FCC Updates
Join Us For Our 2012 Planning Meeting Potluck!
Thinking about getting more involved in the FCC-SoCal community? This is your opportunity! FCC-SoCal will hold a New Year potluck planning meeting on Saturday, March 3rd in West LA. FCC Members are encouraged to attend, voice questions or concerns, share your ideas for the coming year, and determine if there's a way to become involved in a large or small way to help make this a successful and vibrant year for FCC-SoCal.
When: Saturday, March 3rd from 4:30-6:30 in Santa Monica.
Bring a potluck dish to share. FCC-SoCal will supply drinks and some main course offerings.
Childcare? You bet! The kids will be looked after at Judy Marasco's home.
FCC-SoCal is an all-volunteer organization. The success and vitality of our community depends on great ideas and the enthusiastic participation of dedicated volunteers. So please join us on March 3rd to hang out with fellow FCC-SoCal friends in a relaxed setting to share ideas and formulate the plan to make 2012 a positive and fruitful year for our entire membership.
China Care Bruins "Buddy" Program 2011-2012
We are delighted to announce that there are a few additional openings in the China Care Bruins Youth Mentorship "Buddy" Program for the 2011-2012 academic year (October 2011 through June 2012). Founded in 2005, China Care Bruins is a student-run group at UCLA that raises funds to provide medical services for children in China's orphanages and mentors Chinese adoptees and their siblings.
China Care Bruins offers a wonderful enrichment opportunity for FCC children and youth to be part of a nurturing and empowering community of adoptee peers and mentors. The leadership and members of China Care Bruins come from a variety of backgrounds (and have many different majors), but are predominantly Asian American students.
The Buddy Program participants meet in monthly Sunday afternoon get-togethers on the UCLA campus throughout the academic year, enjoying crafts, culture, skits, campus tours, field games and more. Through these ongoing interactive activities, the kids and mentors will build their relationship, solidify friendships and develop camaraderie. The kids also witness the fruits of the teamwork, leadership and dedication of the college students who give of their time and talents to produce the program and to be their mentors.
Click through to full post for more information, FAQs and application.
The Chinese Consul-General Welcomes FCC-SoCal Families
The FCC-SoCal chapter was honored to receive an invitation from the Consul-General of the People’s Republic of China to Los Angeles to attend a luncheon reception to celebrate International Children’s Day. The invitation was sent out to our FCC membership, and over 40 families responded indicating they would like to attend. Due to space limitations the final group consisted of 30 FCC families, staff from the Consulate-General Office and their families, and various additional members of the Chinese-American community in Los Angeles.
The event was held on June 5 in the main meeting hall at the Consulate building, from 12:00 to 2:00 pm. The Consulate staff provided games, entertainment, and gifts for the children, and a highlight of the event was a special video presentation they put together highlighting photos of FCC families along with the families of the Consulate staff. Additionally, the Consul General, Qiu Shaofang, gave a short welcome speech to the group, and then spent the entire two hours getting to know many of the families in attendance. After the games and speeches a delicious Chinese luncheon was shared by all.
It was a delightful afternoon, and the Consul General stated that he would like to make it an annual event. We hope to see many of you at next year’s celebration.
A very special thank you to Albert Olson for organizing the event and contributing this post.
2011 Orange County Calendar of Events
Your all-volunteer Orange County Planning Committee has assembled an exciting calendar of events for the remainder of 2011. Review the calendar and mark the dates so your family can plan to participate in as many activities as possible. Please note that event information is subject to change - be sure to check back to this site for the latest postings, and look for electronic invitations and updates in your email as the year progresses.
More volunteers are always needed to help with events. Please contact the committee at ocfccsocal@gmail.com. Help build and sustain our nurturing, fun and enriching community that celebrates, empowers and advocates for adoptive families in every stage of the lifelong adoption journey. Many thanks to everyone who has contributed over the years to Families with Children from China!
China Care Bruin Buddies 2010-2011 - Registration Due Sunday, Oct 3
Since 2005, we has been coordinating a mentorship program with the China Care Bruins, a student-run group at UCLA. Last year, more than 50 FCC children were paired with college student “Big Buddies.” They participated in monthly Sunday afternoon get-togethers on the UCLA campus throughout the academic year.
We are delighted to announce that there are a few additional openings in the Buddy Program for the 2010-2011 academic year (October 2010 through May/June 2011). We are continuing to offer two groups within the Buddy Program – the Little Buddies and the Youth Buddies. Both run simultaneously on Sunday afternoons from 2 to 5 pm on the UCLA campus. Parents check their kids in at one location and then the two groups will separate for age-appropriate fun.
The Blazing Paddles Team Does It Again!
Genevieve Davenport writes:
Our team, Blazing Paddles had a great Long Beach Dragon Boat Festival this year! Our mixed team did wonderfully. We showed our team spirit and persevered to the end. We ended up placing second in the final race in our division on Sunday. We placed fourth in our second race on Saturday. Our women’s team (mostly moms and daughters) looked great and had three great races.
This year our team really understood that technique was more important than speed in every stroke that we paddled. Everyone worked as a unit which made the boat surge forward.
Summer Reading
Add Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China by Leslie T. Chang to your summer reading list, and get ready for FCC-SoCal's book discussion event in October!
Factory Girls demonstrates how the mass movement from rural villages to cities is remaking individual lives and transforming Chinese society, much as immigration to America’s shores remade our own country a century ago."
FCC-SoCal will host a discussion of Factory Girls on Saturday, October 16 in Irvine. A concurrent storytelling event will be held for kids in an adjoining room. Location, exact times and more details will be posted closer to the date. Mark your calendars now - you won't want to miss this new FCC activity!