21 for my 21st: Shanghai Orphanage

Plek's 21 for 21: A Better Gift

Friends and family,

As you may or may not know, every year since I turned 8 years old I have opted to hold a fundraiser on my birthday in lieu of receiving gifts. Through my involvement with an organization called Compassion International at a young age, my eyes were opened to the realities of other children around the world who would likely celebrate their birthdays with no gifts at all. I looked at my own toy closet—stuffed to the brim—with confusion and a heavy heart. From that moment on, I was committed to “donating my birthday” by giving instead of receiving—that year, to my pen pal, Bracidia, in Uganda.

In the following years, my "birthday fundraiser" has continued to be very important to me and I have since taken my donations closer to home. In middle and high school, I worked extensively with the Shanghai Healing Home, a non-profit foster home that assists the local Chinese children‘s welfare institutes by providing pre and post-surgical care to abandoned Chinese orphan babies born with surgically correctable deformities. SHH provides a home-like environment that meets the babies’ physical, emotional and developmental needs.

The majority of the babies that live at the Healing Home have special needs, from cleft lips to congenital heart diseases. They require very particular care—care that most under-funded Chinese government orphanages are not able to adequately provide. This is the niche that SHH fills. They have specially trained Ayis ("aunties" in Chinese) that have the tools and skills to give these babies the support they need to gain weight, undergo surgery, and recover before they can begin to be processed for adoption.

Check out this video  for a testimony from SHH’s founders and directors.

This winter, when I visited the healing home, I met a little baby girl who really captured my heart: Dang Meng. Dang Meng is from An Hui province and came to SHH with a cleft lip and palette. In traditional, low-income orphanages, Dang Meng likely would not have gotten the special care she needs; a handful of untrained orphanage caretakers, though well-intentioned, do not have the bandwidth or skills to even feed a baby with a cleft palette. Because of SHH, Dang Meng has a chance—a chance to undergo a life-changing surgery, a chance to experience nurturing love and care, and, most importantly, a chance to meet her forever family.

Here's a photo of Dang Meng before her surgery in January 2016.


Here she is in May 2016, after her cleft lip surgery!


It has recently come to my attention that Dang Meng currently does not have a sponsor to cover her medicine and daily needs. This is particularly crucial during her recovery as surgeries can be incredibly taxing - especially on tiny babies! She will have to undergo another surgery in a few months to further correct her cleft palette and, in order to do so, she needs to recover, maintain a healthy weight, and have access to adequate nutrition. A monthly sponsorship covers everything from formula and supplements to medication, activities and care giving; and diapers, blankets, and wipes. Full sponsorship costs about $300 per month. My goal is to sponsor Dang Meng for 21 months in celebration of my 21 years! Once Dang Meng's needs are covered, all overage donations will go towards supplies and medical sponsorships.

$300 x 21 = $6,300 --> $7000, $8000, and beyond!

Here's where you come in.

21 is a big year! 

So, this year, your impact is doubled, thanks to a generous pool of leaders who have committed to MATCH the first $3500 in donations, dollar-for-dollar. 

Officially launching this week, I plan to run six weeks and close on my birthday, August 29th. 

Please feel free to donate as much or as little as you feel called to give.  Even the smallest amount can make a big difference.

Thank you for your generous spirit, continual love, and support. A donation on this special day means more to me than any birthday gift ever could. 

Sincerely,

Regan Plekenpol

Feel free to share and spread the love.

(Find out what specific supplies the healing home is using here.) 

Visit SHH's  website for more information or check them out on Facebook!