Reece's Rainbow

A few years ago I purchased a cd for a friend going through a difficult time. There was one song in particular that seemed meant for her situation.  Since I had purchased it on itunes, I listened to the whole thing before I gave it to her. A few weeks later I ended up buying a second copy for me. (Yup, I really did buy it again, it's my little soap box, the artists should receive their due.)

The cd was Aaron Shust's Take Over.  Through that purchase, somehow, I found out about Aaron's blog. Being a natural people watcher and just general life observer, I love blogs. I love the seeing things through different perspectives and learning people's stories. So, I tucked Aaron's blog away on my blog roll and read it periodically.

Over the past four months I have read the updates more frequently. Aaron and his wife Sarah's youngest son, Michael, was born with Down Syndrome. Aaron shares so honestly. Authentically.

A few weeks ago, baby Michael had major heart surgery. The Shust family came to my mind several times while Michael was in the hospital, so I prayed. While praying for baby Michael, my mind wandered to little ones suffering the same types of Down Syndrome heart defects all over the world.

The little ones my heart focused on are the ones who are spending their lives in institutions or orphanages. Little ones without a family, proper food or medical care. Little ones without access to life saving surgeries.

Living with a disability is a challenge when you have a support system. It is hard to even fathom how these little ones around the world cope without anyone looking out for them.

Through my friend Joy, I learned about Reece's Rainbow. It is an incredible organization that beautifully brings attention to these precious children and works tirelessly to help them be placed in forever families.

Reece's Rainbow

In 2002, Andrea Roberts gave birth to her son Reece. Reece was born with Down Syndrome. At first, the Roberts family went through a normal "grieving" period. They grieved for themselves and for the loss of the life they had envisioned for their first born child. The Roberts family was able to find support through their city's Down Syndrome Association and Parent-to-Parent of Georgia. Andrea and her husband also found support through their faith. They knew that "God had given Reece to them, and them to Reece," for a reason.

In 2004, Reece's Rainbow was started at Northside Hospital in Georgia as an outreach for families with babies born with Down Syndrome. In 2006, the program broadened to include promoting the international adoption of children with Down syndrome.

Through God's grace, in only five short years, more than 500 orphaned children with Down syndrome and other special needs around the world have been found by their forever families.  Over $1.5 million in grant funds have been disbursed to make those adoptions possible.  

Reece's Rainbow's mission is "to rescue orphans with Down syndrome through the gift of adoption, to raise awareness for all of the children who are waiting in 25 countries around the world, and to raise funds as adoption grants that help adoptive families afford the high cost of adopting these beautiful children."


Here's how you can be involved... 

Photo from Reece's Rainbow

Be a prayer warrior. 
The prayer warrior ministry has three goals-
1. Daily lift in prayer the needs of each waiting child.
2. Pray for Reece's Rainbow.
3. Pray for the families God is preparing for the waiting children.
Reece's Rainbow asks that you commit to pray for your child until they are placed in their adoptive family. Contact  Laurie Rhoades at laurie@reecesrainbow.org to participate.




Be an orphan warrior.
Being a warrior for a child costs nothing but your time.
Use Facebook, twitter, email, your blog or any other way you can to help your chosen child find their forever family. 


Take part in the guardian angel project for Reece's "other angels", those children with special needs other than Down Syndrome who are also waiting for their forever families to find them. 


Sponsor a family who is adopting one of Reece's angels.


Check out this page for a list of creative ways you can help Reece's Rainbow.

In case you missed it... In December of 2011, ABC news featured this story about Mia, one of the over 500 lives changed by the work of Reece's Rainbow.

More on Adoption fundraising...

Here are two additional companies with a heart for people and adoption.

Please check them out and pass the word along to someone you know in the process of an adoption if you think these fundraisers would work for their family.

(photography from MudLOVE.com)

Here's how MudLOVE bands work:

1.  Pick your word. It could be your child's country of origin, a word that is meaningful to your family through the journey, etc.

