Wedding Ring Raffle - Adoption Fundraiser

Back when Kirk and I dreamed of adopting a child one of the big hurdles for us was paying for the adoption expenses. It is quite expensive to bring home a child any way a family chooses to do it. Birth involves paying midwives or doctors, hospital fees, doulas, and childbirth educators. Adoption involves agencies, lawyers, social workers, and others. The fact of the matter is that private insurance or Medicaid picks up the tab for most people's births. There isn't any such thing for adoption.

Once we made the decision to adopt we scrimped and saved the anticipated amount. We thought were covered until it came to travel time. Our initial time frame of Kirk being gone for 1 - 1 1/2 weeks lengthened due to country changes. We were told that he could be gone for 6 weeks. Wow. You can imagine the increase of travel expenses and unpaid FMLA leave right there. I frantically organized a Yard Sale Fundraiser & Bake Sale and pleaded for donations to sell. I also applied for a Titus Task grant, which we later received. We were so blessed to have countless families donate items and monetary gifts for the sale. The money raised cover the extended travel. In the end Kirk was gone for 3 weeks. He used all his vacation time for the year but we didn't have to take the unpaid leave. The Titus Task grant was immensely helpful in covering expenses in the Congo and for Janie's ticket home.

I learned today of another family who is down to the wire on their adoption. Their daughter desperately needs skull surgery to prevent brain damage. They have applied for grants, which they have not received, and have sold everything they can. The mother, Catherine, is raffling off her wedding ring set in hopes that it will provide the much needed money. The two daughters they already have have selected jewelry of their own to raffle. It is a lovely set and the tickets are $5 each. I hope and pray that they will raise the money they so badly need and that the wedding ring winner will consider leaving it with them.

You can learn more about this family and buy raffle tickets by going to their blog http://wronginalltherightways-travcat.blogspot.com/2011/03/give-it-away-now.html or visiting http://reecesrainbow.org/sponsorferrone

Note:
The deadline for the wedding ring raffle is today!! Time is of the essence if you want to help.