Give-away for Vinnie! Sep 1-18th!

Take a look at Vinnie's grant on Reece's Rainbow. $4000! Isn't that incredible! God has been generous! If a family was ready to adopt Vinnie, but didn't have the thousands required to pay his ransom, that's a big bite out of it! The total cost to bring him home is about $22,000. I would love to knock another piece out of that mountain. Donate to Vinnie's fund and be part of our great giveaway or click on over to the silent auction (selling handy-man services, construction services, and more!).

PLEASE - double check that i know how to contact you! At least one donor has an old email address and has not commented, so I don't know how to contact you if you (probably) win a prize!

Giveaway details:

• Each dollar donated will give you one chance to receive a gift!
• Each place you share this giveaway (twitter, blogs, facebook, etc.) will grant you another five chances!
• Our goal is to raise $1000!
• The give-away will end September 18th, 2011 at midnight.

More donations = more gifts:

• If less than $100 is donated, we will give away one of the Thermal Totes by "31 Gifts"
• If $100-$149 is donated, we will give away the $100 Best Buy gift card.
  
• Every additional $50 donated will add one or more items to be given away, depending on the value of the item(s). The order of gifts to be given is yet to be determined, but we will be fair! Remember, if $1000+ is donated, all prizes will definitely be given away!
  
• Only one prize per person!

How To Participate:

1. Donate and/or electronically share.
2. Leave one comment for each thing you've done. (donated, shared on facebook, twitter, etc. You do not have to state how much you donated in the comments)
3. If you have additional questions, check the FAQ at the bottom of this blog post

Your prizes!:

$100 Best Buy Gift Card

$50 Amazon.com Gift Card

$50 Gift Card to place of your choice (must be able to purchase online for you)

Stunning purse or tote by Tote-Ally Blessed w/ magnetic snap and inside pocket
13"W x 16"H (plus handles)

Lovely Fall Mesh and Fabric Tote by Saint Child

Large Diaper Bag - Purchased in Beijing by Morning Star Project
Very attractive silky black

TWO Prayer Shawls (like this but with fancier scalloped edge)
 

MP3 Bible on 4 cds - ESV - Like New

See it and Sign it - Introduction to ASL

SET: Two adoption memory books:
Baby Book for Adopted Children
and Adoption Journal

31 Gifts Thermal Tote - 14.5” L, 9.5” H, 4.5” D
Floral Celebration

31 Gifts Thermal Tote - 14.5” L, 9.5” H, 4.5” D
Botanical Lace

31 Gifts Thermal Tote - 14.5” L, 9.5” H, 4.5” D
Harvest Floral

31 Gifts Thermal Tote - 14.5” L, 9.5” H, 4.5” D
Circle Spiral

Wet bag by Assunta Store to support Little Flower Project
Snow Leopard Pattern - with extra zippered pocket

Wet bag by Assunta Store to support Little Flower Project
Cow Print Pattern - with extra zippered pocket
(Folded in photo - same size as Snow Leopard)

 

Cute crocheted bag - 10"W x 16"H
Pastel Stripes

Cute crocheted bag - 10"W x 16"H
Blue 'Floral'

Cute crocheted bag - 10"W x 16"H
Light Blue

Cute crocheted bag - 10"W x 16"H
Pink Stripes

Cute crocheted bag - 10"W x 16"H
Pink and Brown

FAQ:

1. How to donate?

Click on the chipin on the sidebar. Donations are through paypal. You can use your credit/debit card without having a paypal account. If you would like to donate by check, let us know that you're participating in the giveaway and write Vinnie on the subject line before mailing it to:

Reece's Rainbow
PO Box 4024
Gaithersburg, MD 20885

2. How to find out if you are being given a prize?

I will notify the winners by email and also post the winners on the blog not long after the fundraiser closes.

3. Do I pay shipping for my prize?

We are going to pay the cost to ship the prizes to the winners. If you would like to help cover the cost of shipping or if you are local, let us know!

4. Can I donate an item?

Yes, you can! We can do another giveaway later or we can add it to this fundraiser right now! Thank you!

