The Li Qi Project: My Chengdu Orphanage Fund
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My name is Grace Li Qi Reynolds, and this is my story. Today is my golden 17th birthday, and 6,209 days ago, I was born in Chengdu, China in the Sichuan province. The first few months of my life may always remain a mystery.
I was 3 months old when I was left in front of the Sea Dragon King Pharmacy, with a note that said in Mandarin, “Li Qi was born on May 17, 2004.” Ke Liu, the employee who was opening the drugstore that morning found me, and I was placed in the care of the Chengdu Children’s Welfare Institute, a large, local orphanage. Photos from the orphanage show me playing with colorful blocks, eating rice and milk porridge, and being held by orphanage “grandmas.”
Little did I know it, but a couple in Los Angeles, California was wanting to build a family, and I was the missing link! Soon after our match was made, I was placed in the foster care of Mrs. and Mr. Chen, who so kindly welcomed me into their home, to get acclimated to a domestic setting. My parents boarded the flight to meet me on June 22, 2005 (and because of the time change, lost their 15th wedding anniversary), and arrived in China on June 24, 2005. By the time they got to me, however, I had chickenpox! After several days of waiting until I was no longer contagious, I was placed in their arms for good on June 30, 2005. “The best late anniversary gift of all,” my mom said.
Now I’m raising money for the place that raised me for most of my first year. I’ve been back to China once, when I was nine, and while we were visiting my old orphanage in Chengdu, I got to visit with toddlers in the same room where I once slept. While roaming the halls, I somehow lost the inlaid emerald (my birthstone) of a ring I was wearing. It’s almost like I left a part of me there.
The orphanage is still in business, serving a population that is now mostly children and teenagers with serious medical needs. The funds we raise together will be routed through a Colorado-based charity, Chinese Children Adoption International (www.ccaifamily.org), to my orphanage.
Fun fact: the name Qi has three meanings - special jade, the number seven, and vital energy. Thank you so much for sharing your vital energy, and for sharing my story. Happy Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month!
I was 3 months old when I was left in front of the Sea Dragon King Pharmacy, with a note that said in Mandarin, “Li Qi was born on May 17, 2004.” Ke Liu, the employee who was opening the drugstore that morning found me, and I was placed in the care of the Chengdu Children’s Welfare Institute, a large, local orphanage. Photos from the orphanage show me playing with colorful blocks, eating rice and milk porridge, and being held by orphanage “grandmas.”
Little did I know it, but a couple in Los Angeles, California was wanting to build a family, and I was the missing link! Soon after our match was made, I was placed in the foster care of Mrs. and Mr. Chen, who so kindly welcomed me into their home, to get acclimated to a domestic setting. My parents boarded the flight to meet me on June 22, 2005 (and because of the time change, lost their 15th wedding anniversary), and arrived in China on June 24, 2005. By the time they got to me, however, I had chickenpox! After several days of waiting until I was no longer contagious, I was placed in their arms for good on June 30, 2005. “The best late anniversary gift of all,” my mom said.
Now I’m raising money for the place that raised me for most of my first year. I’ve been back to China once, when I was nine, and while we were visiting my old orphanage in Chengdu, I got to visit with toddlers in the same room where I once slept. While roaming the halls, I somehow lost the inlaid emerald (my birthstone) of a ring I was wearing. It’s almost like I left a part of me there.
The orphanage is still in business, serving a population that is now mostly children and teenagers with serious medical needs. The funds we raise together will be routed through a Colorado-based charity, Chinese Children Adoption International (www.ccaifamily.org), to my orphanage.
Fun fact: the name Qi has three meanings - special jade, the number seven, and vital energy. Thank you so much for sharing your vital energy, and for sharing my story. Happy Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month!
Organizer and beneficiary
Grace Reynolds
Organizer
Los Angeles, CA
Mary Frances Smith-Reynolds
Beneficiary