Preparation and Donations

I've spent most of the day trying to put some of our fundraising ideas into action. I sent an email out to my local friends for yard sale donations. We are going to have a yard sale on November 19-20, in just two weeks. We will also sell cookies and hot chocolate, and have a donation can and fliers out about Micah (thanks for that idea Marianne!). I created a donation can for Barry to take to work. I created my chip-in (look to the right!) And I read the first two chapters of "The Connected Child"... how touching!

I've been able to break down the adoption costs and hope this will help explain to our family and friends why it costs about $25,000 to adopt internationally (it's actually not that much more than domestic from what I hear).

Upfront costs (already being covered)
$2700 Homestudy process
$1275 Promise Trust Agreement and fees
$375 Passports for us and Fischer
$830-1000 Notary, postage, fingerprints, USCIS (INS) Process

Costs to get to Eastern Europe and bring Micah home
$8600 Facilitator fees (includes translation, attorneys, the whole team working in country)
$3500 Apartment and food for 5 weeks ($100/day)
$1500 In country travel (public tranportation - may be much less since we aren't traveling to multiple regions)
$600 Micah's passport
$550 US Immigration and medical
$4000-5000 Airline tickets (Us, Fischer, and Micah)
$1000 Miscellaneous cushion

$20,000 sounds like an awful lot of money to raise (and it is), but I broke it down to simpler terms so it can sound attainable to me. The donations can come in any number of ways. We can raise money through the yard sale, pancake breakfast, silent auction, babysitting, mini-photo sessions for Christmas, etc. We can also receive cash donations. If it were in cash donations only, any number of combinations is possible, but in the easiest way to think about it is simple division:

20 people donate $1,000, or
40 people donate $500, or
80 people donate $250, or
160 people donate $125, or
320 people donate $62.50, or
640 people donate, $31.25, or
1280 people donate, 15.63

I really don't think we know 640-1280 people, but if you could be so kind as to spread the word to everyone you know, we can accomplish this together! It's for a good cause to save a sweet child from an orphanage. If this was a selfish thing for us, I would NEVER ask for money. But since it is to save a life of a child who won't otherwise have an option at a normal way of life with a loving family, it is crucial that we ask for your help as our friends, to help us and be part of this journey with us. He will forever be a part of all of your lives as well! Thank you!

Love,
Shelly