Cheryl’s latest post on the Dayton Moms Blog gives some insight into the relationship we have with our son’s birth mom. We are grateful for how God has worked somewhat unexpectedly over the past 3+ years.
Her name is Kate. She is the mother of my son. She is family.
You can read the rest on the Dayton Moms Blog.
An organization we think is a great one is AdoptTogther. AdoptTogether is a non-profit funding platform helping families raise money to pay for adoption costs. We have a profile on the site and have friends who have used it as well.
The cool thing this week: AdoptTogther was featured on CNN. Hank Fortener, founder of the organization, was interviewed and was able to share about the mission of AdoptTogether. There is no PR team within the organization so they count on social media and other outlets to get the word out.
Why AdoptTogether?
The average cost of domestic adoption ranges from $15,000 to $40,000. international adoptions range from $20,000 to $50,000.
One of the biggest obstacles to adoption is financial. AdoptTogether seeks to help remove that barrier by inviting friends, family, co-workers and the community to carry the financial burden.
Take a few minutes to check out the CNN article and even share it on your social media platform.
PEOPLE magazine recently named Hank Fortner as one of their “Heroes Among Us.” Hank stared AdoptTogether, an organization that allows would-be adoptive parents to invite their friends, family and strangers alike to help them meet the costs of adopting (which can reach up to $40,000). This is close to our heart as we have used AdoptTogether to raise funds for our next adoption (which we are still waiting on) and we have friends who have used it as well.
Here’s a couple of cool statistics that PEOPLE magazine highlighted::
There is a great article about AdoptTogether on the PEOPLE magazine website along with an interview with Hank. It is well worth your time!
Last night my wife saw this video in a post on Facebook. Since we have become involved with adoption, we feel like we are a part of a growing adoption community. This video is such a great description of what adoption is. The kids couldn’t be any cuter and their delivery is certainly on point.
As Father’s Day approaches, it is a great reminder of how God wants to be our “really” Dad. Enjoy and share!
My wife and I have been sharing the last few weeks about our plans to adopt again. We’ve shared our AdoptTogether page and have been blessed by numerous people who have given toward our adoption related expenses. Through a friend in Maryland we had connected with a birth mother who is due in June and were making plans to welcome a little boy into our family. As happens at times with adoption, we have hit a bump in the road. Birth mother has decided to parent.
This is part of the update that Cheryl put on our AdoptTogether page.
As I write, we have learned that our birth momma in Maryland has decided to parent, we continue to pray for her and that precious baby boy. When our adoption failed in 2013, we grieved, much like what we are doing now, but remember how God used that situation to prepare us for Max. We know that God is up to something even better than we could have ever imagined. He simply wants us to trust HIM though this journey. So we wait for the child that God wants to add to our family, and we trust HIS plan through the grief. We will update you as we know more, thanks for walking with our family thought this roller coaster and prayers are appreciated (I, Cheryl, hate roller coasters!).
We know that adoption is not always a smooth road and we were as prepared as we could be for any change of direction that might take place. We learned through adopting our son Max that God sees further and farther than we do, so we continue to trust Him. We have been so encouraged by those who have supported us financially and through their prayer and personal support.
Just a week or so ago I was listening to a podcast and the speaker was talking about worry. This is not a totally accurate quote, but carries what he said in his message: What God originates He orchestrates. So, we continue to trust Him as we continue down the road.
A couple of weeks ago I posted about our Adopt Together fundraising page. We also had a friend send out some letters on our behalf to help with our efforts. We also have a former student of mine who is doing a Thirty-One party for us. Through it all Cheryl and I have been humbled by those who have joined us in this next stage of our lives. We have received gifts from family, friends, a few “back in the day” friends and even some people who have joined us anonymously. Currently we are nearly 50% of the way toward our goal. Again, we are so grateful for those who have decided to partner with us.
Currently, we have received enough to pay for the renewal of our home study, to send the necessary fees to our attorney in Ohio and our attorney in Maryland. We had no idea what the response would be and we are blown away.
