On the last trip to Kazakhstan to pick up her new daughter, Angie Chostner traveled solo. This made young Anastasia's homecoming even sweeter for husband Brian. Over the last three years this couple has become a household of four, with the addition also of now 3-year-old Noah, adopted from Kazakhstan in October 2005..jpg)
Congratulations and welcome home to this beautiful family!
During an Olympic week of activities, USA weightlifter Melanie Roach found her "most touching thing she has ever done" not on the competition stage, but in Children's Hope International's Home of Children's Hope in Beijing.
It was this past Saturday, the day before she placed 6th in Olympic finals, that Roach brought her Olympic friends and a camera crew from NBC to visit CHI's foster home. 
The children here are abandoned; often their biological parents, overburdened by medical obligations. Here at the Home of Children's Hope the children receive surgical support and trained medical care. Melanie Roach's plea is for these children to find a home as a Waiting Child. Many of these children were not adopted prior to their stay at the Home due to their special medical needs. Now because of their surgical care, they have a chance.
You can help this important work continue. Give Now to Children's Hope's China Greatest Need Fund or consider sponsoring a child who is left behind, with no chance of adoption. 
In the Shadow of the Olympics, China's Sichuan Citizens Still Suffer Post-Quake
Earlier in the Olympic week, Melanie's mother-in-law and Washington State Senator - Pam Roach - had visited earthquake-devastated Sichuan on a tour led by CHI's Melody Zhang. Although the earthquake that literally rocked the nation on May 12 occurred over 3 months ago, the children and victims in this region will soon be entering a winter season - while still living in tents and temporary housing. Hope Centers were erected post-quake, manned by Children's Hope trained volunteers and counselors. These Centers provide resources for families for aid, counseling and a library for children with no schools to begin the year.
Today marks the deadline for registration for Wednesday, August 27's seminar on language learning for internationally adopted children. This seminar held in Fenton, Missouri, will be led by English as a Second Language Teacher Gelene Strecker-Sayer.
This event is timely as students enter the school year to possibly learn English for the first time in a formal setting.
Click here for details and RSVP contact information.
Also coming up in St. Louis:
It is your opportunity to shop for Indian saris, see a Vietnamese dragon dance, and sample ethnic foods from around the world. The International Institute's Festival of Nations is this weekend at Tower Grove Park, August 23-24, 2008.
Don't miss out as native volunteers perform an Ethiopian coffee ritual or as Colombian and Chinese artists create works of art with brush painting, tin work, and cut paper.
Additional Resources:
Festival Website
Festival Video
Festival as featured in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
If you have an adoption-related or cultural event in your area, send details to Dorothy.Way@ChildrensHope.net. We will post the information on your branch website to share with all of your local families and friends!
Alert from Cory Barron, Children's Hope Foundation
Since early August, the southern coastal regions of India have had continuous rains. Those in poor living conditions and the homeless are suffering from a lack of adequate shelter and medical attention, and rotting food. Children’s Hope - India has been aiding the suffering of those affected by this terrible flooding. Our program staff is now in need of more rice and medicines as well as donations to buy cooking vessels, blankets and sarees for the women. To help at least 1000 flood victims we need to buy:
1000 blankets = $1800In addition, Children’s Hope India plans on staging 50 MOBILE MEDICAL CAMPS in 50 flooded villages. The cost of this project will be approximately $12,500 to supply medical attention to over 12,000 villagers.
1000 sarees = $3600
10,000 kgs of rice = $4800
Caption: Photos from the week of August 11, Children's Hope India Mission to the Nations Gives Food and Medical Aid to Flood Victims
