The "Two Times the Love" giveaway is our biggest giveaway so far, with 10 prizes up for grabs (plus a bonus prize, just for the FSP donors)! Because posts are listed in date order, the giveaway would be buried by just a few days' posts, so I decided to make a page just for the giveaway!
We have an impressive goal of $3,575 to cover Cullen's placing agency and foreign agency fees, which will be almost the last of what we need to pay up front. We're also saving for our post-adoption report fees ($700), USCIS fees ($890), and apostille fees (~$100).
Once we have paid all these fees, we'll be $16,486 into the adoption, at the halfway mark! Please pray for us and pray we'll receive the funds we need to continue moving forward.
You can go to the giveaway page here to get all the details and see all the fantastic prizes!
Showing posts with label giveaway. Show all posts
Showing posts with label giveaway. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Friday, March 30, 2012
Two Times the Love Giveaway
These last two weeks of resting from fundraising have been very refreshing, and have given me a chance to focus on the needs of other adoptive families and the Playing Them Home event coming up in just a couple of weeks!
Now that we are sending commitment paperwork to our son's country, we'll have additional fees due upfront. Which means that, even though we have a tax-deductible grant growing on Reece's Rainbow, we still need cash in hand now. {{{bangs head against table}}}
I'm working on a BIG giveaway, with LOTS AND LOTS of prizes! There are 9 prizes right now, and I am so looking forward to sharing them with everyone! (I've really been praying about a LARGE final prize, so my indecision means we're looking at early next week for the giveaway to start.)
Oh, and for those of you who are contributing to the tax-deductible grant, THANK YOU!!! You won't be left out of a giveaway, either... I'll have one just for you!
Now that we are sending commitment paperwork to our son's country, we'll have additional fees due upfront. Which means that, even though we have a tax-deductible grant growing on Reece's Rainbow, we still need cash in hand now. {{{bangs head against table}}}
I'm working on a BIG giveaway, with LOTS AND LOTS of prizes! There are 9 prizes right now, and I am so looking forward to sharing them with everyone! (I've really been praying about a LARGE final prize, so my indecision means we're looking at early next week for the giveaway to start.)
Oh, and for those of you who are contributing to the tax-deductible grant, THANK YOU!!! You won't be left out of a giveaway, either... I'll have one just for you!
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Saint Patty's Winners!
What better way to end a fun day of shamrocks and pots of gold than by giving away two gift cards! We had a $100 Visa gift card and $50 Target gift card to give to two lucky people, and www.random.org just chose the winners!
The winner of the $100 Visa gift card is..... #127
The winner of the $100 Visa gift card is..... #127
KAREN B.
And the winner of the $50 Target gift card is..... #407
CYNTHIA K.
Congratulations to you both, and I'll be in touch!
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
$937
That is what stands in the way of us starting on our homestudy. Of us being able to move forward with setting up a tax-deductible grant. Of us being able to file our USCIS paperwork.
We've paid over TEN TIMES that much since the end of January. We raised more than this in just the past two weeks to pay our first foreign fees. And this small amount, this small mountain is all that stands in our way of moving forward.
Will you please just pray with us that "the mountains [will] melt like wax before the Lord" (Psalm 97:5)?
Our current giveaway is running through this Saturday, and we have two prizes up for grabs! The first is a $100 Visa Gift Card and the second is a $50 Target Gift Card. There are only 236 entries into the giveaway, so here's how to get yours!
We've paid over TEN TIMES that much since the end of January. We raised more than this in just the past two weeks to pay our first foreign fees. And this small amount, this small mountain is all that stands in our way of moving forward.
Will you please just pray with us that "the mountains [will] melt like wax before the Lord" (Psalm 97:5)?
Our current giveaway is running through this Saturday, and we have two prizes up for grabs! The first is a $100 Visa Gift Card and the second is a $50 Target Gift Card. There are only 236 entries into the giveaway, so here's how to get yours!
$5=5 entries
$10=20 entries
$20=50 entries
Every $5 over $20= an extra 15 entries
Sharing my blog on your facebook or blog=1 entry/day
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Good News Times Two
First of all...
