Kennedy's Travel Blog to Follow along..

Hi all,

In case you would like to follow along on Kennedy's journey to Yangzhou...
please visit: http://kennedysjourneytoyangzhou.blogspot.com/

Thank you,

Karen (Kennedy's Mom)

And the winners are......

1 week vacation in Orlando - Winner is Chris Anthony Gerantoumakas and Family

25,000 Aeroplan Miles - Leanne & Tao Tao

19" Widescreen Display - Patrick N

Set of Signed Children's Books (Illustrated by Leanne Franson) - Chris Anthony Gerantoumakas and Family

$25 gift certificate from La Maison Kam Fung - Leanne Franson

$25 gift certificate from La Maison Kam Fung - Pat Benson

$25 Gift card from Lasenza - Laura Barwick

$25 Gift card from Lasenza - Maria M

$25 Gift card from Lasenza - Sylvia Kennedy

Bath & Body Works Gift Set - Nancy Wright

Bath & Body Works Gift Set - Denise Brown

Bath & Body Works Super Soft Bath Robe - Drazenka

Dinner for 2 at Buffet Fu Lam - Chris Anthony Gerantoumakas & Family

Beautiful Baby Quilt - Kimberly Christmas

$15 Gift Certificate from Peking Gardens -Chris Anthony Gerantoumakas & Family

1 hour massage in your own home - Tina Ruggiero

1 hour massage in your own home - Nathalie Constance

Willows Inn (Hudson)1 night get away with breakfast 2 two - Mary Lyn Shapiro


Thank you all for being so generous and helping us raise the funds that we needed.
It has been an incredible experience for all of us...and we could never have made it if it wasn't for all of you.

Thank you to all the wonderful people who graciously donated the gifts for this raffle. We really appreciated everything and it made the raffle possible.

Congrats to you all!! I will be in touch with you shortly.
Karen

Raffle Draw is today at 5pm

Good morning,

Below is the list of amazing prizes for today's draw: Hopefully in a short while your name will be beside one or a few of them. Check back later today or wait patiently by your telephone.

1 week accommodations at a vacation rental home near Orlando Florida for any time during the next 12 months(3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms)-sleeps up to 8 people (Donated by Bernicy and family)
Check out the pictures of this beautiful home: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bernicy/sets/72157612745238929/

25,000 Aeroplan Miles (Flying with Air Canada, this will get you a return flight for most cities in Canada and the United States) Thank you Aeroplan!

19" - widescreen TFT active matrix Flat panel display

A set of Children's Books-signed by the Illustrator(Leanne Franson)

2 - $25 gift certificates for La Maison Kam Fung located in Montreal

3 - $25 Gift Cards from Lasenza(www.lasenza.com)

2 - Bath & Body Works Gift Sets

Bath & Body Works Super Soft Bath Robe

Dinner for 2 at Buffet Fu Lam (Dollard-des-Ormeaux, West Island-Montreal)

A Beautiful Baby Quilt (Donated by Karen Grabouski)

$15 Gift Certificate from Peking Gardens (West Island, Montreal)

2 - 1 hour massages in your own home(Donated by Francis)

Spaghetti Fundraiser Dinner Cancelled

Hi all,

I thank those of you who RSVP'ed for the spaghetti dinner but I don't think we will be going to have it after all. We have only a few people who have indicated they are coming and the cost of doing the dinner will be more that we think we could collect for the orphanage.

We think with the money we would have spent on buying the groceries we will just donate that money to the orphanage.

Thank you to all of you who have been very generous already and to those who offered to help us out with the dinner. It is very much appreciated.

I hope you understand our decision and thanks again!

The raffle draw will be done on Feb 21st as planned...GOOD LUCK!

Now as we prepare the final things for Kennedy's big travel to Yangzhou..I hope you will check in and follow her journey. I think we will create a new blog for the travel journal but will of course let you know what the new blog's address will be.

Thank you for everything! Without you Kennedy would not be going!

Love,
Karen, James, Kennedy, Madison, Jagger, Colby, Jaden and Presley

Spaghetti Fundraiser - Feb 21st at 5:30pm

Hi everybody,

For those of you who are thinking of joining us for the spaghetti fundraiser please contact my mom and RSVP, you can email her at: chinamum@videotron.ca. Right now we have about 20 people coming including my family who have RSVP'd. If we don't have many people confirmed my mom is not sure how many people to prepare supper for. We don't want to make dinner for 100 people and only 25 people join us. What a waste of food that would be if that happens. Please let us know if you will be able to come.

Thanks again!
Hugs
Kennedy

What a wonderful gesture...

Today ,Jaden(our 6 year old) was invited for a birthday party for a dear friend of hers named Jenna.
Jenna's mom Kathy organized the party and instead of the kids giving Jenna gifts each familiy made a monetary donation for a cause that Kathy and her family chooses. From what Kathy explained to me they buy food for a food bank or donate money to a good cause on behalf of Jenna each year. Well today's party gifts (donations) were donated for Kennedy's orphanage. How wonderful and thoughtful was that. We cannot thank Kathy and her family enough for the generous donation. The children in Yangzhou who remain in the orphanage will be very happy with the toys etc that Kennedy will purchase while she is there.

Thank you again..what a wonderful gesture..

Karen-aka Kennedy's Mom

Plane tickets are bought...Yangzhou here we come!!

I purchased James and Kennedy's plane tickets last Thursday. They leave on March 12th and come home on the 22nd. They head to Beijing for a couple of days, than leave for Nanjing(capital of Jiangsu province) and than take a bus from there to Yangzhou. I still can't beleive they will actually be going. It will be such an incredible trip for Kennedy. We are in contact with some other families who are attending the 20th year celebration as well. Kennedy and James will be meeting up with them in Beijing. There are a few girls who are close to Kennedy's age as well so how wonderful will that be to make some friends who are her age and originally from Yangzhou. Now they are living all over the US and some from the UK.

We are working on getting their Chinese Visa's and I will be bringing them to the travel agent today. Once that is complete, we need to wire the money for the in China travel and then all that is left to do is pack and get on the plane.

Again thank you to everyone who made this incredible trip possible for Kennedy. She is excited and nervous but can't wait to get going.

Take care,
Karen (aka Kennedy's Mom)