Give For Youth Challenge!

Tony and one of his favorite therapy horses, Pumpkin

Great News! Remember Tony? We’ve featured him on our blog as a Jacob’s Fund scholarship recipient , his heart wrenching personal story growing up as a boy with autism, and his successes in the Equestrian Special Olympics. 

We are excited to share that our Jacob’s Fund project, “Help Youth Like Tony Become Independent,” has been accepted into the GIVE FOR YOUTH CHALLENGE from Microsoft and Global Giving!

After the Equestrian Special Olympics

What does this mean? We have the opportunity to further help youth like Tony move successfully into adulthood, equipping him and others with disabilities with the life-skills needed to become part of the workplace upon high school graduation. Jacob’s Fund has supported Tony since he was sixteen. Now he’s twenty and eager to move into a group home and secure a permanent job. Our dream is to help him with that transition while continuing his much-needed therapeutic riding. 

Now we need your vote to win the chance 

to crowd fund on GiveforYouth.org*!

Microsoft has teamed with GOOD to find 20 outstanding youth-serving nonprofits to feature on GiveforYouth.org. We are excited that our project qualified! The top 20 vote getters in the Give for Youth Challenge will get to crowd fund their projects on GiveforYouth.org. Best of all, Microsoft will match funds raised during the challenge phase up to $100,000 across all organizations.

So you can see why we’re so excited (and we hope you are, too)! This is an outstanding opportunity and we hope you’ll help out.

Please take a moment to cast your vote by March 1st. Please forward this to anyone in your personal or professional network. The more votes we get, the better our chances to get this project off the ground!

Go to the Give For Youth website. Click the big vote button below the project name. Sign in using your Facebook info or create a username and password. Follow the instructions and make a difference in Tony's life!!!
   

During a therapeutic riding session in Georgia

Thanks for your vote!

GiveforYouth.org is a Microsoft YouthSpark program in partnership with Global Giving.

CHINA :: A miracle for Yong!

We believe in miracles! 

Within 24 hours of our post about Yong's needs, our partners at Love Without Boundaries informed us that the full $100,000 needed for his surgery had been raised! We are so happy to hear that he will receive the care that he so desperately needs. Thank you to everyone who shared our post within their networks. 

That's the power of connections!

CHINA :: 100,000 angels for Yong

Connections. That’s what The Red Thread Promise is all about. It is the root of the Chinese proverb from which we take our name and the cornerstone of our work.

• It’s that instant attachment you have to a child in great need, no matter what country they call home.
• It’s the heavy weight on your heart that can only be lifted when that child’s needs are met, no matter how extensive.
• It’s the heights we go to together, ensuring that we are part of the solution for this child, offering hope for the best life possible.

Connections also allow us to come together to solve problems, forging partnerships with other organizations and medical specialists. Through these partnerships, we capitalize on our individual strengths for the collective good.

In the case of this post, the collective good has a name, and it is YONG.

Only a week ago we met Yong through Love Without Boundaries, one of our partners in China. He is a sweet, handsome 5-year-old living in Guizhou. As you can see by the photographs, he has a large facial tumor that is growing rapidly and has recently begun to impact his ability to swallow and chew. While this brings its own set of challenges, the greatest threat at this time is that, at the current rate of growth, the tumor will soon close off this young boy’s airway.

Eating is a challenge

Yong has already received an MRI in his home province and a biopsy of the mass. Thankfully the tumor is benign, but the risks to his health from its rapid growth are grave. Both surgeons and radiologists have determined that an aggressive course of action must be taken to save Yong’s life that involves a series of complex and expensive surgeries. Many of his facial nerves have been massively stretched and the blood supply feeding the tumor are some of the biggest challenges during the operation.

At the hospital

Charming the nurses

Although many hospitals in both China and the US have been approached, none have been able to donate their services due to the intricate nature of the procedure. But there is hope. Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles has agreed to perform the initial operation. However, due to the magnitude of the procedure, his medical costs will be steep.

How do you put any price on the life of an innocent child?

Yong will need an army of angels to come together to fund the medical care he so desperately needs: 100,000 angels to be exact. The Red Thread Promise has agreed to be one of those angels and we invite you to join us in raising the $100,000 needed to cover the American surgeons’ and hospital fees. Together we celebrate that over $30,000 has already been raised for his care..

After the biopsy

Love Without Boundaries is working with the Chinese government to secure his medical visa so he can travel to the US and be seen in Los Angeles on March 1st! Yes, that is less than 2 weeks away. We’ve all seen the miracles that occur when people give from their hearts. Today YOU can be one of Yong’s angels.

If you would like to support Yong, donations can be made to The Red Thread Promise via PayPal or check. Please see the donation information in the left sidebar. Be sure to put his name in the memo line.

More importantly, please share this post with your friends, family, co-workers, employers, churches, civic groups and any others with a heart for children. Help us spread the word about Yong's critical need through your connections as well. Together, we can raise the additional funds necessary for his care, revealing that red thread of destiny.

THANK YOU for your support and prayers and this little guy.

CHINA :: A baby has landed

Each time we share a new baby's story with you, we are reminded of this beautiful poemby Joan Margalith entitled "The Babies Are Landing":

...There are so many places to land on Earth.

It all gets decided long before birth.

Every baby's landing is carefully planned

at this very moment, in that very land.

And it's just as sure as the nose on your face,

that each baby lands in exactly the right place...

Baby ZZT has indeed landed at just the right place—into the loving hands of the caregivers at Swallows Nest Children's Home in China. She is the first child that The Red Thread Promise is sponsoring in 2013.

Born with hydrocephalus, she has many challenges ahead. We are grateful that she has already received surgery for her condition and is recovering in the skilled hands of Swallows Nest's nannies. 

With your support, Baby ZZT will continue her recovery and grow into the healthy child she was meant to be. Her monthly care is $175 ($125 for the nanny / $50 for foster care). Donations can be made via PayPal or by check - information can be found in the sidebar at the right. 

Thank you for keeping Baby ZZT in your thoughts and prayers.