It took 71 days from pre-approval to closing, but it is FINISHED!
Second, take a peek at the ticker! Yesterday, it said we needed $3,370 for our homestudy fees. Today, I spoke with another homestudy agency, and our initial fees to go through their agency would be $1,500. (We'll still have an additional $870 on top of the initial amount, but it will be due later.) Our fundraising goal just got a LOT smaller and, even factoring in the additional amount, we'll save $1000!!!
We're in the middle of our Saint Patty's Day Giveaway, and there will be TWO WINNERS, so don't forget to give and share for your entries!
WE CLOSED ON OUR HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!
Second, take a peek at the ticker! Yesterday, it said we needed $3,370 for our homestudy fees. Today, I spoke with another homestudy agency, and our initial fees to go through their agency would be $1,500. (We'll still have an additional $870 on top of the initial amount, but it will be due later.) Our fundraising goal just got a LOT smaller and, even factoring in the additional amount, we'll save $1000!!!
We're in the middle of our Saint Patty's Day Giveaway, and there will be TWO WINNERS, so don't forget to give and share for your entries!
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Saint Patty's Day Giveaway!
If you've read any of my blog posts, you know that I've said time and time again that I am terrible at asking people for things, especially money. So when I got a call on Monday from someone offering the prize for our next giveaway, I was THRILLED, especially since I didn't have a plan for our next fundraiser!
Up for grabs are two prizes perfect for drawing TWO WINNERS on the day when we're all thinking shamrocks, leprechauns, and pots of gold at the end of the rainbow! (Although not snakes, since apparently Saint Patrick banished them all from Ireland.)
Up for grabs are two prizes perfect for drawing TWO WINNERS on the day when we're all thinking shamrocks, leprechauns, and pots of gold at the end of the rainbow! (Although not snakes, since apparently Saint Patrick banished them all from Ireland.)
Prize #1 - A $100 Visa Gift Card
Prize #2 - A $50 Target Gift Card
Here's how to enter:
$5 = 5 entries
$10 = 20 entries
$20 = 50 entries
Earn 1 entry per day by sharing on facebook or your blog, just post here when you do, and I'll add your entries!
So pray for us, share our fundraiser, and donate if you can! We're still adding to that thermometer on the right, to reach that goal of $5,182 so we can get our homestudy started!
(This giveaway is not tax-deductible.)
So pray for us, share our fundraiser, and donate if you can! We're still adding to that thermometer on the right, to reach that goal of $5,182 so we can get our homestudy started!
(This giveaway is not tax-deductible.)
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Chikin Winnur!!!
With 761 entries in the giveaway, and $700 raised, this was a VERY successful giveaway!
Before I announce the winner, I just want to say that I was VERY tempted to enter my own giveaway! I love Chick-fil-A, and the great employees at my local Chick-fil-A know when I walk in that I want a #4 with pepper jack cheese and a sweet tea. I LOVE the Spicy Chicken Sandwich! So, consider yourself lucky, lucky that I didn't rig my own giveaway!
Before I announce the winner, I just want to say that I was VERY tempted to enter my own giveaway! I love Chick-fil-A, and the great employees at my local Chick-fil-A know when I walk in that I want a #4 with pepper jack cheese and a sweet tea. I LOVE the Spicy Chicken Sandwich! So, consider yourself lucky, lucky that I didn't rig my own giveaway!
AND THE WINNER IS.... #580
DEBBIE BEAUMIER!!!
Congratulations, Debbie!!! I will be in touch!
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Ready to Start the Homestudy
Scott and I have worked on our Homestudy History for the past couple of weeks, and we're finally ready to send everything in to the Homestudy Agency. BUT WE CAN'T.
Because along with our autobiographies, references, fingerprints, monthly budget, and education credits, we have to send a check for $3,200 to cover the homestudy and post-adoption follow-up reports. We have to send four different checks for four different background checks that total $170.
