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Tuesday, March 25, 2014

CURRENT FUNDRAISERS !! So many ways to help Create a Family !!

I realize I have been bombarding you with all the ways you can help us raise money for "little C" !  I thought it might help to have them all on one blog post! Click on the links to read the full details!!  Thank you for all the generous donations we have received so far!!

So, here are all of our current fundraisers!  We appreciate each and every dollar donated!  We are currently $1351 away from our full fee due the first week of April ! Now is a GREAT time to clear all the change out from under your cushions and help give "C" the home and family he deserves !!

Buy a T-Shirt ! (Designs being updated soon)!
STILL TAKING ORDERS!



T-Shirt Quilt Giveaway! ($10 or a "SHARE" on FaceBook or Twitter)
THIS Giveaway Has Ended!  THE WINNER WAS KELLY B.  !!
THANK YOU FOR ALL WHO PARTICIPATED!





LOCAL PEEPS - Dinner Raffle for Owensville, MO - Worth $200!   The dinner raffle has ended.  Thank you all who participated! We raised $240 ! The winner was chosen on March 30- Christina A.!

Buy a pair of ILY ASL earrings!
Our special discount for Omar's ILY Earrings has ended, however I have several pairs still for sale!  Earrings range between $10.00 and $15.00, Contact me via facebook or e-mail me at deenie_lds@hotmail.com

Thank you, Omar of ILY SIGNS!!

 
 
If you feel lead to support our family financially, you can always donate directly to:

Saturday, March 22, 2014

Uh Oh Safety Bands - Fundraiser!

This fundraiser has ENDED.
If there is enough interest we may resume it later!
THANKS for those who ordered!
 

These are a great idea in safety of ANYONE you care about- not just children! 

Those suffering from dementia or those who are older yet unable to speak or themselves can benefit greatly! 

Whether for personal use in your family, field trips or to warn of peanut or other allergies in schools or at camp these are a valuable addition to your parenting, educator, or personal safety kit!

COST:  $10.00 Each  / ($5.00 goes to our adoption!)
Order here: Uh Oh Bands Fundraisers
Enter: "bogota or bust" when checking out!

For every band you purchase 50% goes straight to "Little C" !

Simply click on the link above to order, and enter "Bogota or Bust" (bogotaorbust) at check out for the purchase to benefit our adoption.

They have Glow in the Dark version for camping and trick or treating!

If you are in education, you can buy a whole set for your classroom (ask about a discount for orders of more than 20) and put the school's number on the band.

School nurses, buy a few to have on hand for kiddos with allergies to wear during lunchtime or when the student has a substitute teacher!

Nursing homes or those who work with individuals who are unable to speak or remember vital information under pressure could use these! (Ask me about adult sizes!)

From the Uh Oh Safety Bands Website:
"Parents get misplaced at the grocery store, the mall, the beach, the amusement park, the kiddy park...and it's scary when you're little. So we designed Uh Oh Bands to give kids an easy way to let an adult know that they've gotten temporarily lost. 
Our simple, intuitive design uses the international symbol for first aid to send out a quick "call to action" to "call my mommy".  All you do is write your phone number on the back of the band.  It's simple and potentially life-saving!"
A few more things about our bands:
  • waterproof
  • durable
  • 100% silicone - that means they're latex allergen free!
  • comfortable
  • designed by a mom
  • GREAT for kids with autism and learning disabilities!!
  
THANK YOU FOR HELPING US CREATE OUR FAMILY !

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

The Power of Prayer

Donation from Anonymous! God 

i.e "love, your Father" or "I got this!"

As has become the norm around here the past several months, today has been a day of extreme highs and lows. The lows don't need to be mentioned right now because the highs are what remind me that our Father knows us each by name and knows what we need and how to provide it for us.  Today I had a personal spiritual fast dedicated to our adoption and to little C.  I kept a constant prayer in my heart and a spiritual focus on the overwhelming weight of this next fee and the current fundraising efforts, raffle, and our upcoming yard sale.  I prayed for guidance of how to make them successful and for stronger faith that He has this under control.  I don't typically share such private and personal things on such a public forum, but because we are now suddenly just $5.00 away from $6500 in our AT fund, I feel it is appropriate.  Another anonymous donor has followed their heart and reached out to bless little "C" with a large donation on the very eve I prayed for it.  And others prayed for it as well, I'm certain. Tomorrow morning I submit the grant request and I filled it out a few hours ago, requesting $6500, even though we only had $6120.  I knew we would get $6500.  My prayers have been answered and I can rest a little but easier tonight. Thank you to yet another adoption angel. I've come to read "Anonymous" now as "your Father" and it helps keep me from going crazy at not being able to thank the individual personally. My heart continues to be so full and I felt I should share. Thanks again to each and every person and each prayer said in our behalf.

