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Caring Hearts groups are formed by families and friends of Dillon International who enjoy fellowship and fun. Caring Hearts help to raise funds to support the missions of both orphanCare International and Dillon International.

The staff at Dillon International work closely with our Caring Hearts groups to help plan a more successful fundraising event by providing you with orphanCare International booklets, flyers and program information on specific needs; promoting the event and helping brainstorm ideas to get started. 

To find out more about Caring Hearts groups near you or how to start a group in your area, contact Caitlin Getchell by e-mail or by phone at 918.749.4600.

The Little Rock Caring Hearts group celebrated Dillon International's 37th Birthday in June with Re-Do at the Zoo. Families brought donations for orphanCare and enjoyed birthday cake with lunch.

In Missouri Caring Hearts state-wide raised money for orphanCare through lemonade stands and similar fundraisers. Then everyone partied with the local chapter of Young Asian-American Professionals Association (www.yapastl.org).

The Dallas/Ft. Worth group hosted a dinner at Spring Creek BBQ in Grapevine to celebrate Dillon's birthday. They have also started working on a spring golf tournament.

The Austin Caring Hearts held two garage sales raising more than $900 for orphanCare.

Check with Caitlin to find out what Caring Hearts is doing in your area!

A lifelong love of volunteering in her community and newfound passion for the grandchild her daughter and son-in-law are adopting from Vietnam prompted waiting grandmother Terri Codlin to organize a walk in her community to raise funds for orphanage playgrounds in Vietnam.

"Although regulations prohibit direct monetary donations from immediate family members of those in the adoption process, it is acceptable for them to become involved in volunteer projects and their assistance with these efforts is invaluable," said Tonnie Dosser, Director of orphanCare International.

Codlin called upon her connections in the church, performing arts, media, and childcare community to get the word out about last summer's event and the "Child's Play" walk soon became the talk of her small Georgia town.

"Doing things for children is my passion and to know we will leave a legacy for hundreds of children is very touching," she said of the successful fundraiser she hopes will turn into an annual event and serve as an inspiration to others to do similar projects.

"Child's Play" helped me to focus on something other than the wait and was a positive way to channel those energies into something meaningful," added Codlin's daughter, Meredith Strauss.  "It is really important to me that we remember the children who are not being adopted and the thought of leaving a lasting contribution for those children means a great deal."

A school service project inspired Korean adoptee Laura Walters to raise money for medical care for children in Vietnam.  The Oklahoma teenager teamed up with a friend, whose father had been raised in a Vietnamese orphanage, to organize a fundraising garage sale.

"When people learned the garage sale was for charity, they were willing to pay more and didn't try to bargain as much," she recalled.  "I even got some donations."
 

Jessy Colbert had been so affected by her family's new Indian roots that she decided to celebrate her 9th birthday a little bit differently last year.  She requested that her friends bring cash donations instead of gifts.  The donations would  be used to help the children in the orphanage where both her cousins had lived in India before joining her family.  Jessy's friends and relatives were so impressed with her selflessness that they opened up their wallets wide and raised over $500 to send to orphanCare to give to the orphanage in Kolkata, India.  The ocean which separated this family's two worlds shrank a little more that day! 

Missouri mom Sally McAtee shares her birthday-to-remember story:  "When we were preparing for the Star Wars birthday party, I suggested to our sons--Seth (age 10), Joel (age 9), and Jacob (age 5)--that we celebrate their birthdays all together.  They agreed as they each love Star Wars.  I really feel like kids today have a lot materially.   That belief coupled with the fact that the party would be for three children, and the amount of toys and gifts would be insane, I decided to go a step further with my party suggestions with the boys.  I suggested that they might consider having a charitable birthday party--instead of receiving gifts for themselves, they would receive gift donations that would go to a charitable organization to help other children.  Honestly, they are normal kids and they were a little hesitant to agree to my suggestion, but after my further explanation, they were totally on board with the idea! 

We have sponsored a child at ESWS's Jacob's Home for six years and we love the way Dillon International has blessed our family...so orphanCare International was our obvious choice.  The most difficult part about this type of birthday party was convincing family and friends to respect our wishes and not give the boys presents along with their gift donations.  I wanted my kids to realize that the "gift of giving" was the true gift.   The party was a lot of fun --except for the rain.  The kids were very excited to send their donation envelope off to orphanCare International after the party, and I didn't have a bunch of extra toys to clean up!! 

We are seeking your success stories to share!  Please share your success stories and help inspire other families to get involved!  We will post your ideas here along with pictures from your event.  (Photos for submission should be 72dpi in jpg format.)

Remember whether it's organizing a major event in your hometown or asking for donations in lieu of birthday gifts, you REALLY can make a difference in the lives of children around the world!