So, we need $3,370, less than half of what we needed to send to the placing agency last month, but still a significant chunk of our adoption budget. Will you pray with us that God will provide the money we need to be able to start our homestudy?
Please don't forget that we've got our Chick-fil-A Giveaway going on right now, and the winner will receive FREE CHICK-FIL-A FOR A YEAR! Even sharing the fundraiser earns an entry into the giveaway, so please tell your friends!
Blessings,
Chandres
Because along with our autobiographies, references, fingerprints, monthly budget, and education credits, we have to send a check for $3,200 to cover the homestudy and post-adoption follow-up reports. We have to send four different checks for four different background checks that total $170.
So, we need $3,370, less than half of what we needed to send to the placing agency last month, but still a significant chunk of our adoption budget. Will you pray with us that God will provide the money we need to be able to start our homestudy?
Please don't forget that we've got our Chick-fil-A Giveaway going on right now, and the winner will receive FREE CHICK-FIL-A FOR A YEAR! Even sharing the fundraiser earns an entry into the giveaway, so please tell your friends!
Blessings,
Chandres
Monday, February 20, 2012
Imagine...
I've been praying about how to write this post, to find the words that will reach whoever God has intended to read what has been weighing on my heart. I am writing this post through tears, my heart feeling as if it is breaking into a million pieces just thinking about what I'm going to ask you to imagine. Because I first had to imagine it.
I need for you to visualize with me. Imagine a child who has, for years, watched as Mamas and Papas have come, taking other children to this wonderful place called America. Imagine, at first, the hopeful anticipation that she must feel, thinking she could be next. And more Mamas and Papas come, and more children are chosen. Imagine the hope slowly turning to doubt, as she begins to wonder if there is anyone out there who wants her.
Imagine that she has run out of time to be chosen, and her fate has been sealed. She now has a file with "Unadoptable" stamped on it. She gets into the car, and is driven to an unfamiliar place. After leaving her familiar caregivers, friends, bed, and toys, she walks through the front doors, into a large, bare-walled, cold, hard building. She is led down a dark hallway to a room with a dozen or more women.
She is stripped of her clothes, put in dingy rags. Her hair is shaved off. If she wasn't scared before, looking around the dark room with no windows, seeing all the empty shells of women, rocking, pacing, she is terrified now.
She cries, she tries to leave. After trying to keep her confined and quiet long enough, the workers put her in a crib in another room and tie her down. She will lay there for hours. Coming from a loving place where she was well cared for, she does not understand, she is confused. She eventually urinates on herself, and a long time passes before anyone comes to clean up the mess. Day after day, now confined to one of the many cribs. The smell of body odor, urine, and feces is overwhelming.
Eventually, she stops crying. She stops feeling. She becomes another empty shell, rocking, pacing.
As you have read this, I imagine there was a faceless girl in your mind. I am asking you to give this girl a face. Your daughter's. Your grand-daughter's. Your niece's. If you have a son, imagine this is his story.
Can you do it? Can you think about it being your child? Fresh tears are running down my face, imagining my Ayden, my little girl who first made me a Mama, being given that fate.
We have a terrible disease here in the United States. We are indifferent. We don't stop to actually accept that these children are not just statistics, not just a picture. They are real children, with only one wish. To have a family. A Mama and Papa. And that one wish is slipping away with each passing day.
Bernadette's time is slipping away. This November, her file will be stamped "Unadoptable", and she will live out that fate. Unless.
God has put Bernadette on the hearts of so many women I know. We can't get her out of our minds. Her family is out there, maybe they don't know it yet. I'm not asking you to be her family (although I'd love for someone who reads this to realize she is their daughter). I'm asking you to help me find her family. Help her family find her.
There is a giveaway going on right now for a Kindle Fire at my friend Mandy's blog to help raise Bernadette's grant fund. Because Bernadette must be found by November, the time to fundraise will be very limited, so a large grant fund will be so helpful to her family. All donations through the ChipIn go straight to her grant fund, so they're tax-deductible.
So, as Mandy says, Pray, Adopt, Advocate, Support...DO SOMETHING!
