What happens if you fall short of your goal?
We totally expect to have to take out a small loan to cover any gaps in what we need for expenses and what we raise. When we started this journey, the money was a BIG obstacle- a BIG question in our minds (well, mostly Bryan because he knows what our bank accounts look like). But in the grand scheme of things, it may mean that we have one less new car, I have to give up the idea of new counter tops or expanding my kitchen island into a breakfast bar. We may take 3 less big vacations, or need student loans for the boys when they go to college. I might work one more year past retirement age. I may take some writing jobs on the side. We believe that the trade-off for that said loan will be completely worth it :)
Bryan said it best when he told me that every excuse he could come up with to NOT adopt Danil didn't compare to knowing that there was a little boy on the other side of the world who was without a home, a family, good food, and an education. So what if it costs an extra ticket to Disney on our next trip to FL? Can you really compare that loss to what Danil will face in an institution next year? Nope. We couldn't.
What happens if you exceed your fund raising goal?
Well, after we do our Praise-Be-To-Him-Happy-Dance...we have been tossing the idea around to begin our own nonprofit foundation, which would provide grants to new families in our area who choose to adopt children with special needs. We plan on setting a portion of what we raise this year aside to help seed the foundation, and then probably do an annual fundraiser (probably a 5K) each year in the spring to keep it going. Look for more info to come soon on that. Bryan has registered a domain name and is working on it now (you know, with all the free time he has!).
Honestly, if I could bring all those RR children home with me, I would. But Bryan told me that I can't :) However; we can help more find their OWN families. Our mission is not only to bring Danil home where he belongs, but to encourage others to do the same...really, really, REALLY those kids need homes and families.
Don't forget about the tax credit, because that will be a HUGE part of what you spend, you just have to front it first! :)
ReplyDeleteThought of another question in the shower yesterday (isn't that where all the best thinking happens?)
ReplyDeleteWhat kind of language barriers will you face? Has Danil started speaking? Has he ever heard english? Does he know any signs?
I would think that because there are so many overseas adoptions that there are resources out there, but what about DS, where their language might be a bit different than a 46-er?