How We Got Started
The Red Thread takes its name from a Chinese proverb. It states that there is a silken red
thread of destiny which connects one person to another. It is said that this magical cord
may tangle or stretch but never break. Destiny, whether in the shape of a red thread or a
common thread of interests, brought Jennifer and Kathy together.
Jennifer's work in international adoption connected her to Zhou Zhou, a teenage orphan, while visiting China in 2000. Zhou Zhou had been injured in an explosion as a child, and due to an untreated infection, had his leg amputated. He had lived at the orphanage since he was 3, but at 16, had grown too old to be adopted.
After Jennifer returned to the states from China, Zhou Zhou remained on her mind. She kept thinking about what she could do to help this young man. Soon after, she began selling gift baskets to raise money to bring Zhou Zhou to America to get a prosthetic limb. Jennifer's efforts were rewarded in 2002 when Zhou Zhou came to South Carolina and received his new leg. Jennifer called her project, originally designed to help just Zhou Zhou, The Red Thread.
Meanwhile, Kathy, who was employed in public relations and a longtime volunteer with children's causes, was asked by The Grace Children's Foundation to sponsor Chen You, a Chinese orphan coming to Dallas for surgery. Kathy's bond with Chen You ran much deeper than she could ever have imagined. It was through this life-changing experience, that Kathy felt compelled to find other ways to help children in need.
In the fall of 2002, Kathy and Jennifer met at a board meeting of The Grace Children's Foundation in New York City. They shared a hotel room and their ideas for making a difference. Jennifer told Kathy about Zhou Zhou. Kathy told Jennifer about Chen You. The two women connected with one another and both longed to connect to other children.
This was the beginning of The Red Thread as we know it today.
