On a Saturday morning earlier this month, a group of Harvard students met at a local church to help adopted Chinese children fashion panda masks out of paper plates, cotton balls and pieces of black, faux fur.

Every other week, members of Harvard China Care (HCC) plan Asian-inspired activities for “Dumplings,” a playgroup of adopted children from China, at the First Congregational Church in Cambridge in an effort to bring their native culture closer to their new American homes.

“We’re just hoping to establish a network of solidarity and support for these children,” says Gary M. Cooney ’05, president of HCC.

The student group is a chapter of China Care, a nonprofit organization founded by Matt R. Dalio ’06, when he was only 16. Since then, his program has garnered national attention, including an appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show.

According to Dalio, one of his main reasons for coming to Harvard was its reputation as a place where community service thrives. Earlier this school year, Dalio, also a Crimson editor, began working to establish a local chapter of China Care at Harvard.

By December, HCC was recognized as an official student group by the College.

HCC and its parent organization, however, have different immediate aims. China Care facilitates the adoption of orphans from Tianjin, China, coordinates operations of smaller chapters in the United States and sends medical teams abroad to treat the children.

HCC, on the other hand, has a more localized perspective. It strives to instill in local Chinese children a sense of pride in their heritage, while allowing them an opportunity to play and meet other kids with similar experiences, according to Dalio.

CHICKEN AND EAGLE

“Kids need to play with kids who look like themselves, and have the same experience. And families need to talk.” says Polly Welch, a parent of one of the Dumplings participants.

Besides making panda masks, the student group plays other games that are culturally familiar to the adopted children, such as chicken and eagle. In this game, the children are divided into chicken and the eagle teams. The eagle team chases after the chickens, trying to catch and make them into members of their team.

While their group tries to focus on Chinese culture, those who help to run it come from diverse backgrounds. Aside from Cooney, an international student from Ireland, HCC also counts a Bulgarian student among its eight most active members.

Louise E. Weber describes the students involved in HCC as enthusiastic and wonderful, and says that she was particularly impressed with the international flavor of the group.

She says her usually shy daughter, six-year old Lilly, loves the playgroup.

“She’s out the door before I am, ready to go,” Weber says.