Great Wall Community

Great Wall believes strongly in their continuing dedication to adoptive parents and their children.  We understand that adopting a child is a lifetime commitment that requires patience, education, and support.  This is what the Great Wall China Adoption Organization is all about.  The Great Wall community itself has evolved over the last decade and will continue to grow as our families’ needs grow.  The following programs and events were created to support adoptive families, giving them a “leg up” on things: not just during the adoption, but through a lifetime.

Great Wall has established parent support groups in a variety of cities, and nearly every state in the U.S. Managed by adoptive parents; these support groups provide educational and emotional support to adoptive parents and their children as well as those in the community who are simply considering Chinese adoption.  The groups also provide an excellent opportunity for children to play and make friends with children who understand and share their own experience.

• Groups meet monthly or bi-monthly to share their experiences.
• They organize fundraising for Chinese orphanages and celebrate traditional Chinese holidays
• The events keep the Chinese culture present in children’s lives, and provide social resources for parents and children

Great Wall Culture Club (GWCC)

• The Great Wall Culture Club brings families together in social settings to participate in Chinese cultural events.
• The events are hosted quarterly by our Regional Office Directors
• They offer support for parents and children in all phases of the adoption process

The Great Wall Culture Club events provide an excellent resource for networking with other adoptive families, gathering information, and just having fun. Some recent Great Wall Culture Club events have included:

• A Chinese heritage seminar
• Backyard B-B-Q
• Chinese cooking class
• Life-book assembly class
• Chinese New Year celebration attended by 200 families

If you are interested in attending a Culture Club event, click here to find the Great Wall Culture Clubs nearest you.

Great Wall Forever Family Uniter Program (GWFFU)

This Great Wall program unites parents who have completed their adoption (Uniters) with families who are interested in adoption. Through this program post adoptive families provide support and share their experiences with families interested in adopting from China.

• Family Uniters carry Great Wall contact cards, which they give to families interested in adoption. The cards have the Uniter’s contact information and extend a discount to the family when submitted with a Great Wall application for adoption.
• It is a wonderful way for adoptive families to mentor each other
• It allows families to expand their own local network of adoptive families

By helping other families to adopt, Forever Family Uniters are helping to bring even more children home to loving parents.  If you are interested in joining the Great Wall Forever Family Uniter program, please follow the link below to join.

Join GWFFU!

Great Wall Post Placement Online Support Group (GWPP)

This online support group was created for families who have returned home with their child. It serves two purposes for families in the Post Placement phase of their adoption.

• Great Wall families have found the Online Support Group to be a great source of friendship, support and information:
• Sharing photos of their children
• Organizing reunions with members of their travel group
• Announcing local events; similar to a community calendar
• Arranging play dates for their children

It also serves as a source of support and networking for families. Parents post messages directly to the GWPP Online Support Group and receive responses directly from other parents.

• Great Wall families have found the Online Support Group to be a great source of friendship, support and information:
• Sharing photos of their children
• Organizing reunions with members of their travel group
• Announcing local events; similar to a community calendar
• Arranging play dates for their children

Annual Great Wall Family Reunions

Great Wall hosts a reunion for adoptive families every summer. It is a chance for adoptive parents and children to come together in a supportive setting with entertainment and activities for the whole family. The Great Wall Family Reunions take place in a different family friendly location each year.   

• Meet the Great Wall staff
• Socialize with other adoptive parents
• Reunite with travel groups
• Meet children from the same orphanage

Great Wall just celebrated the10th Anniversary Reunion, which was the first and only China reunion exclusively planned for American adoptive families.

• Reunited with other parents and children in China
• Enjoyed learning programs and cultural events
• Entertained by Chinese artists and performers
• Spoke with adoption officials and orphanage directors
• Met Chinese cultural icons

The Great Wall 10th Anniversary Reunion provided families with many opportunities to experience the culture, traditions and legends of China.

Great Wall East Meets West Bi-annual Adoption Conference

The Great Wall East Meets West bi-annual adoption conferences are the only national conferences dedicated exclusively to Chinese adoption. Our day long conferences are intended for all parents adopting from China, regardless of the agency they are using.

East Meets West is designed to help families navigate China’s International adoption program in a well-organized and educated manner. Parents in all phases of the adoption process benefit from these Great Wall conferences. East Meets West offers workshops and lectures by a variety of adoption professionals. These speakers provide families with a unique and powerful understanding of the adoption process:

• Leading Adoption Researchers
• Physicians Specializing in Adoptive Pediatrics
• Re-adoption Attorneys
• Chinese Orphanage Directors

East Meets West workshop topics have included:

• Chinese Culture
• Bonding and Attachment
• Assembling Your Dossier
• The Health of Chinese Children
• Re-Adoption
• Adoption Tax Benefits

Register for the next EMW!

Great Wall Host Family and Exchange Student Programs

Two Great Wall programs work in partnership with educational institutions to connect adoptive parents with Chinese college and high school students studying in the US.

• Studies indicate that nearly 70% of Chinese students living in America have never seen the inside of an American home
• Even fewer have experienced living with an American family
• These programs benefit both the students and the host families
• They provide a unique opportunity to learn about the other’s history, culture and language.
• These programs provide children with a living, breathing link to their own cultural past and ethnicity.

The Great Wall Host Family and Exchange Student Programs further cultural understanding while fostering genuine relationships between Chinese students and American adoptive families.

Great Wall University Research and Education Program

This Great Wall program proudly supports University research and educational programs related to International adoption.

• Great Wall supports current and future research at the University of Texas
• We support research at other educational institutions in the US and China
• The 2005 Great Wall Adoption Roundtable brought together faculty members from the University of Texas and Chinese delegates including China’s Minister of Civil Affairs.

We also work with Universities and other educational institutions to provide adoptive parents with information about:

• Chinese Culture
• History of China
• Parenting an Adopted Child
• Bonding and Attachment
• Health of Chinese Children
• Social Adjustment of Children Adopted Internationally