Saturday, March 15, 2014

Our Next "THANK YOU" Giveaway... A Custom T-Shirt Quilt!

THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED!  The Winner was.... Kelly B. !!
Thank you for all those who donated and for Teresa for giving so much time and talent to make this quilt!  This fundraiser brought in over $500 toward Little C! We feel truly blessed!

I LOVE GIVEAWAYS!!  I know you all have your own bills and car repairs and kids' braces and student loans and numerous other financial obligations... so the fact that you choose to donate your hard-earned money to help create "Little C's" family and spread the word to others means a LOT to me!  I feel there are no words to thank each of you enough, so when we have something amazing we can offer as a HUGE "THANK YOU" it makes me feel we are giving something back!

In this case it is one of our cousins on my husband's side that is offering to give back for us!  Teresa Persell is a talented, award-winning quilter and she has generously offered to donate her time, talent, and materials to custom create a one-of-a-kind T-Shirt Quilt for one lucky person! 

Personalized quilts can cost well over $300 as most of you know!

We all have that box of t-shirts we've been saving... from various camps or colleges... favorite 70's rock bands... marathons you've competed in... fav sports teams... probably even adoption fundraisers!  You hate to toss them but they are long past their wearable size or state.  Or maybe you love all those vintage t-shirts in the thrift store but have no idea what to do with them?  Or perhaps you have thought of making your own t-shirt quilt and never gotten around to it?!   Well, here is your chance to score BIG TIME while doing something amazing for our Little C!

Here is an example (t-shirts with no sashing):

And here is a second example (t-shirts with sashing):

Your design will depend on how many t-shirts you submit to the quilting artist and how much sashing (the fabric stripes between t-shirts) you want.  She can use solid/coordinating fabric if you have fewer shirts you want featured.

Like in this one (only used 9 t-shirts):

Guidelines for T-Shirt Quilt:
  • Winner pays to ship their own t-shirts to Teresa Persell
  • Winner can choose any size quilt up to a double/full quilt. (Or agree on a price between you and Teresa to "upgrade" to a larger quilt).
  • Winner allows approximately 6 weeks between the day Teresa receives your t-shirts and completion of the quilt.

HOW DO I  SIGN UP ?
 
You can be included in the THANK YOU T-SHIRT QUILT GIVEAWAY by the following ways:

1)  Donate $10.00 to our Adopt Together grant fund and  leave comment including: "t-shirt quilt"

(If you choose to donate anonymously, that is OK, but then you need to send me an e-mail to deenie_lds@hotmail.com showing your donation receipt (I will honor your privacy)).  (With "Adopt Together" you will also have the option of keeping your name and/or private from the public, but I can still see it and there is no need to e-mail me).

OR

2)  Simply share this blog post or one of my FB posts regarding "T-Shirt Quilt Giveaway" on your FB page or blog! Be sure to let me know you've shared it!  You can also "tweet" it!

For every share and/or every $10.00 donated, your name will be added AGAIN to the T-Shirt Quilt Giveaway drawing!

When we have received $300 in **donations, we will draw a name!

CLICK HERE to Donate:
"Adopt Together- Greene Family" 

**Only donations with "t-shirts quilt" in their comment will count toward the giveaway amount.  Other anonymous or unrelated donations will not count toward the $300 goal unless contributor contacts me.  Our updated target is $7500 (currently we have raised $7245 toward our current need of $9000!).

This is an AMAZING KEEPSAKE!!!  Thank you TERESA PERSELL for your very GENEROUS offer !!!

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

LOCAL Owensville, Missouri Raffle!! FREE DINNER for a WEEK!

OUR DINNER RAFFLE HAS ENDED.
Our Raffle Raised $240 ! THANK YOU ALL!!

We are so grateful to all the restaurants who participated and all those residents who bought tickets and helped spread the word!


FREE DINNER for a WEEK RAFFLE!!

Tickets are $1.00 !

Here are the DETAILS:

COST:
$1.00 - 1 Entry
$10.00 - 11 Entries
$20.00 - 25 Entries!!

Winner gets ALL of the following:

$40 for Dos Primos
$25 for Twisters (Inside Thunder Alley Bowling Alley)
$25 for JNL's Bistro
$25 for Café Company
$25 for Swiss Meat Company
$20 for Panda Café
AND
Three Free Pizzas from Domino's Pizza in Owensville!

Sunday, March 9, 2014

TWO DAYS LEFT !!! The POWER of a DOLLAR!

HELLO! It's been two days since our profile has received any donations.  In two days we will be submitting our request to have whatever amount is in our Adopt Together profile sent directly to our agency, Heartsent Adoptions, in Orinda CA.  Currently that is an ASTONISHING $6120!  However our current invoice is for $8651, so we are still a little short.  

