Montrose - Daily Press

MONTROSE — John and Maggie Davis found their calling — and their daughter — among the special-needs children of China. Now, the Davises are appealing to the community for donations to help fund their nonprofit, The Bright Connection, on Hainan Island.

Opened in 2004, the Bright Connection houses more than 20 children in a rented house the Davises were able to expand, thanks to a woman who agreed to pay the rent increase desired by the landlord.

The kids at Bright Connection come from orphanages, which kick in a small amount of funding, but also from families who need help meeting their needs. They suffer from such conditions as spina bifida, cerebral palsy, Down Syndrome, autism and vision problems. Others are developmentally delayed or deaf.

From left, Maggie, Qiong Jian and John Davis, are shown in this family snapshot. The Davises operate The Bright Connection in Hainan, China, for special needs kids. (Courtesy Photo) Advertisement

TBC cares for them at a cost of about $5,000 per month. Families pay what they are able and donations from individuals and corporations from China and throughout the world — to say nothing of the many in-kind donations of everything from fresh produce to volunteer service —  keep TBC afloat.

“Our plan for the future is to keep doing this and to hold steady, but we would like to serve 100 children,” John said.

The Davises, who raised their son in Montrose, consider it their hometown and have been staying here in a borrowed house for the past few months. They spoke to the Daily Press Wednesday.

A Montrose fundraiser is set for 1:30 p.m. Saturday at the Abundant Life Church (2430 E. Niagara). Framed artwork by the TBC kids is on display at Genesis Bookstore and can be purchased for a minimum $10 donation per piece.

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The Bright Connection:

The Bright Connection, founded by John and Maggie Davis of Montrose, helps special-needs kids in China. A local fundraiser is at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at the Abundant Life Church, featuring a bake sale and presentation. Artwork by TBC kids is also for sale at Genesis Bookstore.

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For more information about TBC, visit www.thebrightconnection.org. You can also e-mail TBC at thebrightconnection@yahoo.com. The Pay Pal button is https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=4792787

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To watch CNN’s feature on TBC, visit http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2009/05/27/impact.bright.connection.cnn.

The Bright Connection is also on You Tube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InYCQenLPa8

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Comments

John Davis wrote on Aug 28, 2009 9:59 PM:

" Re: Brightening the World, Aug 20 ,correction on the web-site...should read: "brightconnection.org".....email address is correctly shown as thebrightconnection@yahoo.com...and P.S....we truly thanks our friends in Montrose who have been supporting since 1991. It has been and continues being a fantastic Journey of Faith in Action ! Thanks, John & Maggie "




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patrick wrote on Aug 21, 2009 2:01 AM:

" A reader: Dont be so judgemental! these people are doing what god put them here for. yes montrose and the US has there own problems but their doing the best they can with what they have and there hearts tell them this is where it is at. Be happy that people are still practicing acts of kindness instead of the standard selfishness that most portray. We are struggling too so if you feel american kids are being left out feel free to start your own program up! "




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areader wrote on Aug 20, 2009 9:19 AM:

" here in Montrose, where people are losing their homes at an astonishing rate, this is a strange choice of front page story--especially on the first day of school. What about kids here going without because their parents are losing their jobs...should we send our savings to China? "




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