I need for you to visualize with me. Imagine a child who has, for years, watched as Mamas and Papas have come, taking other children to this wonderful place called America. Imagine, at first, the hopeful anticipation that she must feel, thinking she could be next. And more Mamas and Papas come, and more children are chosen. Imagine the hope slowly turning to doubt, as she begins to wonder if there is anyone out there who wants her.
Imagine that she has run out of time to be chosen, and her fate has been sealed. She now has a file with "Unadoptable" stamped on it. She gets into the car, and is driven to an unfamiliar place. After leaving her familiar caregivers, friends, bed, and toys, she walks through the front doors, into a large, bare-walled, cold, hard building. She is led down a dark hallway to a room with a dozen or more women.
She is stripped of her clothes, put in dingy rags. Her hair is shaved off. If she wasn't scared before, looking around the dark room with no windows, seeing all the empty shells of women, rocking, pacing, she is terrified now.
She cries, she tries to leave. After trying to keep her confined and quiet long enough, the workers put her in a crib in another room and tie her down. She will lay there for hours. Coming from a loving place where she was well cared for, she does not understand, she is confused. She eventually urinates on herself, and a long time passes before anyone comes to clean up the mess. Day after day, now confined to one of the many cribs. The smell of body odor, urine, and feces is overwhelming.
Eventually, she stops crying. She stops feeling. She becomes another empty shell, rocking, pacing.
As you have read this, I imagine there was a faceless girl in your mind. I am asking you to give this girl a face. Your daughter's. Your grand-daughter's. Your niece's. If you have a son, imagine this is his story.
Can you do it? Can you think about it being your child? Fresh tears are running down my face, imagining my Ayden, my little girl who first made me a Mama, being given that fate.
We have a terrible disease here in the United States. We are indifferent. We don't stop to actually accept that these children are not just statistics, not just a picture. They are real children, with only one wish. To have a family. A Mama and Papa. And that one wish is slipping away with each passing day.
Bernadette's time is slipping away. This November, her file will be stamped "Unadoptable", and she will live out that fate. Unless.
God has put Bernadette on the hearts of so many women I know. We can't get her out of our minds. Her family is out there, maybe they don't know it yet. I'm not asking you to be her family (although I'd love for someone who reads this to realize she is their daughter). I'm asking you to help me find her family. Help her family find her.
There is a giveaway going on right now for a Kindle Fire at my friend Mandy's blog to help raise Bernadette's grant fund. Because Bernadette must be found by November, the time to fundraise will be very limited, so a large grant fund will be so helpful to her family. All donations through the ChipIn go straight to her grant fund, so they're tax-deductible.
So, as Mandy says, Pray, Adopt, Advocate, Support...DO SOMETHING!
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
'Eat Mor Chikin' Giveaway
UPDATE!!! THIS PRIZE IS AVAILABLE FOR ANY LOCATION!!! NOT JUST MARTINSVILLE!!!
As you near the NC/VA state line, heading toward Martinsville, there's a billboard that reads "You'll Love the Pace" (If you're not local, and not a NASCAR fan, you can hear the cars racing around the Martinsville Speedway from my house!). With two giveaways going at once, beginning to work on our homestudy, and making sure all the money is heading to the right agency at the right time, the pace around here was fast and furious!
Our first two giveaways are finished, the winners are drawn, and we're not slowing down! If you're a fan of the best waffle fries EVER, you'll love this giveaway! Mmm... waffle fries!
We have received a donation for
Just look at this, and tell me it doesn't make your mouth water...
As you near the NC/VA state line, heading toward Martinsville, there's a billboard that reads "You'll Love the Pace" (If you're not local, and not a NASCAR fan, you can hear the cars racing around the Martinsville Speedway from my house!). With two giveaways going at once, beginning to work on our homestudy, and making sure all the money is heading to the right agency at the right time, the pace around here was fast and furious!
Our first two giveaways are finished, the winners are drawn, and we're not slowing down! If you're a fan of the best waffle fries EVER, you'll love this giveaway! Mmm... waffle fries!
