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Attention Visa Applicants
Due to the Chinese Labor Day on May 1st, the Chinese consulate in Los Angeles will be closed for one business day. We hope you will schedule your visa applications around this closure and take note that anything sent in around this time will have a couple days of delay for return. For questions in relation to visa processing, courier services and required documents, please visit our visa webpage here or contact our visa specialist, Linh, at 1-866-524-0089 or via email at linh@lotustours.net . |
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Thanks to the help of many wonderful people, the Anhui Cleft Healing Home opened its doors in March to eight fragile orphans born with cleft lip and palate. The ACHH is the very first outreach home devoted exclusively to babies born with cleft lip and/or palate. Our new Cleft Healing Home will change the lives of 25 to 30 medically fragile children each year. This home is a warm, safe place for the most vulnerable babies with cleft to be sent, where trained aunties devote their time to careful feeding of the children, ensuring that they gain the weight needed for surgery. You too can be a part of this exciting new project and witness their progress as they gain strength before their operations at 4-6 months old. Click on the LWB logo to learn more.
You can also sign up for our blog here to read behind the scenes stories capturing precious moments in their young lives. |
Packages of Hope, Inc. is a nonprofit organization that provides hope to children living in orphanages around the world. Our small but dedicated group of volunteers help provide needed supplies, such as clothes, incubators, medical care, bedding, school supplies, playgrounds and toys to children living in orphanages in China.
We're currently assisting the following orphanages: Behai, Bengbu, Changchun, ChangDe, Jinzhou, Lanzhou, Hannah's Hope, QianJiang, ShenYang, Siping, Suzhou, Xian'an, Xinjiang, Yujiang, and Yanbian. We are able to assist orphanages based on availability of volunteers in the region, cooperation with orphanage staff and financial support. If you have a specific orphanage you'd like to assist, please send us and email and we'll do our best to help.
We're currently raising funds for a new indoor play and therapy equipment for the Jinzhou Social Welfare Institute, foster care for the children at ChangDe Social Welfare Institute, Libraries of Hope for orphanages throughout China and funding for our medical program. There are several ways you can help support our work in China:
- Do your online shopping through our Amazon.com and iGive.com links available on our website
- Help with contacts within China
- Help connect us with businesses in China who are able to donate needed supplies
- Help with business connections to help with shipping and printing services
- Coordinate a fundraiser within your company or organization
- Make a cash donation or donate a needed item listed on our website
If you make a cash donation of $30 to Packages of Hope through our website or by check and mark "Friend of Lotus,"we'll send you a beautiful 2008 Packages of Hope Calendar as a thank you gift for your contribution. |
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Childvision is a 501(c)(3) created to serve and assist older children in orphanages and other desperate circumstances around the world who are not adopted to prepare them for life when because of age they are forced to leave the orphanage. Most, if not all, of these children are not prepared for life after leaving the orphanage - while living in the orphanage they receive little education and typically no life skills to prepare them to be on their own.
Childvision is building a dormitory at the Kids First Rehabilitation Village in Quang Tri province in Vietnam so that we can bring children from orphanages around Vietnam to the village. While at the village the children will receive education, job training and life skills training. When it is time to leave the village, we will assist with job placement and follow-up social services to help with their transition. Childvision is also preparing to expand our work and mission to additional countries.
Contributions can be made online through the Childvision website www.childvision.org . Childvision has available on its website greeting cards for purchase. Childvision will hold its annual Gala including a live and silent auction in Indianapolis on Saturday, October 18th. Online registration for the Gala will be available on www.childvision.org/GALA late summer. |
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Founded in 1994, Passport Health is the largest provider of pre-departure medical services for the international traveler. Passport Health is also the largest provider of vaccines in the U.S. and operates 151 locations in 35 states.
We serve your community with convenient locations in most major metropolitan areas where the public can have prompt access to professional travel health specialists who offer travel health medicine and travel health products. Passport Health's services include adult and adolescent immunizations for travel, back-to-school, immigration, military readiness, disaster relief, and bioterrorism response. Passport health has a large inventory of vaccines in each location and is a state-certified Yellow Fever vaccine provider.
Passport Health comes to your location to offer On-Site vaccine services for employers and schools for Flu, Meningitis, and more. Passport Health has provided anthrax vaccinations and smallpox vaccination training and has worked with the US military, Post Office, and Federal employees and currently runs a 24/7 immunization call center for the Department of Defense.
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| Greetings!
Welcome to our third bi-monthly newsletter made specifically for adoptive parents or future adoptive parents of Asia's children. We are very thankful for your support and value your ideas and questions. Please continue to send us your thoughts as we make our newsletter the piece of information adoptive families read for informative articles, exciting travel tips and interesting facts. |
| 3...2...1...Lotus! |
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Our Heritage Programs Director, Iris Culp, goes into detail of what to do when planning a homeland heritage tour. This informative article is also a countdown from one year prior to your trip of what you and your family can do to prepare for this milestone life journey. By clicking the photo above or this link we invite you and your family to countdown to your next family vacation!
