Pay It Forward!

Our adoption is long over with - well, except for the little paperwork nightmares that pop up here & there (can you say 'readoption' & 'Ukraine registration'?).  But I've got to be honest - I constantly feel the need to pay it forward.  We had so many people step up to help with our adoption, financially.  Some people that we didn't even know - and others who love us very much.

How can I not give back?!

I wanted to share with you one fundraising family in particular.  I might just be a little biased toward this family.  I blogged about them here.

Their little guy is in Carter's old orphanage.  In that place that I'd love to be (beating a dead horse, I know...).

Yep, biased.

Have I ever mentioned how hard fundraising is?  How exhausting it can be?  How lonely it feels?  Okay, so I have.  We'll I'm saying it again.

It's hard.  Dang hard.  It's exhausting.  And it tends to be a long, lonely road.  And when you're looking at raising over $20,000 - it's downright overwhelming.  Yes, I said $20,000+.

There.  Now you know.

So this family, who is adopting from Carter's former orphanage, is in the midst of the nightmare that is fundraising.

At this point - if you're still reading along - you have a choice.  You can say "oh - that's nice" (which would be funny, because really - what's nice about fundraising?  Not much.).  Or you could say "hmm - I wonder if I can help."

I prefer the latter.

We all know the fate that awaits the children who do not get welcomed into a forever family.  I don't need to go there.  And we all know that while we are comfortable in our homes, and our kids are well-loved - these children are NOT comfortable.  They are NOT well-loved.  And they need families.

Each and every child deserves a family.  And this family is working so hard to get to their sweet boy.

Won't you help them out?  Step up?  Pay it forward?  Sacrifice a movie rental - give up a Starbucks - buy generic detergent instead of Gain (my own personal struggle, out there for everyone to read...) -  buy one less bag of Easter candy - really, the opportunities to cut out some excess to give to this family are endless!  Be creative!

Here is the link to their fundraiser.  HERE.  There are lots of fun items - I'm personally interested in the wall stencils.  Just don't tell Jake.

A donation of $5 will get you two opportunities to win!  And of course, the more you donate, the more opportunities you have.  The fundraiser runs until May 1 - but don't wait!  Go today!

Please - go.  Donate.  And share, too.

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But I'm not going to stop there.  I know there are SO many families in the middle of this same, strange battle.  If you are a fundraising family - or if you are hosting a fundraiser for an adopting family - or you know of a fundraising family - please join in the link-up below.

Rules for the link-up are simple...
+It has to be a link to a fundraiser for a committed family.  I know there are SO many fundraisers for waiting kids, too.  I know that those kinds of fundraisers are also so, so important.  And maybe if this is successful, I'll do a waiting kids fundraiser next month.  But this time, it's for families.  Also - families do NOT need to be "Reece's Rainbow" families!

+No need is too small or too great.  Whether the family is in need of hundreds or thousands - it doesn't matter.  A need is a need.

+Anyone can add.  You don't need to be the fundraising family or the fundraising host.  You just need to know the link to the fundraiser!  Make sure the fundraiser that you want to add hasn't been added yet, though!

+Share.  Share on your blog about the fundraising link-up.  And link back to this post, too.  More coverage=greater donations!  That's the goal!  Because I can't donate what 200 people can.

+Visit.  Pop over to other fundraisers to donate - and leave an encouraging word, too.  Because like I said, this stuff is dang hard.

+Link-up will close on Wednesday, April 11th @ midnight.  

That's it!

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Well - actually, that's not it.

If you go to any one of the fundraisers linked to below (or the one for Chandler that I talked about, above), and donate at least $10, then come back here and leave me a comment telling me that you did so.

On Friday, April 13th (weird, I know) I will choose one name, randomly.  That person will get a blog makeover, by yours truly.  I'm no expert, I promise - but I enjoy doing blog revamps.  You can see some of the blogs I've redone here, here, here, and here.

So.  Link-up.  Donate.  Comment.  That's it!

One Thing I Know For Sure: Paying it forward.  Join me!