“Operation Babylift” comes to Waterloo!

We are pleased to announce that Operation Babylift: The Lost Children of Vietnam will screen at the Princess Twin, 46 King Street North, in Waterloo, Ontario on Saturday, January 22, 2011 from 10:30 am to 12:00 pm.

The screening will be followed promptly by a Q & A session with cast members Robert and Sarah Ballard, who teach in the Speech Communication program at the University of Waterloo, and their family and are featured in the film. In addition, Jared Rehberg, cast member and associate producer of the film, will be present and will offer his acoustic musical styling in a reception to follow. Refreshments will be provided at the reception and will include a variety of  finger foods  and a cash bar. The reception is scheduled to end at 3pm. This event is free and open to the public! Doors will open at 10:00 am.

The film screening is being held as a fundraiser for the Vietnam Education Society (www.vietnameducation.ca), a Canadian-based non-profit helping to build schools throughout Vietnam.

Although admission to the film is free, a ticket is required and cash donations are welcome. To reserve your place at the screening and to make a donation, visit http://www.eventbrite.com/event/1089218883. Be sure to specify your donation amount when you order tickets. Credit donations are subject to a small fee, but cheque and cash donations will be taken at the door or can be mailed in advance (see the registration page for details). All proceeds will go directly to support the Vietnam Education Society.

The film coincides with an interactive panel entitled, “Everything you always wanted to know about being adopted but were afraid to ask.” The panel will feature three international and transracial adult adoptees from Vietnam and Korea who will share their life and experience being adopted and growing up in Canada and the United States. The panel will be held on Friday, January 21, 2011 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm on the University of Waterloo campus in Arts Lecture Hall 113. Admission is free!

About the film:

The film, Operation Babylift: The Lost Children of Vietnam, tells the significant yet untold story of the $2 million dollar US initiative that airlifted over 2,500 Vietnamese orphans out of a war-torn country to protect them from the impending threat of the Communist regime. Orphans were airlifted to the US, Canada, and Australia. These adoptees grew up facing unique challenges, including prejudice overshadowed by a controversial war and cultural identity crisis.  Featuring compelling and insightful interviews of the volunteers, parents, and organizations directly involved, the movie takes a contemporary look at Babylift and its relevance to international adoption today.  It also follows the Ballard family as they move through their adoption journey of an adoptee choosing to adopt a child from Vietnam. The film was a passionate team effort that took 4 years to produce.  Children are welcome (ticket required), but there are some emotional moments in the film that younger viewers may not understand. To find out more about the film, visit http://www.thebabylift.com

About the panelists:

Robert “Bert” Ballard, Ph.D., is a Vietnamese adoptee airlifted in 1975. He is an assistant professor in Speech Communication at the University of Waterloo where he writes, speaks, and researches international and transracial adoption. He was the recent co-chair of the Intercountry Adoption Summit and also adopted a son from Vietnam.

Michelle Fallesen is Michelle Fallesen is co-founder of the Canadian Korean Adoptee Network.  Over the last 20 years she has worked with a variety of adoptive organizations providing pre and post placement services to children, adults and families.

Katie Nixon was adopted from Vietnam on April 6th, 1975 by a London, Ontario family. before the fall of Saigon on April 30^th, 1975 saved via the efforts of Operation Babylift.  She currently lives in Exeter, Ontario with her husband Scott where she is a social worker who advocates and supports adults with developmental disabilities.