Things are moving so quickly this time around. We were submitted January 22, 2015 and normally would travel 4-6 weeks after that, but we are traveling February 8, 2015. So, so excited!!! But also nervous as heck cause we don't have all the funding we need for this first trip. We have fundraisers going and we thought we were due to travel mid March, giving us plenty of time to raise more funds and get more grants.
We have an offer from an organization called Angels in Disguise and they are willing to donate $2,500 to our agency account, but there is a catch. They will only donate if another company or organization will donate the same amount, making the total donation $5,000. This would be just enough to get us to the limit for the first trip. Prayers are being sent up to God and he is listening, we will get the funding. We are trusting in him.
Maureen's Birthday is February, we just don't know what day. I think God gave us travel dates so much earlier than expected because he wants us to be with her on her special day, so she will not be alone when she turns the big 2!!
If you have a company and want to help or know someone who does, email me at shawnandlola@ntin.net and I will put you in contact with Penny from Angels in Disguise to arrange the matching donation.
Thank you to everyone who has donated on behalf of baby Maureen!! God bless you.
Friday, January 30, 2015
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Final part of fundraiser....
Here is the last part of our fundraiser. Again thank you to the wonderful Peterson family who have opened their hearts and spent a lot of time fundraising for Maureen.
We are selling T-shirts in honor of World Down Syndrome Day (March 21, 2015) and Autism Awareness Month (April). Deadline to place order is March 1st, this leaves plenty of time for printing and mailing. After all shirts are printed and mailed out, proceeds will be donated to the FSP showing total amount collected from sales.
To order: paypal $12.00 + $2.00 shipping to shawnandlola@ntin.net please indicate name and mailing address, design shirt you want and size.
Sizes offered: Adult XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL and youth S, M, L, XL
We are selling T-shirts in honor of World Down Syndrome Day (March 21, 2015) and Autism Awareness Month (April). Deadline to place order is March 1st, this leaves plenty of time for printing and mailing. After all shirts are printed and mailed out, proceeds will be donated to the FSP showing total amount collected from sales.
To order: paypal $12.00 + $2.00 shipping to shawnandlola@ntin.net please indicate name and mailing address, design shirt you want and size.
Sizes offered: Adult XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL and youth S, M, L, XL
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Please give Maureen a snuggle today!!!
~SNUGGLES FOR MAUREEN~ By Diana Richie
Help Snuggle Maureen by purchasing a blanket square for $5. Each square purchased is actually going towards a blanket that I will be making for her and sending to the Walter family when it is complete. Please share the snuggles!!
Donate here: http://reecesrainbow.org/84982/sponsorwalter-2
Forward donation receipt here: embracingmiracles@comcast.net
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Help Snuggle Maureen by purchasing a blanket square for $5. Each square purchased is actually going towards a blanket that I will be making for her and sending to the Walter family when it is complete. Please share the snuggles!!
Donate here: http://reecesrainbow.org/84982/sponsorwalter-2
Forward donation receipt here: embracingmiracles@comcast.net
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Fundraiser part one!!!
Thanks to the Peterson family, they are making these beautiful bracelets to sell with all proceeds going directly to our FSP. Price $12, adult or child size. If you would like to purchase then click the donate link on the right of this blog, make the donation and then forward a copy of your paypal confirmation email to shawnandlola@ntin.net along with your name, address and which size bracelet. Not only will you get a beautiful bracelet, but Reece's Rainbow will send you a receipt at the end of the year for your taxes.
Thursday, January 15, 2015
Fundraiser coming soon!!!
Stay tuned for our upcoming fundraiser. Another family was generous enough to offer their help in putting together a tshirt fundraiser, so we can try and reach our goal. Details to follow very soon!
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Great news...
Our FBI background checks have been apostilled, are being picked up today and sent via federal express to a family heading to Eastern Europe this weekend. This is the last document needed to complete our dossier. We have confirmation that our dossier will be submitted on Thursday January 22nd instead of the 29th, so very excited about that. We will travel anywhere from 4-6 weeks after submission, so we could actually travel as early as the end of February.
On a sad note, there was a child listed on Reece's Rainbow who was in an orphanage in Eastern Europe and she passed away. It is hard to see these children suffering and being left unloved with no mommy and daddy. They have not done anything to deserve this kind of treatment, they did not ask to be born, but yet because they are born with a disability the parents decide they are not worthy of love. So sad.
