FUNDRAISER NUMERO UNO

The time has come. The reality of how expensive adoption really is has hit us, and it has hit us hard. Tomorrow we launch our first family fundraiser. We are cautiously optimistic about the success of our fundraiser, but we hope to raise about $2,000. That amount equals about half of the total fees that are due to our agency in the next few months. 

It is so difficult for me (Michelle)to put our family out there and depend on others to help us achieve this enormous goal. Derek and I don't like to have to depend on others, so admitting the fact that hey, we don't have $17,000 extra sitting around to fund our adoption is a hard pill to swallow. I know that we aren't alone, though. God has led us to where we are right now and we have faith that he will walk alongside us until baby Embry is home. We have supported several other families that we've never even met on their adoption journey (through Reece's Rainbow), and we know there are other families out there like us that will support us however they can. We truly believe people are good, and that's what will get us through this process.   

The plan for our fundraiser is this: sell raffle tickets to our friends and families for baskets that have graciously been donated to us. Tickets are $5 a piece, or 5 for $20. The first week of December we will draw the winners of the baskets from the pool of tickets we've sold. The baskets are all "gift" themed and would make great christmas presents! This fundraiser will cost us a total of ZERO dollars, unless we meet our goal of selling 450 raffle tickets. If we sell all 450 tickets, we will draw an additional winner for a Kindle Fire HD. We will be buying the Kindle out of our own pockets, so that would be the only thing we would pay for for the entire fundraiser. See? God is already good. Even if we only sell 50 tickets, we will still be that much closer to being fully funded. We are setting our goal high, and whatever happens, happens. 

Here's a sneak peak at just some of the baskets up for grabs:

Toddler headband and necklace, made by Michelle's sister Maegan Kater

Snowman themed gift basket donated by Gloria Embry

Basket of Salon products, donated by Shear Elegance Salon

Hand-made hat and scarf made by Marilyn Koehn

Premier Designs set donated by Kelli Schrag

We'd just like to give a million thanks to those who have donated baskets. Your generosity is overwhelming to us. We had two donations from people we don't even know. That really speaks volumes to this community we are a part of. Our child is already blessed in that they will be raised in a community of people who loved them before they were even home. Humbling.

I can't end this blog post without giving a huge THANK YOU to Derek's mom, Gloria. From the moment we told her we we wanted to adopt, all she has asked is "How can I help?". She has been so amazing in getting this raffle together and pushing me to get things going. There's something special about that spitfire Grandma "G"! 

Now... wish us luck in our first fundraising adventure!