Edmond group sends 'love' to China

James Coburn
The Edmond Sun

EDMOND September 03, 2007 01:12 pm

— A group of Edmond families are helping Chinese orphans become eligible for adoption while enriching their lives in China.
Love Without Boundaries is an Edmond nonprofit providing medical assistance, foster care, education and nutrition to orphans living in China, said Nancy Delpha of Edmond, director of operations.
The organization will have a fundraising event Sporting Clays Classic on Sept. 26 at Silverleaf Shotgun Sports, 8513 S. Douglas in Guthrie. Registration begins at 3 p.m.
Fundraising earned by competition will help build more orphanages and provide high school and college scholarships for the overseas Chinese orphans, said Wendy Petersen, Shantou education coordinator.
Buddy and Wendy Petersen are the adoptive parents of two Chinese orphans, 4-year-old Jade and Brett, 6. The Edmond couple have two other children, Eric and Reagan. Wendy is a stay-at-home mom and Buddy is an engineer for Halliburton.
“A lot of the kids in the orphanage have special needs, and they’re not really allowed to go out in the school because of their disabilities,” Petersen said. “And so we bring school to them.”
The Petersens first learned of Brett after Love Without Bounderies had him relocated from poor Chinese orphanage to an orphanage they sponsor. A “special needs” child, Brett was provided with education and better nutrition.
Brett’s special needs adoption in March 2006 was a 10 month process, Petersen said. Her daughter, Jade, took a few months more as a conventional adoption in China.
“She’s a clown and likes to make people laugh,” Petersen said.
Brett thrives in the family by being athletic and competitive. “He loves his sisters and his brother; he loves praise,” she said. “He loves to be valued and is a really hard worker.”
The words “Mommy” and “Daddy” and “hello” were the only words Brett could speak when adopted. He also could count to 10. Within four months, he had forgotten his Chinese dialect and was speaking English.
“You don’t need to worry about feeling differently about your adopted children,” Petersen said. “... It’s a totally different blessing, but it’s not any less of a blessing.”

TO LEARN MORE about Love Without Boundaries, visit www.lovewithoutboundaries.com. For more details about the Sporting Clays Classic, contact Wendy Petersen at wendy.petersen@lovewithoutboundaries.com or call 216-5837.