Olympian Roach visits Chinese orphanage
Olympian Roach visits Chinese orphanage
05:46 PM PDT on Tuesday, August 19, 2008
By ALLEN SCHAUFFLER / KING 5 News
Video: Olympian Roach visits Chinese orphanage
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NEAR BEIJING – In a Beijing suburb far from the sizzle of the Olympic Games, Bonney Lake weightlifter Melanie Roach takes us to visit some new friends.
It's a group foster home for special needs children, as well as for kids waiting for and recovering from surgery.
Melody Zhang of Children's Hope International runs the home.
"They are orphans. They were either abandoned or found in local areas where there are orphanages," said Melody.
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Most were given away by parents who were overwhelmed by the challenges and the medical costs.
"Some of the parents will put a little note in their clothes saying 'my child got sick. We cannot afford the surgery," said Melody.
Roach learned of this place by chance, visited once and had to come back.
"I have my hands full, I think, right now with my three little ones, but I guarantee that if I didn't have children, I would definitely be going home with a few of these little guys," said Melanie.
It is the government that handles adoption procedures here. The foster home houses kids on hold, waiting for some love, often from overseas.
One little boy proudly shows a book with photos of what will be his family in America.
But these children know the score. The fuss over the book draws immediate attention. While it makes one child happy, it makes another child who has been here for four years sad.
"It makes my heart warm when I get to snuggle, give a piggy back ride, but when I leave and see the looks on their faces, you know they want to leave. They want a home. They don't want to stay here," said Melanie.
The clinic has a staff of seven and many volunteers. It operates on a budget of about $50,000 a year, entirely on private donations. They don't seek or receive government help.
You may be familiar with Children's Hope in other countries where adoption is a big part of its mission, but that's not really the case in China. The adoption process is controlled by regional governments. Melody and staff help with that and try to let the right people know these kids are ready and available
Olympian Roach visits Chinese orphanage