I’ve had people ask me how our adoption is going, what’s up next, how fundraising is going, why we are still raising funds and many other questions so I wanted to put all those thoughts in one spot and give an adoption update to our friends and family.
HOW IS YOUR ADOPTION GOING?
The process is going quickly and very smooth. It helps when you have been through it all before. Things like writing a 12 page narrative on questions about your family, upbringing and parenting make more sense the second time and the task is not as daunting. As far as a checklist goes, we submitted our application to our agency, had our background checks and fingerprints done, did our online education classes, had a fire inspection of our home, and have done round one of our in-home study with a social worker. We have one more visit with the social worker and we should be completely done with our end of the preparation. Even though we are only 95% done with this portion we are already in the cue of people who are contacted about potential matches.
HOW IS FUNDRAISING GOING?
The total needed for our adoption is $21,000 and we hope to raise $15,000 of that. We did a gofundme campaign for $10,000 of that and that was successful and came together very quickly. God showed himself in some big ways through friends, family, acquaintances, and even some people we have never met. We are blessed to have people around us who believe in our heart for adoption and want to help us add to our family.
WHY ARE YOU STILL RAISING FUNDS?
We are still raising funds, because we hope to raise another $5,000 so we can put as little burden on our finances as possible. Last time we only raised $7,000 of $19,000 (the price has gone up) and while we saved and did our part we would like to avoid dipping into savings since we will have a family of 6 and the ongoing needs on the other side of this adoption.
SO WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH THIS 5K?
I believed we could raise 10k with gofundme but I didn’t want to just ask for handouts and put all our eggs in one basket. We had some friends recommend that we do a 5k and we thought it would be a great way to give people a fun event that they could bring friends, family, and co-workers to, that might not even know us and also give them some return on investment. On October 25th we are sponsoring the Heart 4 Adoption 5k in Hilliard at YMCA. You can click on that link to sign up and get all the info. We have contracted a legit racing company so you will have a first class racing experience, be timed, and we have awards and prizes too.
We have had tons of people say they are going to do it, but I haven’t wanted to shamelessly promote it like I probably should and sign ups are slow. If you are interested or already know you are going to participate, can I ask you to sign up today? This is my nice way of asking if you are going to start the wheels in motion so that this thing can snowball. Planning is easier knowing some numbers and there is a deadline for the free t-shirt that comes with registration.
This event should be the thing that takes us across the finish line of the fundraising process and gets us one step closer to hopefully having a baby in the next 6 months. Go sign up right now….please. Spread the word, spread the urgency and if you are planning on joining us put your name down and commit to what we are trying to do.
Thanks for loving our family and helping us walk this journey.
markartrip.wordpress.com 