Thanks for taking a few minutes and reading our AdoptTogether profile. For those we may not know, the ginger above is Archie and the brunette is Bill.
We are very excited to share that we are working through the adoption process to bring home a little one of our own and grow our family! Please keep reading to learn more about our adoption journey and how you can financially support us in this exciting, but very expensive endeavor.
Why Adoption?
For both of us, we've always known that we wanted to have a family of our own, we just weren't sure when and how that would be possible. Also, as Archie was adopted, he has grown up knowing he would someday like to adopt. We are excited to now be on this journey to becoming Dads.
Our Adoption Journey
In April of 2017 we contracted with an amazing company based in Atlanta that provides adoption support and guidance for couples hoping to adopt. They supported us as we created our first adoption profile book, taught us the ins and outs of the adoption process, have spent hours on the phone with us, and guided us as we worked to complete the all-important Home Study.
On November 20, 2017, we crossed the first of many finish lines in the adoption process: we received our completed and approved Home Study! Once that was in our hands, we were able to start being shown to prospective birth mothers.
On December 27, we received a call from an agency we had been connected with that we thought would change our lives. I guess in the end it did, just in a different way than we had planned.
We were told that a birth mother wanted to have a phone call and get to know us. She had liked what she read in our profile book and wanted to know more about us to see if she felt we were the right couple to adopt her unborn baby. We had the call that evening and it was terrifying but also very exciting. We felt we connected and were hopeful that this could be our match.
Over the next three days we were told we had been selected to be Dads, spent hours on the phone with different agencies trying to figure out how to make this match work, and then literally watched it all fall apart in front of our eyes. Devastated doesn't even come close to explaining how we felt going from knowing we were going to be Dads, to being back at square one. But we got up, brushed ourselves off, and got right back to it.
We learned a lot in the past few months. And we're determined to do things differently moving forward.
Why are we attempting to raise $20,000?
As you may or may not know, the adoption process is very expensive. Our adoption can easily cost upwards of $35,000 or more, and that's before the first diaper, onesie or bottle has been purchased.
If we were to raise $20,000 through this campaign that would allow us to immediately sign with an adoption agency which we now realize to protect ourselves we really need to do. There is nothing we can ever do to remove all risk when adopting; however, signing with a trusted, reputable adoption agency who has an A+ rating with the BBB is a step we know we need to take. We have found the agency, been accepted into their program, now we just need to send them a check and get back to it. Yes, we have saved money for this endeavor and we've also taken out a line of credit to help with adoption expenses, but being able to raise this money through a crowdfunding campaign will help ease the financial burden that often overwhelms adoptive parents.
Why use AdoptTogether and not GoFundMe or PayPal?
The reasons we chose this crowdfunding site are really all about you:
AdoptTogether is a project of Hoping Hearts Foundation Inc, an IRS approved 501c3 organization. By giving through the AdoptTogether portal you will receive a receipt for your gift to be used for your taxes.
Unlike other crowdsourcing sites, you can rest assured that all monies you donate will only be used for adoption related expenses. We will apply for a grant from all money donated that we will then use to continue our adoption journey.
Donors that have access to Corporate Matching Gift programs can have their donation matched since we are an IRS approved 501c3 organization.
We hope that by inviting you into this process, you will see yourself as part of the community we hope to build around our child as he/she grows up.
Thank you for considering making a donation to support our adoption. To all that chose to support us financially, we promise to keep you updated as this journey unfolds. And to everyone who took the time to read this message, thank you.
Much love -
Archie & Bill
