in China and we feel so blessed that she has agreed to take the lead in this new program.
Please follow along on our journey as we travel to Zhanjiang to implement this much awaited program. If you can, please take the time to drop us a line to let us know that you are following along. Your words may be brief, but just knowing we have ZJ friends and families out there with us in spirit and support means so much to us.
Thanks to everyone for your continued support of ZKO and the children who remain in the
orphanage. Our annual newsletter will be hitting the post office soon. If you are not on our snail-mailing list, or you have moved in the last year or two, please be sure to contact Kimberley Simms at Kimberley @ zhanjiangkids.org
Thanks everyone!!
Vickie Bennett, Director
Zhanjiang Kids Organization
1 comment:
We just got home with our little 2 year old girl in December. She was in the Open Arms program. I will be forever grateful for this, since I now realize that without this program, due to her special needs she would have been severely delayed instead of just delayed. I'm so excited to hear about the new preschool program! What a beautiful hope it will give for these sweet little ones. I will be following very closely :)
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