More girls

For the adoptive families at FCC, there are more girls than boys. "Most of the waiting families won't get a boy from China except kids with special needs," said Tasha, an elementary school teacher from Brampton who adopted a boy from China in 2010.

Tasha got her son Julian, who was born with cleft lips, from Anhui province through China's Waiting Children Program. After two surgeries - one in China and the other in Canada - Julian's lips are normal.

China's Waiting Children Program, which offers opportunities for adoption to children with minor correctable medical conditions, has been open to married couples since 2005. This program has a relatively short wait time to get a boy with special needs.

"We didn't want to wait too long a time as we wanted a family. We decided to adopt Julian because he was waiting there," said Tasha.

Children - either biological or adopted - do not come with any guarantees.

It has been three years since Tasha and her husband held Julian in their arms for the first time.

The 7-year-old boy with a Chinese name Qingxin has changed dramatically over the past three years, they said. He is now good at martial arts, especially taekwondo, and takes Mandarin lessons regularly. The activities have helped transform him into a lively and cheerful young man.

Tasha and her husband will be getting a 15-month-old Chinese girl from Foshan, Guangdong province in September.

"China has a high number of adoption applications pending approval because China is perfect. China has a good culture and good management of the adoption program," said Tasha.

Since their future adoptive daughter will come from Guangdong province, Tasha and her husband are learning some Cantonese.

"We are ready to go to China right away," said an excited Tasha. And, with Julian tagging along, it will be his first time going back to China since he left the country three years ago.

It is the 10th year that the Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto (CCCGT) has organized the summer camp for FCC families. They provide separate cultural activities for the kids, Chinese dances, lion dance and Mandarin songs, in addition to poetry, arts and crafts, and story-telling. Adoptive parents can learn Chinese cooking, calligraphy, mahjong, brush painting and other disciplines at the same time.

"The summer camp has been extended to more than 20 families compared to the several families in the beginning," said Maria, the coordinator for the summer camp program at the Cultural Centre. "We have different themes for the program every year to meet FCC members' needs," Maria said.

Last winter, the Cultural Centre invited FCC members to celebrate the Chinese New Year and Chinese Cultural Heritage Day at the Royal Ontario Museum.

A variety of activities were presented that day to show the children where their cultural heritage is rooted, including Tai Chi and other martial arts, traditional dances, choir presentations and calligraphy and brush painting. There also were festive New Year displays, Chinese minority ethnic-costume displays and photos of giant pandas.

"We were thrilled to celebrate our children's heritage. It gave us a chance to learn more Chinese traditions and share with our daughter," Christina said.

"Children benefit from making and maintaining a cultural connection with others who share their ethnicity," said Jane A. Brown, an adoption social worker and adoptive and foster mother of nine children. "Regular, ongoing, direct contact and a personal, meaningful relationship with an adult or family who shares the child's ethnicity is a must if children are to be prevented from integrating negative stereotypes and instead, are to be helped to develop pride in their heritage."