We are using the website Adopt Together and are so appreciative of that form of communication and safe place for people to give. This video gives a little bit of the back story of Adopt Together.
AdoptTogether “Meet The Family” from AdoptTogether on Vimeo.
For those who want to be a part of this, there are two ways you can be involved.
1.) Our Adopt Together Page. Again, Adopt Together is a non-profit group and they provide grants to families who want to adopt. The gifts that are given are tax-deductible. You can click on the image below to go to our page.
2). Our Thirty-One Event. If you like Thirty-One products or want to buy something as a gift, check out the party This one closes on April 20 so it is concluding in just a few days. Click the image to go there.
We are again so thankful for those who are a part of this adoption journey.
Today is the day we celebrate the official entrance of Max into our family. This day last year we gathered with family and friends to sit in a Warren County, OH, court room before a judge to finalize Max’s adoption. While we met him just two days after his birth and had him in our custody shortly after that, it was finally official and legal on April 22, 2014.
It’s hard to believe that it’s been a year since that transpired. Much has happened since that day and, as with everyone who reads this post, life has moved on.
The picture at the top of the page is Max on his Gotcha Day. Today he is walking, repeating a lot of words (some easier to understand than others) and constantly wanting to go outside. One of his most repeated words at this stage in his life is “Go!”
We are grateful for Max and look forward to how he will continue to grow, continue to change our family and influence those around him.
This weekend, I got a cool message from one of my former students. When my family moved to Indiana to serve at Cedar Creek Church of Christ, Stephanie was in elementary school. Now (just a few years later) she is a mother of two. Stephanie messaged me and said she was thinking about how she could help us as we pursue adoption. Since she is a Thirty-One consultant, she decided to throw us a Thirty-One party!
If you are not familiar with Thirty-One, they sell bags, jewelry, purses, stationary, etc. The website says they “provide fun and functional products that make life easier.” I have never shopped Thirty-One, but my wife has and I know several ladies that are Thirty-One consultants. You can check out more about Thirty-One’s story on their website.
So, here’s how the party works. We have a unique page where you can browse for products and place your order. 25% of the proceeds from the sales will benefit our plans for adoption. We are grateful to Stephanie for putting this together.
Click on the image below to go to our unique Thirty-One page and you can start shopping. Even if you don’t need anything from Thirty-One, we would appreciate your prayers as we move toward adoption.
A couple of days I posted about our story of adoption and how people can get involved. Although we are just a week into our fundraising efforts, we have seen people be generous. Some have given through our Adopt Together website and others have given to us directly (some even anonymously). Right now, we are at 10% of our goal! We feel like that is a great start and appreciate all that have joined us in this journey.
If you are interested in learning more about where are and where we are headed with adoption, you can click on the image above and it will take you to our Adopt Together page. Even as I write this I know there are many families and organizations that are in need of and deserve financial support. We are grateful for those who decide to partner with us.
Thanks for taking the time to read about this journey we are on.
In the past few months I’ve posted about our Gotcha Day and how adoption has impacted our family. Max, who is almost 19 months old, will soon be joined by a little brother.
We have connected with a birth mom who is due June 22. We are making plans to travel to be present for the birth and to get to know the family. We have started the process to adopt again and have enlisted a great team here in Ohio and a great team in Maryland to assist us. Adopting Max happened very quickly and we pulled together various resources to pay for his adoption. Financially we need some help and we are using a non-profit fund-raising platform called Adopt Together to help us raise the necessary funds.
If you are someone (or you know someone) who has a heart for adoption, please visit our page. It tells a little bit more of our story about adoption and gives people an opportunity to help with the expenses. While this adoption won’t cost as much as Max’s adoption, we are seeking financial support.
To visit our Adopt Together page, click on the image below. On our page, you will be able to read about our plans for adoption and how you can help if you feel led to do so.
Thoughts from a Hoosier Fan in the Buckeye Land 