We have received a donation for
FREE CHICK-FIL-A FOR A YEAR!!!
*Fifty-two meal coupons (entree, fries, and drink) so you can get your "chikin" fix! ($365 value)
Just look at this, and tell me it doesn't make your mouth water...
Here's how to enter:
Just click on the ChipIn to enter online, or leave a comment if you'd like to mail in/hand deliver your entry, and I'll email you!
$5 = 3 entries
$10 = 7 entries
$20 = 20 entries
$40 = 50 entries
$40 = 50 entries
The more you give, the better your chances of winning! You can also get 1 entry per day for sharing on facebook or your blog, so post here when you share!
Donations received by 8:00 p.m. on February 29 will be entered in the giveaway, and we'll draw the winner that night! (I love leap years!)
This fundraiser is not tax-deductible, as we will personally receive all contributions and apply them to our homestudy fees.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
And the Winners Are...
I want to take a moment to thank each and every one of you for your support with our adoption. I tried to keep up with thanking everyone who donated, and about halfway through my responses, I realized I had been replying to Paypal instead of the donor many, many times. So, if I missed you, I apologize, and we are truly thankful for your donation!
We raised $3,534 in our Vacation Giveaway, and had a total of 1,157 entries, between donations and friends sharing online! That is HUGE!!!
We raised $1,090 in our YMCA Giveaway, which includes the matching challenge donation, and had a total of 457 entries!
All entries were logged in order of donation (or share) received, to make sure we had no control over the outcome. Thanks to www.random.org, a web-based random number generator, I didn't have to write out 1,614 names and put them in a gigantic hat!
So now, for what you've all been waiting for!
The winner of the 6-Night Vacation in Pigeon Forge, TN is... #110
The winner of the One-Year YMCA Membership is... #158
We raised $3,534 in our Vacation Giveaway, and had a total of 1,157 entries, between donations and friends sharing online! That is HUGE!!!
We raised $1,090 in our YMCA Giveaway, which includes the matching challenge donation, and had a total of 457 entries!
All entries were logged in order of donation (or share) received, to make sure we had no control over the outcome. Thanks to www.random.org, a web-based random number generator, I didn't have to write out 1,614 names and put them in a gigantic hat!
So now, for what you've all been waiting for!
The winner of the 6-Night Vacation in Pigeon Forge, TN is... #110
MICHELLE MARBLE!!!
The winner of the One-Year YMCA Membership is... #158
DAWN MILLS!!!
Congratulations to both winners!!! And again, a
BIG THANK YOU
to everyone who gave! Thank you for your continued prayers, and for making the decision to walk alongside us on this journey!
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Last Call for Entries!
We began our vacation giveaway on January 17, and we began our YMCA giveaway on January 26. We are just TWO DAYS away from closing both ChipIns, and the winners will be drawn ON VALENTINE'S DAY!
As of this post, there are 1,004 entries into the Pigeon Forge, TN vacation, and there are 457 entries into the YMCA One-Year Membership giveaway!
We are SO EXCITED to make two people happy on Valentine's Day, and I'm so glad that I'm not responsible for drawing the winner! The entries are listed on spreadsheets in order of donation received, and random.org will be choosing the winners (just making sure everything is fair!).
So, here's the last call for entries, along with a reminder about what's up for grabs! (And I even figured out how to make a slideshow! Look under the ChipIn!)
$10 donation = 3 entries
$20 donation = 8 entries
$50 donation = 20 entries
$100 donation = 50 entries
$5 donation = 3 entries
$10 donation = 7 entries
$20 donation = 20 entries
As of this post, there are 1,004 entries into the Pigeon Forge, TN vacation, and there are 457 entries into the YMCA One-Year Membership giveaway!
We are SO EXCITED to make two people happy on Valentine's Day, and I'm so glad that I'm not responsible for drawing the winner! The entries are listed on spreadsheets in order of donation received, and random.org will be choosing the winners (just making sure everything is fair!).
So, here's the last call for entries, along with a reminder about what's up for grabs! (And I even figured out how to make a slideshow! Look under the ChipIn!)