5. How do I contact you?

Email us at davis.adopt@gmail.com

Lost

I don't think I can ever express what those days were like, the days when we had to decide if we were going to adopt Vinnie. We were overseas visiting our son Jordan and it had only been a little over a week since our son James died. We were raw. Hurting. In a foreign country. Separated from our children at home.

And near the end of our journey, we drove up outside Vinnie's orphanage. We had already agonized over whether to add another second child to our adoption. On my face on our bed, my soul had groaned. There are just no words, friends, to describe what it is like to consider abandoning a child. It doesn't matter how good the reasons are... there just are no words.

So there we were, with literally aching hearts, parked outside of Vinnie's orphanage in 90+ degree heat, looking up at the cribs on the balconies of the orphanage. (to keep cooler than inside) We had done our best to let go of Vinnie, to let him rest in God's hands... but here we were, so close to him. Only our facilitator was permitted inside, so we waited while they visited with the caretakers and with Vinnie, taking the precious photos and videos that we hoped would help him find a family to keep forever.

They came out smiling. Beaming, they told us how adorable he was, how very active and how social he was. They told us that the caretakers were so happy that he had found a family in us and they told him that his mama and papa were outside. Break my heart again! Oh, sweet Vinnie, we fell on our knees for you again to ask God if couldn't we be please your family!!!?

The Lord told us we were meant to adopt James, who went home with Him. Our Father led us to Jordan and has continued to confirm him in our spirits. As much as our earthly hearts and minds groaned and desired to bring home this boy, this son, Vinnie... the Lord would not give our spirits peace about adopting him. Although it would have been easier emotionally to adopt him, we would be jumping into difficult waters (having two young children and bringing home two more young children with special needs) without the confirmation that we were in God's will.

We felt His comfort when we said, "Ok God, we will leave him to Your plan... But God, we won't stop praying that you have a plan and a future for Vinnie!" Nothing was easier for us, the physical ache did not pass... but deep in our spirits we had faith in God's plan.

And so we got home. And it's been two months and nobody has promised to love Vinnie. People have inquired about him, praise God! I pray that he will find a family soon. I pray that his life will touch many hearts for orphans, for adoption.

A family could adopt Will at the same time as Vinnie and incur no additional fees. (just an additional VISA and plane ticket home!) A family could adopt Vinnie with Valenz and incur only small fees. And there are others he could be adopted with. Other waiting children. Other children lost to the world. What a blessing they could be to us.

Don't let Vinnie be sent to a mental institution. Adopt. Share. Sponsor his grant.

Fundraiser launches tomorrow morning!

Can't Wait!

I can't wait until the giveaway begins on Thursday! We have such great things! There's an auction going on for Vinnie at our family blog at the same time!

You can enter for the drawing by just sharing this giveaway. If you can donate, it's only $1 per donation! We have gift cards, totes, and more! Here's a teaser... see you Thursday!

Giveaway Update!

Ok! I am warming up for a fundraiser for Vinnie! LAUNCH DAY: September 1, 2011 (Just one week from Thursday!)

I have a nice stack of great prizes! We're going to set tiers for the fundraiser... the more donations received, the more prizes can be given! Also, because the prize types range far and wide, I am considering granting the winners first choice, second choice, third choice, etc. from the prize pool. That way, if you can't use a gift (because it's local, for example) - then you have the option of choosing what you really want!

Each dollar donated will enter you to win one of the prizes. Be sure to comment and let me know when you have donated so I can be sure to have your email address.

There are ALSO FREE entries! For those who share the giveaway with their friends... details to follow... I may also have a separate prize just for one of the people who shares this giveaway via facebook, twitter, etc. (a comment will need to be left to tell me each time somebody shares the giveaway)

Thanks all! See you on September 1st!


A few items on the prize list:
$100 Best Buy gift card
Awesome diaper bags and other bags/totes
Baby books
Photo sessions
Prayer Shawl
and more!

Fundraiser updates

Hello!

We are pretty swamped with immediate family needs and getting sick... but the fundraisers will happen! We're still planning on having a bake sale and having an online sale. I don't know for sure when they'll be. My hope is that they will happen when the school year starts in September. I don't like Vinnie to be kept waiting. But I must place my immediate family first.