2.  Choose your band color.
 

3.  Decide on the quantity (the more you purchase, the better the price)

4.  Simply email your order to luke@mudlove.com.
    - Example:  "Journey" x 100, 50 blue, 50 red

5.  Watch for your invoice. When you receive it,  make your payment. Every five dollars you spend purchasing your fundraising bracelets helps give an African clean drinking water for a year! These little bracelets pack a double blessing.
  
6.  Receive package & start selling Mudlove bands!!!
    - All packages are shipped 2-3 day priority mail 2-4 weeks after the total invoice is paid (depending on order size).

7. Anything you make over the price of your invoice will be your profit to use toward your adoption. This program works for both domestic and foreign adoptions.

To find out more about pricing or to get your sale started- check out the MudLOVE site.

 

 Everyone loves a fun t-shirt! Adoption Bug (now partnering with Show Hope) is a great little company that allows adoptive families (domestic or foreign adoptions) to sell up to 6 t-shirts from their fundraiser t-shirt designs. Once the adoptive family has filled out the required paperwork, Adoption Bug will set up an online store for their family. There is no start up cost or minimum orders. All the adoptive family needs to do is promote their sale. Adoption Bug even helps on that front with product photos, fundraiser store links and online banners. Adoptive families earn 25-45% of the sales, depending up on the product sold.

If you are interested in more information or getting the fundraising process started send an email to fundraiser@adoptionbug.com with the following information: name, country you’re adopting from, where you are in the process, agency name, and your email address.

Both Hands- One for the orphan, one for the widow.

Don't you just love a great idea? If you do, then I think you will love learning more about Both Hands in this short video by founder JT Olsen.


JT introduces Both Hands from Bill Kersey on Vimeo.

Here's how it works...

 
The adoptive family enlists the help of 10 volunteers who will assist by carrying out the following tasks:

• sending sponsorship letters
• Putting in a full day of manual labor at the home of a widow

100% of the donated funds will be given as a LifeSong Adoption Grant.  Based upon prior events, the Both Hands project could earn $10,000+ (on average) toward adoption costs.

A local widow is helped by significant improvements being made to her home and property. Often great encouragement is brought to the ladies being served by the demonstrations of love and kindness these work days produce.

Here's how you can be involved...

1. Make a financial contribution.

2. Support an Adoptive Family

3. Support a Widow by donating supplies or funds to help renew homes and yards.
 
4. Volunteer Volunteers are responsible for sending letters to 50 friends that have a heart for adoption. Both Hands composes the letter, the volunteer can make necessary changes to tailor the letter to fit the current situation.  Volunteers spend a full Saturday working on a widow’s house. All skill levels are welcome!
Application to Volunteer

5. If you know an adoptive family who would benefit from a partnership with Both Hands or perhaps a widow who needs home or property maintenance, please share the information you have learned about Both Hands. The links below provide the applications necessary to "get the ball rolling."

Apply For Adoption Assistance

Apply For Widow Assistance 


This ministry is James 1:27 in action.
"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world."

April- Adoption Fundraising

According to a report done by Adoptive Family Magazine the average cost of an adoption in 2011 was $30,000. The following are some of the highlights from the magazine's adoption cost survey:

• The majority of domestic newborn adoptions cost between $25,000 and $35,000, while a strong majority of international adoptions cost more than $25,000.
• U.S. foster adoption is the least expensive adoption route, by a significant margin, with an average cost of less than $5,000.
• The average cost of an adoption from Korea is about $38,000.
• The average cost of an adoption from Ethiopia is about $28,000.
• The average cost of an adoption from China is about $29,000.
• The average cost of an adoption from Russia is about $50,000.
• 35 percent of domestic adopters had at least one "false start," in which adoptive parents worked with one or more birth mothers before a match that succeeded.
• The majority (71%) of "false starts" cost less than $5,000.

For many families these figures are overwhelming. The organizations spotlighted on this blog in April aid families in raising the funds they need to cover the cost of both domestic and international adoptions.