Six Nights in Pigeon Forge, TN
3 bedroom, 4 bathroom cabin, Sleeps 8
10 Minutes from everything in Pigeon Forge
$10 donation = 3 entries
$20 donation = 8 entries
$50 donation = 20 entries
$100 donation = 50 entries
One-Year Membership to the Martinsville/Collinsville, VA YMCA
Two facilities for the price of one!
Indoor/Outdoor Pools
$5 donation = 3 entries
$10 donation = 7 entries
$20 donation = 20 entries
Time's almost up for you to win BIG!
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Writing Our Autobiographies... Any Questions?
We made it through the rush of fundraising for our placing agency fees, and now we've moved on to the education requirements and working on our homestudy packet. All of this means I get to bore you by describing each of the requirements for both!
Or not. We do have to write autobiographies, so I'll be going back through my life history to detail my childhood, jobs, religious information, and who I am now. So, while I write this very uninteresting report, I'm taking questions.
What do you want to know? About me, about Scott, about our kids, homeschooling, why we chose international special needs adoption, anything!
And please don't forget about our TWO GIVEAWAYS!!! 6 nights in a beautiful 3-bedroom cabin in Pigeon Forge, TN!
Or not. We do have to write autobiographies, so I'll be going back through my life history to detail my childhood, jobs, religious information, and who I am now. So, while I write this very uninteresting report, I'm taking questions.
What do you want to know? About me, about Scott, about our kids, homeschooling, why we chose international special needs adoption, anything!
And please don't forget about our TWO GIVEAWAYS!!! 6 nights in a beautiful 3-bedroom cabin in Pigeon Forge, TN!
OR
a One-Year Membership to the Martinsville and Collinsville, VA YMCAs!
Just use the ChipIn buttons on the top right of the page! Both giveaways are running through February 13, with winners being drawn on Valentine's Day!
So, ask away, share, donate, PRAY FOR US!
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Made to Crave, and a Reminder!
I had the pleasure of doing a Women's Study with several ladies from my church, and because I know several of you are working on those New Year's Resolutions, I thought I'd share these books with you!
Lysa TerKeurst, the President of Proverbs 31 Ministries, and an adoptive mother, wrote the Made to Crave book and workbook. She asks you to dig deep and look at whether you are looking to food or to God to satisfy your deepest desires, and points to Scripture that reveals the spiritual battle women have had with food since Eve in the Garden of Eden. One of my favorite statements from Lysa TerKeurst in this book is that it's not a "How-To" book, it's a "Want To" book. We've all read the how-to books, we just lacked the "want to" to make it happen!
I have 6 books and 3 workbooks, and they're $10 apiece. Let me know if you want one or both!
Don't forget about our TWO GIVEAWAYS going on now! Six nights in a cabin in Pigeon Forge, TN and a One-Year Membership to the Martinsville and Collinsville, VA YMCA! Both giveaways are running through February 13, with winners being drawn on Valentine's Day! Use the ChipIn buttons on the sidebar to enter!
Lysa TerKeurst, the President of Proverbs 31 Ministries, and an adoptive mother, wrote the Made to Crave book and workbook. She asks you to dig deep and look at whether you are looking to food or to God to satisfy your deepest desires, and points to Scripture that reveals the spiritual battle women have had with food since Eve in the Garden of Eden. One of my favorite statements from Lysa TerKeurst in this book is that it's not a "How-To" book, it's a "Want To" book. We've all read the how-to books, we just lacked the "want to" to make it happen!
I have 6 books and 3 workbooks, and they're $10 apiece. Let me know if you want one or both!
Don't forget about our TWO GIVEAWAYS going on now! Six nights in a cabin in Pigeon Forge, TN and a One-Year Membership to the Martinsville and Collinsville, VA YMCA! Both giveaways are running through February 13, with winners being drawn on Valentine's Day! Use the ChipIn buttons on the sidebar to enter!
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Matching Challenge!!!
