Living on Purpose

By Coach Bay

In September, it was time for a trip to Sanya (Hainan Island), which is also known as the Hawaii of China.

In beautiful surroundings, we ran 3 leadership programs for a group of senior managers. This was module 4 (out of 5), and the group started this specific journey early 2007. In this module, we explored coaching, and we talked about the whole person including the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual parts. The spiritual part is really about finding meaning and living on purpose. In Sanya, we met some very inspiring people, who are living on purpose.

"Be not simply good; be good for something." - Henry David Thoreau

Being a leader is also about giving back and contributing to the community. It is about making a difference to help the world become a better place.


Part of the program content includes CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility), which is a very important component, and in Sanya, that meant something unique.

The last day of the 3 ½ days program was dedicated to CSR. The group would visit the Bright Connection, which is a home for children with cerebral palsy and autism. A very special home, where the group would get a chance to see magic, experience love, and work with the kids.

In 1993, the founders John and Maggie Davis moved from the USA to China to work with a hotel management company. In October 1997, they learned of an eight months old orphan with autism and cerebral palsy.

They visited the little girl in the local hospital and with the Doctor’s advice and agreement from local authorities they brought this baby into their home. Seeing that this baby had specific special needs they began studying and learning all they could about cerebral palsy and autism.

With the help of a Chinese doctor and therapist, they created and began an in-home therapy program, first addressing her inability to stand or walk. In August of 2002, they completed the adoption of their child while in America and began preparing a plan to open a center in China to help other children like their daughter.

The Vision and Mission Statement of The Bright Connection:

“We at The Bright Connection believe all children regardless of physical or mental status deserve the right to be loved, and have the opportunity to be prepared for independent living.”

In February 2004, The Bright Connection officially opened in Sanya, Hainan Island, putting their vision into action together with the help of Chinese people. Several months later, and after years of daily training and exercising, this little girl named Qiong Jian Davis began walking all by herself!


John and Maggie’s hearts are committed to doing all they can do to improve the quality of life for their Chinese daughter and others like her. Today the home has more than 15 handicapped kids. Some are orphans, others are from families, who bring their child to the home to receive the best care available. The kids require constant care and dedicated Chinese employees are working with John and Maggie around the clock to support the kids.

John and Maggie are about to open their second home. They are committed to their purpose. It has been a lot of hard work, and as we know, China has not always acknowledged this side of the society. Having said that, The Bright Connection has very good relations with the local
authorities, who have been very supportive.


The Bright Connection is a foundation that is constantly looking for funds, and mainly relying on support from corporate sponsors and indiduals. John and Maggie are not Bill and Melinda Gates, and they have even given up their own pension plans to make this happen.

It is an amazing story, and it is hard to do it justice in this blog. The participants, who visited the home and worked with the kids were all overwhelmed and very touched.

They were touched by seeing the kids, who were obviously developing in a very caring home. They were touched by the fact that a couple of foreigners had ‘given up’ their normal lives to come to China to selflessly help less fortunate kids.

It was an awesome day!

"One needs something to believe in, something for which one can have whole-hearted enthusiasm. One needs to feel that one's life has meaning, that one is needed in this world." - Hannah Senesh

In this blog, we have talked about happiness and fulfillment through the pleasurable, engaging and meaningful life. John and Maggie have definitely found meaning, and they are both very much engaged and enjoying the journey.

I first visited John and Maggie 3 years ago, and it has been gratifying to see how the home and the kids have developed. It is indeed magic, and it is gratifying to know that people can make a big difference even with small means. This world needs more people like John and Maggie.

Keep Inspiring!

Happy Days
Coach Bay

Note: All photos are from the visit. The Bright Connection can be found on www.brightconnection.org