On a sad note, there was a child listed on Reece's Rainbow who was in an orphanage in Eastern Europe and she passed away. It is hard to see these children suffering and being left unloved with no mommy and daddy. They have not done anything to deserve this kind of treatment, they did not ask to be born, but yet because they are born with a disability the parents decide they are not worthy of love. So sad.
Monday, January 12, 2015
New week, new update!!
Today is Monday January 12, 2015. Our FBI background checks will be picked up on Wednesday and sent via federal express to the family that is hand carrying them to Eastern Europe. They are leaving on the 19th, so the last piece of our Dossier will be delivered on January 20, 2015. Then we wait to be submitted, we are hoping this will be January 29, 2015.
We need to have our FSP read $10,000 in order to make our first trip in March. It shows $1,030 so we just need another $9,000 and we can go! Please find it in your hearts to help us make this happen for baby Maureen. She needs a family and she needs out of the orphanage so she does not get transferred to the adult mental institution. The following link is to a story that Diane Sawyer did about these precious children and what happens to them when they are transferred
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/utah-family-saves-ukraine-girl-15236476
We know first hand the amazing difference that will be made in Maureens life. When we first brought Arielle home from the orphanage she was 1 year old and just laid on the floor on her back and did nothing and she only weighed 12 pounds, she was severely malnourished. She hardly even smiled. Now we have been home five months and she is a totally different baby. She weighs around 20 pounds, she is 16 months old, she crawls, she laughs all the time, she plays with toys and her sisters, she is pulling up to tables and things trying to stand and before we know it she will be walking. All things that she would have never done in an orphanage being kept in a bed 24/7 and had she been transferred, if she made it that long, she would have died very quickly.
Maureen needs heart surgery just like Arielle did, we need to get her home, get the surgery she needs and give her the opportunity to thrive and grow and have a wonderful life!
We need to have our FSP read $10,000 in order to make our first trip in March. It shows $1,030 so we just need another $9,000 and we can go! Please find it in your hearts to help us make this happen for baby Maureen. She needs a family and she needs out of the orphanage so she does not get transferred to the adult mental institution. The following link is to a story that Diane Sawyer did about these precious children and what happens to them when they are transferred
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/utah-family-saves-ukraine-girl-15236476
We know first hand the amazing difference that will be made in Maureens life. When we first brought Arielle home from the orphanage she was 1 year old and just laid on the floor on her back and did nothing and she only weighed 12 pounds, she was severely malnourished. She hardly even smiled. Now we have been home five months and she is a totally different baby. She weighs around 20 pounds, she is 16 months old, she crawls, she laughs all the time, she plays with toys and her sisters, she is pulling up to tables and things trying to stand and before we know it she will be walking. All things that she would have never done in an orphanage being kept in a bed 24/7 and had she been transferred, if she made it that long, she would have died very quickly.
Maureen needs heart surgery just like Arielle did, we need to get her home, get the surgery she needs and give her the opportunity to thrive and grow and have a wonderful life!
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Overnight couriers...
Well now I know from experience to always use federal express if you want a guaranteed delivery time for a letter or package. We received our FBI background checks yesterday via UPS, I paid extra to receive them like that so I would have a guarantee of arrival that day. Little did I know they can take all day to bring it to you. UPS showed up at my door at 10:30 pm with my documents. Obviously not in time for me to overnight them to DC for delivery today!! Anyways I am off to overnight via federal express our FBI background checks to DC for apostille. We are supposed to receive them back next week, guaranteed!
All of our other documents were delivered to a family traveling in the next few days to Eastern Europe and they will hand deliver the to our legal team. Almost there as far as documents go.
On another note, we still need to get donations or earn money some how to fund this adoption. I am working on letters to mail out to people and organizations in an attempt to gain donations. We are selling items we have to try and make some money and hopefully we will be having a fund raiser very soon, to earn more! God has this under control.
All of our other documents were delivered to a family traveling in the next few days to Eastern Europe and they will hand deliver the to our legal team. Almost there as far as documents go.
On another note, we still need to get donations or earn money some how to fund this adoption. I am working on letters to mail out to people and organizations in an attempt to gain donations. We are selling items we have to try and make some money and hopefully we will be having a fund raiser very soon, to earn more! God has this under control.
Friday, January 2, 2015
Quick exciting update.....
