U.S. Woman to Carry Olympic Torch in China

BEIJING, Nov. 12, 2007 — -- Jenny Bowen, an American living in Beijing, has been selected as the only American to carry the 2008 Beijing Olympic torch on Chinese soil next year. She and seven other non-Chinese winners were chosen from a pool of 262 applicants from 47 countries in a contest organized by Chinese computer maker Lenovo Group and the official English-language newspaper, China Daily.

When Bowen runs with the Olympic torch next year, she will not only be representing the United States. She will also be representing thousands of Chinese orphans.

Bowen, a mother of two adopted Chinese daughters, is executive director of Half the Sky Foundation, an organization that aims to enrich the lives and enhance the prospects for orphaned children in China. Half the Sky operates infant and preschool nurturing educational programs for Chinese children from birth onward.

In 1997, Jenny and Richard Bowen adopted their first daughter, Maya, a toddler from a welfare institution in southern China.

"She came to us with almost all of the ill effects of institutionalization," said Bowen. "She was devoid of emotion. For new parents, it was pretty scary."

Maya had suffered from both physical and cognitive developmental delays.

"So we did what parents do instinctively. We held her constantly, played with her, talked to her, sang to her. She never left my lap for almost a year. We just loved her up and made her know that somebody cared about her," said Bowen.

After a year of individual attention and love, their daughter was transformed.

"Almost exactly a year later…I looked out my kitchen window. There was our 3 year-old who looked perfectly normal, romping around with her friends…completely full of joy.

"I realized that a miracle had happened to this little girl. She was a totally different person than she was a year ago."

Bowen believes that this individual love, care and attention was what her daughter needed -- and that all children need this, especially orphans. "It was really simple," she said. "I thought why can't we do this for all the children we can't bring home [from China]?"