Hebrews 4:16 has been replaying in my mind the past two days, and I knew that I needed to "approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." If there ever was a time of need, it is now. Our daughter lives in an orphanage in Eastern Europe, and we received an approval from her country in only four days, when we expected 2-3 weeks to fundraise before hearing back. We now have FOUR DAYS left to raise the funds that are due to the placing agency!
It's only fair that, since we were matched with our little girl, and we have an anonymous donor matching the YMCA Giveaway donations, that we would have a MATCHING CHALLENGE for the Vacation Giveaway, too!
The next $2,000 we receive for the Vacation Giveaway (through ChipIn or cash/check in hand) will be matched, dollar for dollar! So that $10 just became $20, and that $50 just became $100! This is HUGE! We are watching God move this mountain, in a way only He can!
In case you've forgotten how beautiful this vacation will be, here's a fresh reminder:
For specific information on each giveaway, you can see more photos and get descriptions HERE and HERE! The first ChipIn button is for the 6-Night Pigeon Forge, TN vacation, and the second ChipIn button is for the One-Year Membership to the Martinsville/Collinsville YMCA.
Thank you again for all the support and encouragement, and thank you for getting us closer to our little girl!
It's only fair that, since we were matched with our little girl, and we have an anonymous donor matching the YMCA Giveaway donations, that we would have a MATCHING CHALLENGE for the Vacation Giveaway, too!
The next $2,000 we receive for the Vacation Giveaway (through ChipIn or cash/check in hand) will be matched, dollar for dollar! So that $10 just became $20, and that $50 just became $100! This is HUGE! We are watching God move this mountain, in a way only He can!
In case you've forgotten how beautiful this vacation will be, here's a fresh reminder:
For specific information on each giveaway, you can see more photos and get descriptions HERE and HERE! The first ChipIn button is for the 6-Night Pigeon Forge, TN vacation, and the second ChipIn button is for the One-Year Membership to the Martinsville/Collinsville YMCA.
Thank you again for all the support and encouragement, and thank you for getting us closer to our little girl!
Thursday, January 26, 2012
More to Give! Two Fundraisers at Once!
Yesterday on facebook, I wrote "To say I am blessed is such an understatement. I love my community, my church, and I have the privilege of going through life with some of the most incredible women I've ever known!"
Today, I stand firm by that statement! We have more to give, thanks to some pretty incredible people! We are giving away a One-Year Membership to the Martinsville and Collinsville, VA YMCA (about $400!). On top of that, we have an anonymous donor who will MATCH any donations received for this giveaway! Make sure you use the second ChipIn for this giveaway!
So, two giveaways, one great purpose! All the money from the giveaways will go toward the big ticker, which is tracking all donations received, through the ChipIn, cash, and checks.
Both facilities offer weight and Nautilus rooms, and gymnasiums. The Martinsville branch has an indoor pool and indoor track, and the Collinsville branch has an outdoor pool and outdoor track. There is something there for everyone, and they're open 7 days a week!
Today, I stand firm by that statement! We have more to give, thanks to some pretty incredible people! We are giving away a One-Year Membership to the Martinsville and Collinsville, VA YMCA (about $400!). On top of that, we have an anonymous donor who will MATCH any donations received for this giveaway! Make sure you use the second ChipIn for this giveaway!
So, two giveaways, one great purpose! All the money from the giveaways will go toward the big ticker, which is tracking all donations received, through the ChipIn, cash, and checks.
Take a peek at the prize!
Both facilities offer weight and Nautilus rooms, and gymnasiums. The Martinsville branch has an indoor pool and indoor track, and the Collinsville branch has an outdoor pool and outdoor track. There is something there for everyone, and they're open 7 days a week!
Here's how to enter:
Just click on the ChipIn to enter online, or leave a comment if you'd like to mail in/hand deliver your entry, and I'll email you!
$5 = 3 entries
$10 = 7 entries
$20 = 20 entries
The more you give, the better your chances of winning! You can also get 1 entry per day for sharing on facebook, so post here when you share! Remember, all donations to this giveaway will be MATCHED, so your donation doubles!!!
