Friday, February 6, 2015

Almost there

We are excited that we are getting closer to adopting Lance.  The TA should be here soon, and then it is off to China!

Thursday, January 8, 2015

But I only have $5

The financial cost of international adoption is staggering and seems to be growing.  Families look at a price tag of $30,000 or $40,000 and get really overwhelmed.  At the same time, friends and family (and sometimes even strangers) want to help but they don't have thousands to give either.

What if I told you that you could help multiple families for just $5?  

A group of moms (and now a dad) have established a new program through Reece's Rainbow called 5/5/5 for Families.  The premise is simple.  Donors give $5 each month to the grant fund.  You can give more and you don't have to give monthly if you don't want to.  On the 5th of each month, the money is divided among the 5 families who have applied and been chosen for that month.  


Simple.  It's such a great way to help with a small gift.  
  
Don't think that $5 means much?  Last month the grant had over $1,100 in it!  Those small donations add up.  Every gift counts and is appreciated by every family.    

Laurence's family is one of the chosen families for this month.  On February 5th, they will receive 1/5 of the money in the 5/5/5 for Families grant.  Right now, Laurence's family has just under $500 in their Reece's Rainbow account.  The money from the 5/5/5 grant will help them immensely and you also get to help four other families who have been working hard and are getting ready to travel to bring home their new children.


See!!  You can help with just $5!!!  

Make your donation to the 5/5/5 for Families grant by clicking on this link!  


By the way, this is Natalie.  I haven't hijacked the blog in a while but I thought it was time!  
    

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Online Auction Coming!

September 10th Update:   The auction starts on Monday!  We have gathered some great things.  You can check them out here.   We'd love to have some more things before we start.    Please consider leaving a comment or messaging the auction page with your donation.

Laurence's family is going to be a part of an online, multi-family auction during the second half of September.

I'll be sure to post more here before it starts but for now, we are looking for donations.   Here are some ideas of things that sell well:

*Gift cards.  You know, that one that's in the bottom of your purse to a store you'll never go to.  Or, you can purchase on to a popular place like Target, Amazon or itunes.

*Hand-made items.   Do you craft?  Knit?  Sew?  Are you all about Pinterest? Do you have an Etsy store?  Would you be willing to donate an item or two?

*Seasonal clothing. A Christmas dress or Halloween costume that your child wore once.

*Any new items that you have received and not used.

*Seasonal items.  Christmas decorations or Halloween items.

*Anything else that is shippable.  Generally, the donor of the item pays for shipping so that the families do not have to cut into the their profits.  This also makes buyers much more willing to bid since they know exactly what they will be paying.  

If you have an item to donate, please leave a comment or contact Kathleen or I!

You can check out the facebook page where the item will be held here.  (I know it says LA kids.  It's a page I've used before.  Facebook won't let me change the name again.)  It will begin September 15th.


*Natalie

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Celebrating Lance Home

Lance's mom has been working on some local fundraisers.  I decided to help her out and set up an online Celebrating Home fundraiser.   His account with get 50% of each purchase!  That's a great percentage.  Plus, on top of that, he will soon have a matching grant set up.  So, in reality, once the money is deposited in the matching grant, you will get a great product and Lance's adoption will get 100% of the money you paid!  Talk about a win/win!!  Oh, and the Celebrating Home representative is another adopting mom and she gets a small cut too.  How can you afford not to buy something?  

The sale is live and goes until September 11th.  


If you are on facebook, you can join the event here.

Please share this link and encourage your friends to order!!  






Thursday, June 5, 2014

Keep the Change for Lance

*It's Natalie the blog hijacker again.  Hosting another fundraiser for Laurence and his family.  

One of the hardest parts about being an adoptive parent is not being with your child for the milestones---birthdays, holidays, first day of school, first loose tooth.  July 5th is Laurence's 13th birthday.  That's usually a scary birthday for orphans in his country since it means they only have one year left to find a forever family.  But Laurence can celebrate this year---his mom is on the way!!  And, with your help, his mom can celebrate that day, too.    

Keep the Change!


From June 5th to July 5th.  

It's pretty simple:

*Find a container--it doesn't have to be anything fancy--an empty cup, an empty jar, a bucket...whatever you have. (You can grab a picture of Laurence from his Reece's Rainbow page if you'd like.)

*Put the container in a visible place in your home---next to your purse, on the kitchen counter, on your dresser.  You could also consider putting it in your office or work space.  What a great conversation starter!

*At the end of the day, empty all the change from your pockets and wallet into the container. Say a prayer that Laurence will be celebrated on his birthday and know that he is loved.

*On Saturday, July 5th (Laurence's birthday), take your container to the bank and cash it in.  (Or sometime around then since it's a holiday weekend.) 

*Deposit the money into Laurence's FSP on Reece's Rainbow.

This is a very simple way for all of us to bless Laurence and his family on his birthday--even they can't celebrate together.  (Can you imagine how fun it will be for his mom to watch his grant grow on his birthday?) 

I have a jar of change that I've been saving since my adoption ended. I can't wait to cash it in and see what's in it.

If you want to participate, leave me a comment here and let me know!  I'll keep a running list of people who have agreed to pray for and bless Laurence and his famiy during the month leading up to his birthday.

So, start looking for the perfect container.

Participants:
Natalie 


Friday, April 25, 2014

Update on Lance

I am ALMOST done with my homestudy.  Just when I think I am done, there is just one more thing that I need to do.  My homestudy agency sent me to classes, then when I gave the certificates to my adoption agency, I was told that the hours don't count because they are not Hague approved.  There is so much to learn in this process!  So, I am going to try to get these classes done ASAP.