No matter the country or culture, the love, the hope, the strain, and the stress are all written across the faces of the parents who have come for help. It is no less true here in China than it is in Kansas. Parents and their children come to the Stars and Rain Education Institute for Autism to participate in an intensive 11 week program to learn more about autism and how to help their children become more independent. They come from all across China, often at great sacrifice, to attend the first program in the country for children with autism. Tian Huiping (Hope) is the founder and motivating force, and she is looked upon with great respect by parents and a very talented and passionate staff who do wonders with very few resources. Even heat in all the rooms is considered a luxury during these late days of winter.

Stars and Rain began a mere 15 years ago with five students and has grown to a become the leader of a network of 60 programs around the country that, on any given day, are working with more than 2,000 students and families. Most of these programs were founded by parents who had attended the program in Beijing. Heartspring is not the only worldwide center for children with special needs Stars and Rain regularly captures the attention and involvement of other countries as well. This week alone, we have met volunteers from Belgium, Germany, and South Korea. World Autism Day will occur in April, and CNN is scheduled to visit the program within the next week. Hopefully, they will have an opportunity to focus not only on the Stars and Rain program, but also on the universal challenge of autism and how that common problem has crossed borders to bring us and others together.

Heartspring has maintained an ongoing relationship with Stars and Rain since 2004. This represents my third and most comprehensive visit to their campus, and this is the first visit of other Heartspring staff in order to provide onsite training and to learn more about the their program model and culture. Every year for the last three years Stars and Rain has sent three teachers and staff to Heartspring to learn and share with our staff. We have become sister organizations not only in name, but in a shared vision, respect, and caring. Friendships which will last a lifetime have been created. Our challenge now is to find ways that we can increase our sharing of information and knowledge with each other and to extend that opportunity to 60 other programs throughout China who are eager to learn.