Please contribute to his grant or to his fundraiser if you can!

God bless and we'll be in touch...

Reece's Rainbow Grants: Secure?

A very important question you may have about Vinnie's Adoption grant: What happens if things go wrong? What if he is adopted in country, or by anybody who is not connected by Reece's Rainbow? What if his country decides he's unadoptable? What if he gos to be with Jesus like James... and no longer needs a grant to have a familiy?

Good question. The answer?
"<em>It is given to another child if it is a waiting child grant and the child becomes unavailable. We always try to choose another child with the same disability, same age and same country if possible. If it is a child that had been selected by a family, the family would be able to choose another child and keep the grant (but only if the child is truly not available, not if they just decide to pick a different kid or different country program).</em>"  ~<a href="mailto:shele337@yahoo.com">Shelley </a>with <a href="http://reecesrainbow.org">Reece's Rainbow</a>

Furthermore, when a child turns six years old, they enter the older child section of Reece's Rainbow and no longer have their own individual grant. In this case, I believe their grant goes to the "Older Child Grant" fund on Reece's Rainbow. At no time does the grant get absorbed by the staff at Reece's Rainbow.

Note: All donations made to grants have 10% taken to help keep Reece's Rainbow functioning. We have confidence in this organization.

***We have received a few fabulous donations for Vinnie's fundraiser, but we are still accepting more! We will continue accepting donations until I have time to contact some businesses to request donations of gift cards. I hope to have the fundraiser before the end of August. So if you had something you wanted to donate, don't wait! Let me know soon!

First Blog - A Call to Action!

We met Vinnie last month (well, we sat in the car while Elena went inside the orphanage with our camera since we did not have permission). We were given the opportunity to adopt him at the same time as we adopt our son Jordan. You see, our first referral, James, passed away on June 10th and there was a great hole in our lives. But Vinnie is not going to come home with us.

And we grieve for him.

We grieve that he has lost these years without a family. We rejoice that God has a plan for him and we cling to the belief that Vinnie has a Mommy and Daddy that are out there looking for him. Our job? Our job is to help as much as we can to take away the financial mountain that stands between him and his family.


Vinnie is 3 1/2 years old. He lives in an orphanage in Eastern Europe. Why? Because he was born with Down Syndrome. He is less than 20 pounds and he desperately needs a family to call him son and then dote on him as the title requires. He doesn’t have his whole life to wait. He will only be in his current orphanage for another year or two and then he will be moved to a poorer home… either an orphanage for older children or a mental institution. No child deserves the conditions there.

But there is hope! Help us raise money for his adoption grant. We would like to hold an online fundraiser… an auction or a “virtual yard sale” and also a giveaway where people purchase chances to win. Later, we will have a bake sale.

All proceeds will go directly to his tax-deductible adoption grant.

Would you consider donating items with a craigslist/resale value of $10 or more to the sale? Items that ship well are the ideal. (books, movies, jewelry, crocheted clothing, boxed games, unwanted gift cards… anything!) 

(You can also do what a sweet friend is doing if you have something to donate, but it's too big to ship. Solution: Sell the item yourself (on craigslist?) and donate the proceeds to his grant.)

Please contact us with questions or to donate items.

Please share this invitation with anybody who might be interested in participating! We will need enough people participating to pull this off!

To view Vinnie’s adoption grant, click here: http://reecesrainbow.org/v​innie-21-6

Please Note: You do NOT have to be local. Email me a photo and description of the item you would like to donate and we will ship the item directly from your home to the purchaser. All profits of the sales go to Vinnie’s grant. Shipping will be paid by Brian and I or by you, if you choose to support the fundraiser in that way.

Contributions so far:

• $100 gift card to Best Buy
• Custom Hole Drilling service
• A personal Photo session
• New, unopened board game
• Gorgeous purse/tote by Tote-Ally Blessed
• I will also be approaching some local businesses to see if anybody is willing to donate other products or gift cards. If you have a business or… work somewhere… do you have a product or service you can donate to help Vinnie’s mommy and daddy bring him home?