Donations received by February 13 will be entered in the giveaway, and we'll draw the winner on Valentine's Day!
This fundraiser is not tax-deductible, as we will personally receive all contributions and apply them to our agency fees.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
1 of 1,000
These adoption families amaze me, really, truly amaze me. You have people who are in the middle of their own financial hurdles, trying to raise money to bring their own sweet children home, and they hear we need help, and all of a sudden, our need is on their front burner. My friend, Mandy, created a facebook event called 1 in 1,000 HERE to get 1,000 people to give $10 each, to raise the $10,000 we need right now.
When we posted that we were taking a step of faith, we were expecting a 2-3 week wait before we heard anything back from the country. We just got the call from the placing agency that the country officially matched us with our daughter (in only FOUR days)! Which means the placing agency fees are due in SEVEN days, and we need to have the homestudy started in the next two weeks to provide the country with that initial information.
I've got the fee breakdown on the "Priceless" tab at the top, and I'm adding a second ticker, because the ChipIn ticker only shows what we've received in online donations, and doesn't take into account the cash and checks we've received.
Thank you all for your prayers, support, and donations! Our vacation giveaway is still going, so anyone who donates will be entered to win 6 nights in Pigeon Forge!
When we posted that we were taking a step of faith, we were expecting a 2-3 week wait before we heard anything back from the country. We just got the call from the placing agency that the country officially matched us with our daughter (in only FOUR days)! Which means the placing agency fees are due in SEVEN days, and we need to have the homestudy started in the next two weeks to provide the country with that initial information.
I've got the fee breakdown on the "Priceless" tab at the top, and I'm adding a second ticker, because the ChipIn ticker only shows what we've received in online donations, and doesn't take into account the cash and checks we've received.
Thank you all for your prayers, support, and donations! Our vacation giveaway is still going, so anyone who donates will be entered to win 6 nights in Pigeon Forge!
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Our First Fundraiser! Vacation, Anyone?
We took a step, in faith, and sent in the paperwork that will head to the country to be translated and reviewed. We need $7,000 to cover the agency fees that will be due within seven days of our referral being accepted in country.
While we believe, and have already seen, that people will come alongside us to support us in any way they can without reward, we also believe that the need for fundraising is great, and gives us an opportunity to give back to those who support us.
So, here it is. Our first fundraiser, and your vacation getaway! 6 nights in Pigeon Forge, TN! Just 10 minutes from everything in Pigeon Forge, yet far enough away that the only sound you'll hear is the whistle of the train at Dollywood!
While we believe, and have already seen, that people will come alongside us to support us in any way they can without reward, we also believe that the need for fundraising is great, and gives us an opportunity to give back to those who support us.
So, here it is. Our first fundraiser, and your vacation getaway! 6 nights in Pigeon Forge, TN! Just 10 minutes from everything in Pigeon Forge, yet far enough away that the only sound you'll hear is the whistle of the train at Dollywood!
3 Bedrooms, 4 Bathrooms, Game Room w/ Billiards, 6-Person Hot Tub, XBox Kinect, HDTVs, Full Kitchen!
You Choose Your Dates! No Blackouts! Drawing on Valentine's Day!!!
Here's how to enter:
Just click on the ChipIn to enter online, or leave a comment if you'd like to mail in/hand deliver your entry, and I'll email you!
$10 = 3 entries
$20 = 8 entries
$50 = 20 entries
$100 = 50 entries
Each additional $100 = An additional 50 entries
The more you give, the better your chances of winning! You can also get 1 entry per day for sharing on facebook or your blog, so post here when you share! Donations received by February 13 will be entered in the giveaway, and we'll draw the winner on Valentine's Day!
For everyone who enters, the owners of the cabin are offering a 10% discount if you book a stay. Just visit their VRBO Listing to book, and let them know you donated!
While I believe we will pass the $800 mark, I need to state that we are paying for the vacation from the proceeds. If we do not raise more than $800 during this giveaway, we'll split the proceeds with the winner 50/50. This fundraiser is not tax-deductible, as we will personally receive all contributions and apply them to our agency fees.
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