Just received an email that our FBI background checks are completed and being sent UPS 2nd day air today. So they will arrive here on Tuesday, then I can turn around and overnight them to Washington DC and get them apostilled. Looks like the last of our documents will be ready to travel to Eastern Europe by around the 15th!!!!
Thank you Lord for the quick processing!!
Thank you Lord for the quick processing!!
Thursday, January 1, 2015
Happy New Year to all.....
Today is the first day of a new year, one that will be prosperous and full of love and joy! Speaking of Joy, we have decided to name Maureen, "Arianna Joy" to match our already home "Arielle Grace" so we will have Arielle and Arianna! Perfect twin girl names, since they are only 6 months apart in age.
To the persons who have donated to our FSP on Reece's Rainbow, thank you so much, we love and appreciate all your help. No matter how little or how big the donation, it is another step to our goal. I sat down and figured out we will need right about $10,000 when we travel in mid to late March. We still have plenty of time to meet this goal. If everyone will share our blog or our profile on Reece's Rainbow with their friends, we could meet this goal pretty quickly. Internet is the best and quickest way to spread the word.
On another note, I have drafted my letter that I plan to send out to a few select people from the top 15 super rich who donate to worthy causes. First it is being reviewed and edited by a friend who writes for a living, thank you Stacey!! My goal is to get them into the mail by Monday at the latest and then sit back and wait.
Our new year has started with a very cold icy day and we live in North Texas. We don't normally have ice and snow, but it has chosen to grace us with its presence, so we are staying in doors, well except my husband is working today. The girls and I are playing games and dress up and having a blast. I think I forgot to mention that we started a new Christmas tradition this year, so instead of buying a bunch of toys that never get played with, we decided to have one Santa gift and then four gifts that meet the "something I want, need, wear and read" categories. It turned out fantastic and the girls we still happy, even without a bunch of toys. I do have to share that our oldest girl, Natalie, who is 6 years old, woke up at 4:00 am, came to our room with a flashlight and said Santa came! I quickly told her it was way too early to get up yet and to lay down with us in bed, so she did. After she got all comfy, she said, I feel better now and I said why, what was wrong. She said when I went to bed last night I was very worried that I might be on Santa's naughty list! But she was relieved to see there was a toy for her from Santa. Children are so precious and their stories are so pure and true, I love all my kids so much and enjoy each and every moment of every day. I don't take any day for granted, cause I know life can be short and you can miss out on a lot and its the little things that count!!
Have great New Year and enjoy your little things in life, they will bring you much joy if you allow them too!!
To the persons who have donated to our FSP on Reece's Rainbow, thank you so much, we love and appreciate all your help. No matter how little or how big the donation, it is another step to our goal. I sat down and figured out we will need right about $10,000 when we travel in mid to late March. We still have plenty of time to meet this goal. If everyone will share our blog or our profile on Reece's Rainbow with their friends, we could meet this goal pretty quickly. Internet is the best and quickest way to spread the word.
On another note, I have drafted my letter that I plan to send out to a few select people from the top 15 super rich who donate to worthy causes. First it is being reviewed and edited by a friend who writes for a living, thank you Stacey!! My goal is to get them into the mail by Monday at the latest and then sit back and wait.
Our new year has started with a very cold icy day and we live in North Texas. We don't normally have ice and snow, but it has chosen to grace us with its presence, so we are staying in doors, well except my husband is working today. The girls and I are playing games and dress up and having a blast. I think I forgot to mention that we started a new Christmas tradition this year, so instead of buying a bunch of toys that never get played with, we decided to have one Santa gift and then four gifts that meet the "something I want, need, wear and read" categories. It turned out fantastic and the girls we still happy, even without a bunch of toys. I do have to share that our oldest girl, Natalie, who is 6 years old, woke up at 4:00 am, came to our room with a flashlight and said Santa came! I quickly told her it was way too early to get up yet and to lay down with us in bed, so she did. After she got all comfy, she said, I feel better now and I said why, what was wrong. She said when I went to bed last night I was very worried that I might be on Santa's naughty list! But she was relieved to see there was a toy for her from Santa. Children are so precious and their stories are so pure and true, I love all my kids so much and enjoy each and every moment of every day. I don't take any day for granted, cause I know life can be short and you can miss out on a lot and its the little things that count!!
Have great New Year and enjoy your little things in life, they will bring you much joy if you allow them too!!
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