Can you please SHARE this link?!  Please see how many friends you can get to just give ONE DOLLAR!!  We are grateful for every drop in the bucket!  Can you please go to our Adopt Together profile and donate ONE DOLLAR?  Yes, just $1.00, four quarters, a stack of pennies.  Let's see if we can't hit our next big mark of $6500 with the power of one dollar!  JUST ONE DOLLAR at a time and we will bring this SWEET BOY home!!

And if you want to donate $10, your name will be entered in our drawing for a CUSTOM MADE T-SHIRT QUILT! 

Here is the link to donate:
Greene Family Adopt Together

Here are the details for the QUILT GIVEAWAY:
Greene Adoption- T-SHIRT QUILT GIVEAWAY

Thank You!! 

Saturday, March 8, 2014

And the Winner Is.....

... lucky number #28 !!  Laura! She is the winner of the ARTWORK GIVEAWAY and in case you are curious she chose THIS beautiful painting!


Please do not be discouraged!! Rumor has it there may be another chance to own some of Debbi's art in our fundraising future!

As of tonight, we have raised $3172 between the ARTWORK GIVEAWAY and our AUCTION!!  This is  HUGE amount!!! A sincere thanks to all those who have donated, whether through the auction or within the last few days.  The icing on the cake was an ANONYMOUS DONOR giving $1500 today!! Talk about shock and awe.  I really wish I knew who to thank- but ultimately it was our Heavenly Father who orchestrated everything and knew who would be inspired to bless this boy's life. That is the amazing thing... He always knows what we need and he has a way to provide it.  I am grateful to that special donor and EACH AND EVERY donor we have had. Thank you.

I am always blown away by the never-ending kindness of everyone.  The only thing that makes me a little sad is when people who simply can't give feel badly.  Can I please reassure you on behalf of myself and EVERY SINGLE adoptive parent I have had the pleasure of knowing that IT'S OKAY. We get it and no one, least of all me, is keeping tabs of who "should've" helped or whatever.  I think part of that comes from my own realization that we are all doing our best to fight our own battles and meet our own obligations. YOU are the only one who knows where your priorities need to be at this moment and where your resources are best needed.  You are the steward over your own sweet children or your pets, or your extended family, or your job, etc.  I am thrilled and grateful for every buck that comes our way, but I trust that you know what you can or can't or just simply are not moved or inspired to do with your hard earned money! So, let go of any guilt and just offer up a pray for us instead that someone who has the spare change WILL find out about our cause and pitch in if they're able!

So for our NEXT giveaway...  I'm thinking about one of my QUILTS!  What do you think?

While I think about that, we have a NEW FUNDRAISER!

It is geared for LOCAL OWENSVILLE residents-

FREE DINNER OUT FOR A WEEK!! $200 VALUE!

I love our town!!

More details to follow!

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Debbi Weitzell Original Art GIVEAWAY!!

This has me VERY excited!!  We are offering an AMAZING giveaway worth up to hundreds of dollars! 

A very talented and generous friend of mine has offered to giveaway ANY ONE of her paintings in support of our ADOPTION!  MARCH has become CRUNCH TIME for us!  We have received our Letter of Approval from the US CIS and now we are desperate to earn the funds to submit our dossier! ($8600) We need to do this within the next couple of weeks!

This is a GREAT INCENTIVE for you to pitch in whatever you can or help share our fundraising cause!  The winner will be able to choose any single painting from Debbi's website!

Click here to browse selection:
Debbi Weitzell Art - view giveaway options here!

Here is one of my personal favorites:
Pure Intelligence ~ Value: $150.00

Or this one!
Autumn Colors ~ Value: $250

But theses are just two of the choices, the winner can choose ANY available painting!  (I will cover the shipping costs).

How does the GIVEAWAY work?

When our ADOPT TOGETHER fund reaches $1500  (it is currently at $1036), we will give away a Debbi Weitzell original painting!

If you would like to be included you can do any of the following:

1)  Donate $5.00 to our Adopt Together grant fund and leave comment: "MARCH MADNESS"

OR

2) Simply share this blog post on your FB page or blog! Comment below "shared (#) times!"

For every share and/or every $5.00 your name will be added again to the free giveaway drawing!

CLICK HERE to Donate:
Adopt Together - Greene Family


Thank you Debbi!
 

Saturday, March 1, 2014

One Way to Donate or Pay for Auction Items: Our Adopt Together Profile


Greene "Adopt Together" Profile

This is the easiest way to contribute to our adoption or pay for auction items through a tax-deductible and reputable crowd-funding platform!  "Adopt Together" will later take all our donations and convert them to a grant they send directly to our Placement Agency (Heartsent Adoption, Inc., Orinda, CA.)

