Our Chinese Daughters Foundation was founded in 1995 by Dr. Jane Liedtke, a professor at Illinois State University and mother of an adopted Chinese daughter (1994 from Jiangmen Social Welfare Institute). OCDF, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in support of adoptive families, has the mission to provide high quality Chinese culture programs for children.

OCDF began with a newsletter and the first book "New American Families - Chinese Daughters and their Single Mothers". From 1995 thru 1997, OCDF held each year on the campus of Illinois State University a Chinese Culture Camp which was attended by families from throughout the USA. In 1997 when Dr. Liedtke and her daughter were planning to move to China, participants in the Chinese Culture Camp asked "what would happen to Culture Camp?" and Jane replied, "We'll have it in Beijing!" People agreed that would be a great thing and in 1998 the first Chinese Culture Camp was held in China for families with adopted children. This was the start of China homeland travel and tour programs.

In the US, our in-home office was coordinated by Dana King for a few years and then moved to the home of Gloria Berry where it remained (and grew) until May 2006 when OCDF moved to its present office in the historic section of downtown Bloomington (109 West Monroe Street). Now our Bloomington Office has two full-time and two part-time staff. Jane works from her home office in Bloomington and the Beijing Office in China.

Meanwhile in China (1998-present), OCDF China Tours was expanding. From 29 travelers the first summer to 32 the next, the word was out that Chinese Culture Camp was a great opportunity for adoptive families to travel together. By 2002, 115 travelers signed up for three tour programs - 66 people joined the "don't miss the boat" last summer to cruise the Yangtze before the waters would raise with the Three Gorges Dam. SARS in 2003 made it nearly impossible to provide travel programs for adoptive families though 35 participants got into and out of China in Spring 2003 without illness. It was a difficult year with summer travelers deferring their tours to 2004. Jane loaned OCDF all of her savings to see staff and operations through the year (and paid the loan back in 2007). From 2004 thru 2007 OCDF China Tours saw exponential growth as travelers returned home to tell their friends about our services and tour programs. In 2007 we provided services to 900 travelers.

OCDF in China operated in Jane's Beijing home for several years until it was evident that an office in center city would be needed. In Spring of 2004 the office moved to its present location in the historic Dongcheng District next to Prince Wang's Palace. Even at that location (Richland Court, 199 Chaoyangmennei) we have expanded from one suite of rooms to a second suite and now a third! The OCDF Beijing Office is part of our WOFE (Wholly Owned Foreign Enterprise) called Beijing Experience Chinese Culture Consulting Company Limited. This allows the employment of local and foreign staff.

We not only grew ODCF China Tours but we grew our publications to include China for Children Magazine (now in its 6th year). As families returned we saw the need to develope further our orphan support services for Beijing-area orphanages and orphanage care packages/school sponsorships for families wishing to give something back to their child's orphanage. When the needs presented themselves we started orphan care projects (4 key projects - Coal for Kids, 900 Backpacks, See the Stars, and Building on Dreams). Adoption agencies approached us having heard about our travel programs and asked if we could provide adoption services and facilitation. We said "yes" and now provide services to 10 US-based agencies and expat adoption services with a full-time social worker working from the Beijing office to serve all of China, Mongolia, and Nepal.

Summer travel for educators began in 1997 and 1998 when OCDF coordinated group travel for the Technical Foundation of America and the Illinois Consortium of International Programs (ICISP). Along the way Yale University discovered OCDF and asked if we would provide services for their summer interns in Beijing. We agreed and that was the official start of OCDF Academic Connections. We now coordinate Beijing-based internships for Purdue University and Illinois State University, as well as support services for Yale University interns. Group travel for schools/universities, faculty and student internships, and volunteer programs are all part of this division.

Our publications began to grow beyond the adoption community when we joined with Dophin Books to create and distribute a series of 40 books on Chinese Culture for k-8 teachers and adoptive families. A second book series is also underway with one book for each province in China. A third series follows the life of a rural Chinese girl as she goes from age 2 thru high school and into college. More and more books are being published by OCDF to share Chinese culture with the education community and adoptive families. A staff of four full-time editors and writers are in the Beijing office on these projects. Teachers from throughout the globe are brought to Beijing in the summer to contribute to the Chinese Culture Active Learning Series of books.

We're proud of what we've been able to accomplish over the years and continue to strive to be the best provider of Chinese culture programs and services to the adoption community and to educators providing Chinese culture instruction. From an all-volunteer organization we've grown to an organization with 18 full-time employees, 2 part-time employees, 6 OCDF Staff Guides in Beijing, 3 OCDF Staff Guides in Xian, 2 OCDF Staff Guides in Chengdu, 60 seasonal tour guides, and countless volunteers in the US and in China! And we're still growing! We have a great team of dedicated and talented staff!

Your support and assistance helps OCDF do what we do - without YOU our work would not be possible.

Updated Nov 2009