CAOF Quarterly

Spring 2005 Volume 3 Issue 1

The Peony Festival

By Echo Huang, CAOF Board Member

The China AIDS Orphan Fund is proud to announce its first annual fundraising event: The Peony Festival.

With the assistance of volunteers from the Chinese American Association of Minnesota and the Minnesota Chapter of the National Association of Asian Professionals, we hope to support our goal of improving the lives of children orphaned by HIV/AIDS in Henan Province, China due to improper blood collection procedures over a decade ago.

Sure to become a major Twin Cities social event, The Peony Festival will be held Thursday May 26^th in the opulent Scandinavian Ballroom of the Radisson Plaza Hotel in downtown Minneapolis. The evening will begin at 5:30 p.m. with cocktails at the cash bar. Dinner and program of entertainment will begin at 7:00 p.m. Ticket prices for this event are $75 per person and include not only a sumptuous Chinese dinner, but traditional Chinese music, traditional Chinese dance, including a Lion dance and silent auction as well.

For tickets or to learn more about this event, contact MS. Echo Huang, Chair of the Peony Festival at 1550 American Blvd., E., Suite 640, Bloomington, MN 55425. Telephone 953-854-9230.

Save the date on your calendar now and check our web page for instructions to reserve a seat or a whole table.

Fund Update

As of March, 2005, through the generosity of our donors, The China AIDS Orphan Fund has raised more than $86,000. Xie-xie! Thank you SO much! You are making a big difference in the lives of hundreds of Chinese children orphaned by the AIDS epidemic in Henan Province, China.

News Briefs

By Florence Wong, CAOF Board Member

China AIDS Orphan Fund’s primary focus has been to support the orphans in central Henan Province where tens of thousands of people were HIV/AIDS infected in the 1990’s because of unsanitary practices in the blood-buying industry. IN some villages, nearly every family has a member with the virus, giving parts of the province some of the world’s highest rates of AIDS infection.

The Chinese government says an estimated 840,000 people in the country have been infected with the AIDS virus. The U.N. AIDS Agency says the number of infections could increase to 10 million within five years if urgent action is not taken. During the lunar New Year, Premier Wen Jiabao visited AIDS patients in Henan and called for better prevention measures. The move not only symbolized government efforts to reduce the stigma of the disease but also highlighted its concern about controlling its spread.

Former American President Bill Clinton signed an agreement with China in late February to provide a year’s supply of AIDS drugs to 200 children. The program is part of a three-year, $10 million deal reached in 2004 between the Clinton Foundation and China’s Health Ministry.

During the signing ceremony, Clinton said, “We have a real chance to keep this epidemic from spiraling out of control.”

Two hundred is a small number relative to the large number of people infected in China. However, it is great to see that governments and major foundations inside and outside China are beginning to recognize the issue and act on it. It makes CAOF even more motivated to continue our work on this mammoth task.

International AIDS Orphan Day Symposium

By Steven Wang, MD, CAOF Founder

Minneapolis, May 7, 2005 5/7 2-6:15 pm with a reception following at the Humphrey Institute in Minneapolis

Speakers include:

Minneapolis Mayor R. T. Rybak,

Paul R Bohjanen, MD PhD University of Minnesota

Ngashi Ngonog, United Nations Children’s Fund;

Dr. Anil Mangla, MD, MN Chapter of United Nations;

Jim Luce, Orphan International Worldwide Foundation

Steven Q. Wang, MD, China AIDS Orphan Fund

Chung To, Chi Heng Foundation

4:45 - 6:15pm Reception and Art exhibit: Living Dreams in a Dying Village

For directions and parking information see: http://www.hhh.umn.edu/about/contact/parking.html.

For further information, contact: sqwang@yahoo.com.

Spring: A Time of Change and Growth for CAOF

Founder and former President, Steven Wang has announced his acceptance into a fellowship position in Houston Texas. Though he has resigned as President, Steve will continue to be involved in CAOF. We want to thank Steve for his vision and tireless efforts to start the CAOF, and nurture it to become a productive organization with activities nationwide. We wish him well in his new position in Houston.

We are most fortunate that board member, Thomas W. Ting has come forward to accept an appointment as the new President of CAOF.

Thomas is a corporate attorney with the Minneapolis law firm of Henson & Efron, P.A. and has served as legal counsel to the CAOF. Thomas received his undergraduate degree in Medical Ethics from Davidson College, NC and his law degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His corporate practice has involved both domestic and international matters.

Thomas was recently selected through a competitive process to be part of the inaugural class of the Hennepin County Bar Association’s Leader’s Impacting the Nonprofit Community Program (LINC). The goal of LINC is to equip individuals for leadership in service to the not-for-profit community. LINC is designed to help meet the ongoing need for leaders to serve effectively on boards of directors in the not-for-profit community. LINC participants will receive extensive training in practical leadership from distinguished faculty including Walter Mondale, Marilyn Carlson Nelson, Julian Bond and R. T. Rybak.

The newest addition to the CAOF team is Jane Rydholm, Legal Counsel. Jane is an attorney and operates a law practice in Bloomington, MN. Her practice focuses on providing immigration services to individuals and businesses. A former Assistant Attorney General for the State of Minnesota, she has worked extensively in the area of non-profit law. She received her J. D. from William Mitchell College of Law.

The Living Dreams Exhibit

By Brian Hammer, CAOF Board Member

“Living Dreams in a Dying Village” was on display at the University of Washington, Seattle, from November 2004 through January 2005. Selected visitor reactions written in the “Living Dreams Journal” are highlighted in the article which follows this one.

In January, the exhibit moved to Seattle Central Community College where it was on display as part of the school’s Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday activities and remained on display until February 11^th.

Visitor Reflections as Recorded in the Living Dreams Exhibit Journal

November 2, 2004

The pictures and wishes made me think a lot. I come from China and am now pursuing graduate study at the University of Washington. “When I grow up I will be . . . “That was a topic I wrote about when I was a child in China. The children’s wishes mostly overlapped with my and my childhood fellows’ wishes, except that here is a high percentage of children who would like to become doctors.

November 3, 2004

When I lived in China in 1991-1992, the government was denying the existence of any HIV/AIDS cases. To see these children suffering because of this demand to repress information is a terrible lesson.

January 5, 2005

These drawings and writings are so powerful. It is devastating to see the effects of AIDS on such young kids, and inspirational to see how much hope they have in the face of tragedy.

China AIDS Orphan Network

In an effort to maximize our effectiveness as well as enhance the overall service delivery to Orphans through the work of other organizations and individuals also involved in aiding China’s AIDS orphans, we have formed the China AIDS Orphan Network E-mail List. This list is composed of China scholars, international health experts, AIDS researchers, representatives of several orphan relief organizations, university students in the US and China, adoptive parents and others concerned about the growing crisis facing AIDS orphans in China. It is our hope, that by freely sharing our knowledge, experiences and resources, we can further enhance the work being done in China, not only by our organization but by all others involved in similar goals. It is the kids, after all who will benefit most. To join this list, send an E-mail to: CAOF_Network-subscribe@yahoogroups.com and write, “Subscribe” in the subject line.

HELP!

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