Meet Chance, Chase, and Chloe

In April, we invited you to help Chloe's adoptive parents bring her two brothers, Chase and Chance, home from China. Once Ron and Vicki learned that their daughter had two siblings, they acted fast to adopt them before they grew too old to be adopted.

Generous donors helped to fund a $7,500 grant so that Ron and Vicki would not have to shoulder this burden alone. We are thrilled to let you know that Chase and Chance have officially joined Chloe in their forever family.

The three siblings have spent the summer getting to know their parents and other new siblings. They are also working on their English and learning more about what it means to be kids with parents looking out for them.

All three siblings are happy to be in school. They are fortunate to have teachers who are dedicated to helping them with their transition.


Vicki shares one of her favorite memories, the day the three siblings were reunited: "I can still recall getting that first glimpse of the boys! In the hotel lobby they came with the biggest smiles ever. They looked so incredibly happy, they couldn't stop smiling. It was all over their faces how thrilled they were that we had come back for them. Like a dream come true."

Birth Siblings

One of the funding priorities of Gift of Adoption is to unite biological siblings in the same home or prevent them from being separated. Last year, 15% of Gift of Adoption grants helped keep or unite biological siblings together in one caring and loving home. Adoptive Families magazine has a great article this month that speaks to the importance of birth siblings growing up together. Read the article here and then read about a recent Gift of Adoption grant that helped united Chloe with her brothers Chance and Chase.



We look forward to sharing photos and updates about Chloe's reunion with Chance and Chase with you soon.

Meet Vialancia, Jean & Jeanette

A month ago we invited you to be a part of funding the grant that would bring Haitian orphans Vialancia, Jean, & Jeanette home to Thomas and Amy's family after their adoptions were expedited following the devastating earthquake in January.

Thanks to the generous support of many, Gift of Adoption reached its grant goal of $7,000 on February 26. We are excited to share with you that all three children are now safely at home with their family in Fort Calhoun, Nebraska.

Amy and Thomas were expecting to fly to Miami in early February to bring all three children home at the same time. Vialancia and Jeanette were successfully boarded on a flight from Haiti to Miami, but Jean has been left behind due to a delay in processing his paperwork.

After returning to Nebraska with the girls, Thomas flew back to Miami a week later to bring Jean home.

The whole family is now adjusting to their new routines. Amy recently shared, "The first time the whole family went to church together it really hit me. We had been going to church as a family of four for three years. It was super emotional to be in the church as a family of seven. I looked down the pew at the rest of my family and saw that Mary Beth (13), Anna (11) and Thomas were all teary eyed. Without words, we all felt the significance of the event."

The family extends their heartfelt thanks to everyone who helped to bring Vilancia, Jean & Jeanette home through their generous donations, "Quite honestly, I don't know how we could have made this happen without this grant. We thought we would have three years to save but then the earthquake brought them home in a matter of weeks."

The family's story was recently featured in two local newspapers. Click the links below to read more:
Omaha World-Herald
Washington County Pilt-Tribune & Enterprise

Haiti

The enormous tragedy in Haiti will have unknown effects on Haiti's international adoption program. As the number of newly orphaned children becomes known and as Americans come together to help in whatever way they can, there may be an increase in the number of families considering adoption from Haiti. If you are considering adopting from Haiti but are concerned the financial obstacle may be too large to overcome, Gift of Adoption may be able to help.

Gift of Adoption is a national charitable organization that inspires adoption by providing grants to qualified parents – giving children who need families a permanent home and a chance to thrive. Our focus is on giving children in need of families a chance to thrive. In doing so, we do not consider an applicant’s race, marital status, age, or religion in determining grant awards, only that they are qualified (as evidenced by a home study from a COA accredited agency), demonstrate financial need and have shown a commitment to funding the adoption on their own. Gift of Adoption awards adoption assistance grants monthly and our international grants program prioritizes grants that will help complete the adoptions of biological siblings into the same home, children who are in danger of aging out of an orphanage system, and children who have life-threatening medical conditions.

Gift of Adoption accepts grant requests from applicants adopting internationally from non-Hague Convention on Adoption member countries, such as Haiti, provided the adoptions are facilitated by a COA accredited agency. A full listing of COA accredited agencies can be found on the U.S. State Department's Intercountry Adoption website. Gift of Adoption funding criteria and priorities are outlined on our website.

For more information about adoptions from Haiti and current State Deprtment alers, please visit the U.S. State Department website

If you have any questions about the Gift of Adoption grant program, please contact grants@giftofadoption.org

Happy New Year from Gift of Adoption!

As 2009 draws to a close, we'd like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts -- and on behalf of the children and families whose lives you've improved through the gift of adoption.

We are making a bigger difference this year than ever before. With your efforts we're striving to put adoption in reach for 100 children this year; kids like Gabi for whom there is no gift as precious as a family that will love her forever.

I think this story says it all; one night Gabi came to us and said that she had a dream. These were Gabi's words:

'I sad -- Mama, Papa, Hailee and I'm go Bulgaria - I'm stay Bulgaria - Mama, Papa, Hailee go America - I'm sad in Bulgaria , no Mama, Papa, Hailee to love me.'

Needless to say these words broke our hearts - we did our best to explain that she was ours forever and that wouldn't happen. During this conversation we learned that Gabi always had this fear with her foster mom because she knew that she could be sent or taken back to the orphanage at any time. She also knew that her foster mom was 'old, old' (according to Gabi) and that if something happened to her they would send Gabi back to the orphanage. Constant reassurance has helped, along with hugs and holding. But it was a little ornament that she found in her stocking that seemed to get the point across to her. The ornament is a heart and written across the heart it says "Forever Family". She clutched that little ornament in her hand and told us that she was happy now. Knowing that she is a part of our family forever has given her peace - a peace she would have never had without adoption!

Without your generosity our adoption would not have been possible."


May you and your family enjoy peaceful, happy holidays!

Your friends at the Gift of Adoption Fund

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Mia - Five Years Later

We are always excited to hear from past Gift of Adoption grant recipients. To hear how things are going and to hear what the gift of adoption has meant to them and to their children. Today we received this letter from Cody. Cody and his wife, Kristina, adopted Mia alomst five years ago. The picture of Mia and her brother running through the sprinkler this summer says it all.

"To say that everyday is a miracle in our lives is somewhat of an understatement. We are fast approaching the 5-year anniversary of our daughter Mia’s adoption. A long drawn out adoption process that neared two years in length ended in March of 2005. Gift of Adoption was there for us in the final moments and made it possible for us to close our adoption without worry. You are such a big part of our life and we are ever grateful.

Mia turned 6 this summer. She is loving life and school in her first grade year. She is excited to be a part of a new Spanish immersion program in our area schools. By 2nd grade she will be speaking Spanish fluently. Since the adoption was finalized, we have returned to Guatemala to serve on mission and service projects with Mia and her younger brother Carter.

Every day begins with a new found joy as we watch both of our children grow and learn. It is a gift to be a parent. It is our prayer that we never lose the appreciation for what we have been given and the gratitude for those and to those who so generously helped us become a family."

Visit http://www.giftofadoption.org/ to learn how you can make adoption possible for more children like Mia.