Transferred :-(

TRANSFERRED :-( That was the news I received just a couple of days ago about sweet Nanette.  Moved from the only home she had ever known, her baby house, and a good one at that, to a mental institution. Poor angel must have been so scared and confused. Why did she have to leave, but her friends we allowed to stay. Why was her orphanage director sad? It was because she loves each child at her baby house, and she did everything she could to keep Nanette there. However, the time came when she could no longer do that without a committed family. TRANSFERRED. :-(

A family visiting their son in Nanette's groupa just a short time ago, prior to the transfer, said she was so sweet and precious.  They were not able to photograph her too much, but here is her most recent photo.

Nanette is there on the right. Isn't she a doll?

Here are a few more pictures of Nanette over the past years at her baby house.

Can you see just how much this little girl deserves to know a momma and daddy? She is such a little love, and sadly, she has been transferred. The only good news about her transfer was that as far as institutions go, she evidently was moved to a decent one. Unfortunately, as if her chances of being adopted in country or into the US weren't low enough at the baby house, moving to the institution reduces her chances even more. :-(

Please join me in raising $ for Nanette's adoption grant fund through Reece's Rainbow.  Between November 1 and December 31, I am going to try to raise $1,000.00 plus dollars for her grant.  As of today, October 31, she has $4,436.00 in her fund. That is a great start, but an adoption in her region typically costs around $35K. These costs include travel and meals, and transportation in country. It includes fees. Lots and lots of fees both in her country and in the US.  Families are often very capable of taking care of a child, even one with Down Syndrome, once they return home, but adoption costs can stand in the way of committing and moving forward.

It is very common for people to fund raise for their adoptions! Not just adoptions of children with special needs or international adoption, but even domestic adopting families often fund raise to help cover costs. Although we are not adopting Nanette, although I so wish we could/were, raising money for her grant will make it possible for someone else to adopt her! So if you are unfamiliar with the world of adoption, fundraising and grant funds may seem foreign to you, but it is really common. Many organizations offer grants and money toward adoptions.

So please, please, please PLEASE!!!! Help me raise funds for Nanette will ya?  Stay tuned for all of the crazy things I plan to do to try and get people to help me meet my goal of $1,000 for Nanette! The donation period starts tomorrow!!! I cant wait!

My 2012 Angel Tree Angel-"Nanette"

I am so excited this year to have "Nanette" as my 2012 Reece's Rainbow Angel Tree angel! This little sweetie has been heavy on my heart for a while now, and I would love NOTHING more for Christmas than to see her grant grow at least the $1,000.00 that I pledged to raise for her this holiday season. If we surpassed that goal, I would be FLOORED!

Last year, toward the end of the Angel Tree, I saw Nanette. I saw Nanette at the bottom of the tree. Sweet girl was one of the very last children to reach her $1,000.00 holiday goal. I "bumped" her account many times trying to help her reach the next level on the tree. I stared at her photo and wondered why she was last? Why was no one donating to her? How do you see that sweet face and read her sweet description and not want to help her reach and surpass her goal?! This year, I sincerely hope that Nanette will be one of the first to the top of the Angel Tree and not the last.

What I hope even more is that someone, somewhere sees their daughter in her eyes. I hope that someone sees her sweetness and reads her story and decides to donate to her. She is currently at a baby house where the children are very well cared for and loved by their director. Many, many of her friends in her groupa have been adopted or have families working to adopt them. Yet, Nanette waits.

Please help me make it easier for a family to come forward for her. Her region is expensive. Very expensive. $45,000.00 + expensive. Why? A lot of negative people like to say adopting internationally is "buying" a child. However, I will say that so much of the money needed for adoption simply has to do with USA fees, her country fees and then travel. Think about it? Her country requires three trips. How much would it cost you to fly to Eastern Europe 3 times? Her country now requires families to do a lot of adoption training and some of it must be done in her country. So...more $ because people have to have somewhere to stay and must eat. So add country fees both ours and hers, travel expenses for three trips, and basic necessity while there, it gets pricey!

Reece's Rainbow offers grants for families to help ease the costs of rescuing these children. Unlike some other adoption grant non-profits, Reece's Rainbow holds the funds until the family is approved by their child's country and has been given travel dates. Therefore, you can rest assured that your money will not be handed over without everything being in line for the adoption to be completed. Could something come up? Absolutely. But Reece's Rainbow does the best that they can to carefully distribute the grant funds so that no money is spent unnecessarily. For a child like Nanette, a child with no family committed to her yet, the grant amount could basically make the difference between whether or not a family does commit. Seeing a large amount of money in a grant especially when a country and region is so expensive, can make a huge difference. Do families commit in these expensive regions even when grants are low. Yes. Sometimes. But, do families NOT commit because the grant funds are low. Sadly. Yes. Many families must not pursue children they love due to funds. "MY" Nanette waits, and I have very little doubt that a lot of it has to do with her grant fund being low.

For all of you naysayers and negative Nellie's who say, "You are buying children," or "A family shouldn't adopt if they don't have the funds," or "How will they afford the child when they get home if they cannot afford the adoption," keep your negativity to yourselves. Nobody is buying a child.

Families step forward to adopt for all sorts of reasons. For some it is a step in faith. A belief that God has called us to care for widows and orphans. And he has. It is in the Bible. Plain and simple. Black and white. Numerous times. The money argument....Do you have $45K laying around? I am guessing unless you are really lucky, that you do not. Would you find a way to get $45K if it meant the life of your child? Would you stop because people think you cant afford it? That is how these families feel. They fall in love with their child. After that, the mission is clear. Save them at all costs. Families humble themselves and ask for your help and donations because they are trying to rescue THEIR child. Just as you would rescue yours.

Many families have plenty of ability to care for their children once they are home. In fact, home study social workers,agencies, government officials in both the US and adopting country, make sure these families are capable of caring for their children when they come home. There are financial and insurance requirements for these families before they can even begin the process.

SO....that is that.

I am sorry this post is so long, but I will wrap it up with sharing some of the ideas I have for raising $ for Nanette.
1) You can just donate! Beginning November 1, any donations made to Nanette count toward her Angel Tree goal of $1,000.00. I will be the first to donate. You can donate ANY amount!!! There is no minimum, and all amounts help. Just think about how quickly it could add up! If just 100 people donate $10.00, her goal is met! If just 50 people donate $20.00, her goal is met. Get what I'm saying?! IF you would like to receive her ornament, you will need to make a donation of $35 or more though. :-)
2)I will be hosting a Noonday Collection party where a percentage of sales from the party will be donated to Nanette's grant account. Do not order from this link. In just a week or so, I will be posting information on how to order from Nanette's party so that the % will be donated to her grant. (Noonday Collection is an absolutely amazing company! Read all about it via the link above.)
3)Pies to the face! Yes folks!!! I am going to let the girls throw pies in my face, video it, and post them on YouTube, this blog and Facebook for certain dollar amounts we reach.
4)Hair coloring. I am willing to dye my hair for Nanette....and go out in public with it dyed! More information to come. :-)
5)Last, I may offer babysitting while my kiddos are at school. I am willing to give up my free time and my holiday shopping time to give you yours for a very reasonable price! All funds raised will be donated to Nanette!!!
6)I am starting a little side job as a mock patient for med students, and I plan on donating all funds raised in November and December to Nanette. This child matters to me. Please help me raise her grant, raise awareness, and hopefully ultimately find her a family!!!