Author: Steven Shen
April 28th is the opening ceremony day of the 10th China-US Business Summit, held at downtown Los Angeles' Biltmore Millennium Hotel, which has nearly a hundred years of history. Hundreds of guests walked over the red carpet and left signatures on the signature wall. They then stepped into Oscar Hall and took a good "family portrait" shot at the opening ceremony and heard my speech as the chairman of the China-US Business Summit—"For a life-time of commemoration."
There are a thousand ways to remember the 10th anniversary of the China-US Business Summit. However, I think the best form of commemoration is the foundation that I founded: "A Perfect Love." The main purpose of this non-profit organization is to donate, recover and educate Chinese children with disabilities. The foundation operates two projects: one is to raise funds and donate to families who have adopted Chinese infants with disabilities and experience financial difficulties, and the other is to send experts from America to train teachers at Suzhou Bo'ai School in China (a school for professional treatment education of those with autism and cerebral palsy of 20 years). All donations to this institution will be managed free-of-charge by the Sunstone Foundation of the United States, and the annual increase in funds will be used for donations, which makes "A Perfect Love" sustainable like any international large-scale public welfare fund year after year.
I specially invited two exemplar families to the opening ceremony. One is the Lumpkins family, which has two children and has adopted an additional six Chinese babies with disabilities. The other one has three children along with two adopted Chinese children living with AIDS.
After my opening speech, a total of 15 people from both families were invited onto the stage. Audiences were impressed and applauding as they walked up. A U.S. Congresswoman, the mayor, and Zhongyan An, the co-founder of the foundation Beijing Women's Enterprise Association, and Dongjian Xu, the founder of Hanwang Technology, together unveiled "A Perfect Love."
More than 300 people witnessed this historic moment—this is the first charity fund launched by the China-US Business Summit. It is also the first charitable organization sponsored by the Chinese to donate for 100,000 Chinese abandoned babies in the past 20 years. As I have stated before, the meaning of this foundation is: "Let Americans feel that Chinese people have love without borders. Let the world know that the Chinese nation is a nation of gratitude. We can't let these families struggle because of their loving actions. We also need tolet Chinese children in these troubled families grow better. In the end, we encourage more loving families to adopt abandoned Chinese children, so that more will be taken out of unfortunate lives through adoption."
The climax of unveiling "A Perfect Love" and these adoptive families was at the charity dinner after the summit's opening ceremony. When the they were once again invited to the stage, I asked the mother, who had adopted two Chinese children living with AIDS, why she decided to adopt. She said: "I still want children after having three children. At this time, I think I shouldn't get pregnant again, because there are still many children in the world who need a home. I went to China and chose these two children. Their parents have left them forever."
These simple words warmed the audience's hearts.
And when I asked the mother (Lisa) who adopted 6 children what she felt the strongest during the adoption process, she said: "I have learned more from these children than they have learned from me—material satisfaction in life is so unimportant. Spiritual satisfaction is the happiest. She also said, "Now we have reached a limit for adoption by law—6 children. But when my children reach over 18 years-old, I will have more spots for adoption, and I will continue to adopt abandoned Chinese babies.”
Her words inspired a round of applause from the stage once again. At this time, I took the microphone and said to hundreds of entrepreneurs from China, "Today we are facing these families. If you have money, you can choose to donate money. If you can't donate money, you can do things for them. When they come to China with their adopted children in the future, are you willing to invite them to your home? Please raise your hand and tell me where you are from."
Many entrepreneurs in the audience raised their hands and told us their hometowns. Later, they came onto the stage under the guidance of the organizing committee, then lined up to embed the badges of the China-US Business Summit on the map of China we prepared. It shows where they will be receiving these adoptive families in that city. In an instant, the Chinese map was filled with many small national flags.
I said to the two adoptive families: "From now on, we will help you plan your next trip to China. Look at the marks on this map, there are the cities where your Chinese relatives are from." These families were crying tears of joy while standing on the stage and feeling the love from Chinese people.
Adopted children (second from the right is Molly)
One of the adopted Chinese girls is named Molly. Although she has not been able to walk upright since birth, in the days when I was with them, she was always laughing. However, at this moment she cried in joy.
Perhaps, as the mother of the Ryan family, who subsequently received donations, said, "The money from you has a special meaning, because it will make the children feel that this is a donation from their hometown, and this is why the other American donations cannot compare."
This made me more determined to do this. It is true that these Chinese children have become American citizens after being adopted by these families, but they cannot change the Chinese blood that flows within them. So, what we are doing here is a good thing that benefits both Chinese and Americans. On this road full of love, I will work harder!