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Beijing 2008 Olympics: Tickets still Available! |
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With the summer Olympics approaching this August, last minute ticket and travel purchases are just a phone call away. Many popular games such as Volleyball, Basketball, Swimming, Tennis, Judo and Fencing are still available for your once in a lifetime Olympic experience. Why not take advantage of this year's Olympic events to take your loved ones on one of our Homeland Heritage Tours? Orphanage visits are still available during the special Beijing ceremonies and we can arrange a special Homeland Heritage Tour in coordination with the 2008 Summer Olympics. For more information visit our webpage here; feel free to contact our office at 1-800-956-8873 or our coordinator, Louie, directly at louie@lotustours.net. August is just a few months away; contact us today to ensure that your upcoming expedition is planned with ease.
Stay tuned for our next bi-monthly newsletter in June for information on our Post-Olympic Homeland Heritage Tours that begin in September 2008! |
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See your picture here! |
Lotus Travel presents its first annual photo contest! This exciting new challenge allows your family to submit any number of photos to our contest for your chance at winning a $25 donation to your choice of Love without Boundaries, Packages of Hope or Childvision organizations that work toward improving the quality of life of children who remain in Asia. Not only does this interactive event invite you and your family to share captured moments with the rest of the community, the winning pictures will be voted upon by you and our audience. Until August 1st, 2008, please send any photos of your family that represents your adoption trip, gotcha day and/or your special Homeland Heritage adventure.
There are two ways to submit your photo into this contest:
1. Send your scanned or digital photo (.jpg or .gif format only) to our Administrative Assistant, Linh, by email at linh@lotustours.net
2. Mail a copy of your photo (must be original print quality) to our head office at:
5990 158th Ave SE
Bellevue WA 98006
A signed photo release is required prior to submitting your photo; please contact Linh Nguyen by email at linh@lotustours.net or by phone at 1-866-824-0089.
Contest ends August, 1, 2008 and finalists will be voted upon through the month with winners announcement on September 1, 2008. |
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New Adoption Package Spring Pricing |
| With the spring now upon us, we have released our new ladybug and blossom flight and hotel packages exclusive to Lotus Travel passengers. Take advantage of our special China Southern economy package with a three night stay at the reputed White Swan Hotel starting at $1029. For more information regarding our adoption packages click here and explore the options that await your next hassel free adoption trip! |
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Living Frugally to Save |
Wondering how you can save for your next Homeland HeritageTour or other upcoming large expense? Our Regional Office Manager, Theresa Hundley, discusses creating a budget and ways to save daily, monthly and annually that has little or no effect on your daily routine. Click here to start saving money and spending more cautiously. |
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New Flight Restrictions for China Travel |
Starting March 14, 2008, the new CAAC regulations of banning liquids on China domestic flights are as followed:
1. Passengers flying domestically are forbidden to carry any liquid, but check in service is available and the package must meet provisions of Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). Please make your liquid articles (including shampoo, toothpaste, cosmetic etc.) to be consigned and put in your check in luggage before boarding.
2. Passengers should bring as little cosmetic as possible. Only one piece of each kind of cosmetic is allowed. Cosmetics should be individually packed for the convenience of open-bottle-security inspection and the volume cannot exceed 100ml.
3. Foreign passengers who transfer at airports for China domestic flights should place their tax-free liquid products in intact sealed transparent plastic bags and havethe purchase invoice/receipt available. Such carry on would be permitted only if they pass the security inspection.
4. Passengers traveling with infants can apply to the airline for complimentary dairy products. Diabetic patients and other patients can bring necessary liquid medicine, which must pass security inspection and be kept by flight crew. |
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Visiting an orphanage in Vietnam? |
| According to clinical child psychologist Dr. Rebecca Nelson, birth country visits are essential as they are considered to be "prime opportunities for adoptees to learn about themselves and further a positive adoptive identity within a guided and emotionally supportive context." Positive cultural heritage reinforcements often contribute to healthy and happy upbringings of adopted children. Learning and exploring their ethnic backgrounds under the guidance and unconditional supports of their families as they mature often enhance self-confidence and positive adoptive identities. Click here to read more about appropriate gifts and etiquette when you visit orphanages in Vietnam during your root-seeking cultural experience. |
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Live Chat |
Our 'Live Chat' feature is easy and convenient and will fit into your busy schedule. Located throughout our website on the side navigation pannel, this new feature is a highly suggested second option, if you were not able to get a hold of us by phone. It is open to everyone who either has questions or would like to offer a suggestion to improve our services. We are live Monday through Friday 9a.m.-6p.m. pacific standard time to aid with answering any of your questions. It would only take as simple as 2 clicks to get through to us and depending on the volume of questions we have; we will get you your answer as soon as we can. | |
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We hope that you have enjoyed this spring issue of our bi-monthly newsletter. Feel free to email your thoughts, comments, questions, concerns, or topics for future issues. Lotus Travel feels privileged to provide our input in coordination with your reflections and ideas. Have a wonderful spring, our summer issue will be arriving to your email inbox in June!
Sincerely,
Theresa Hundley
Regional Office Manager
Lotus Travel Inc | |
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