How Does "Adopt Together" work?
Watch This Video

The above LINK was one of the first videos I watched as I sat alone one night with "C's" profile in one hand and an empty checkbook in the other.  I was a full-time student, working part-time, my husband was putting in all the overtime he could just to help keep things steady while I finished school and looked for better employment.  I watched this video and I wept.  I mean seriously WEPT.  I have always had a hard time asking for help, especially monetary help, and yet the desire in my heart and the conviction that this was OUR SON was undeniable. I knew if this was to happen that we could not do it alone.  Yet I also knew there are hundreds of worthy causes out there and not enough people to help everyone out.  I knew there were personal struggles and financial difficulties many friends and family were each facing.  I knew we would be at the mercy of strangers in many ways if we were to make the commitment to apply and move forward.

As I sit here realizing how close we are, and knowing the biggest obstacle is a STACK of MONEY.  It is daunting and humbling but it is ONLY MONEY and it is POSSIBLE.  I re-watch this little video and I again weep.  I weep because I never thought we would make it this far.  I weep because we just finished a fundraising auction which (if everyone pays what they bid) will have raised more than TWICE what my HIGHEST DREAMS were.  It is HUMBLING. It is a MIRACLE. And it keeps me going.

I know that we will be blessed with the grants and money we need to bring our child home.  I haven't the foggiest idea HOW but I know we WILL.  We ask for your PRAYS and continued support as we continue to wait for GRANT results and APPLY for new ones; and prepare for our YARD SALE, and PRAY for GENROUS and ABLE DONORS to be part of this great cause.  We BELEIVE in PRAYER and we believe if we keep doing everything in our power first, that our Father in Heaven will meet us the rest of the way.  Just as He ALWAYS has.

 

 

USCIS APPROVAL!

OH HAPPY DAY!!

Well, we had been told we would receive an e-mail from Homeland Security/USCIS prior to receiving our hard copy, so when we went to the post office this morning to get boxes for our auction, I was rather shocked and honestly very nervous when my husband handed me a letter from Homeland Security.  I figured good news would have been received via e-mail as expected.  I literally had to catch my breath for a few minutes before even opening it. Then I had to re-read it several times to make sure it was in fact AN APPROVAL!! And it is!!  OH, HAPPY DAY!!!

What is the I-797? Why do you need it to adopt?

The I-797 is the decision Homeland Security makes after reviewing your I-800A application- which includes your home study, vital records, background checks, references (I think?) and the actual application.  The cost to submit the application was $790 for the application and $130 for the final round of fingerprinting ("biometrics").  A few weeks ago we received a letter (via our adoption agency) stating they needed additional clarification and specifically wanted to know where we stood with our Foster Care License.  At the time we didn't know because we had sort of been left hanging by DFS.  However, we were able to contact our social worker at DFS and she was able to talk with some people and we were then told we were approved for the DFS Foster care License for the state of Missouri!  This was awesome news although sort of a moot point since our path has taken a turn toward Bogota right now.  It was critical for CIS though to confirm we had not been denied or loss our license based on any negative reports or event or anything like that.  Our home study agency was then able to revise the home study with the updated license status and re-notarize it and fed ex to California so that our placement agency could send it to USCIS.

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services could then decide to accept and approve our application, or many times they send another round of questions. So we waited and crossed our fingers and prayed and tried not to worry about it.  :)

Now What?
Now we submit our dossier to Colombia!! First to be translated then to be reviewed and hopefully approved by the ICBF in Colombia. That approval would mean our official "referral" and once we accept it and commit to this sweet boy, we would set a travel date. The referral is also the point at which we have permission to share with the world our son's name and photos!

There were dozens upon dozens of steps and documents that were requested, paid for, collected, notarized and apostilled that make up the dossier.  If memory serves there were almost $700 in fees for notaries, apostilles and postage just for this step alone.

Our last step of our dossier is the photo album I am frantically trying to finish and our psychological evaluation report which is almost complete.

What the I-797 approval also means is that it is CRUNCH TIME for fundraising, grants, and raising money any which way possible.  We CANNOT submit our dossier until we have paid our next installment of over $8,000 to our agency.  We are PRAYING and WORKING and PRAYING and WORKING endlessly to make this happen as soon as possible! 

We cannot say enough how grateful we are for EACH person who has played a role in this HUGE undertaking! Every single dollar, every single prayer, every single token of kindness and encouragement has been invaluable. We thank you and we pray that you will in turn be blessed with what your hearts desire and need at this time. PLEASE keep SHARING our story and our fundraising events if you feel so inclined. You NEVER know who it make reach and who may be in a position to help bring this little boy to his HOME! Thanks!! :)