Sergei G's Christmas Angel Tree Fundraiser

Hello, Friends!!!!
Some of you may remember my attempts last year to raise money for a little orphan with Down syndrome during Reece's Rainbow's Christmas Angel Tree fundraiser. See here  He is called Sergei G. on the Reece's Rainbow Waiting Children page.
                                                                     Sergei G.

(His youngest picture- not sure of his age here)

(This is a current picture from Reece's Rainbow received on 11/23/10. Sergei is turning 6 this month!)

You may also remember that you and I helped raise over $3000 for his adoption fund!!!! WAHOOOOO!  

First, before I get too carried away, let me give some background info for those of you hearing about Reece's Rainbow for the first time:
Reece's Rainbow is an organization that promotes the international adoption of children with Down syndrome in a way that seems very unique to me. They create accounts for each of the children on their 'Waiting Children' pages and people can donate to a specific child. When a family comes forth to adopt a child, the money in that child's account is used for the adoption fees. If the adoption falls through for some reason, the money stays in the child's account so that another family can make use of the money! 

Here is some info that will SHOCK you! In Eastern European countries, right now, babies that are born with Ds are immediately put into orphanages. Their parents are told that their babies aren't capable of learning, loving or living a life and that they should be cordoned off from the rest of society. There are not options for Early Intervention therapy, doctor intervention or even schooling. Oftentimes the families of people with Down syndrome are shunned and find it difficult to find work and other necessities of life. Therefore these sweet sweet babies are abandoned to orphanages FILLED with all the other children that don't look 'perfect', that have some extra special chromosomes, or had a difficult start to life because their mama drank and drank throughout the pregnancy.

When these babies become grown and old, no wait, when they turn 3-6 YEARS old (!!!) they are transferred to adult mental institutions. Insane asylums. Locked up. Left in their cribs. Thrown a bottle of food and possibly given a diaper change. Most of these medically fragile darlings die within the first year due to neglect and horrible living conditions.
While Chad and I hope to adopt one of these angels in the future, it is not our time yet. So the least I can do is shout out for Sergei and try to find him a family AND get some more money into his adoption fund!!!!!

The goal of a Christmas Warrior is to commit to raising $1000 for a child on RR's Christmas Angel Tree. However, it costs $25,000 to adopt a child with Ds from an orphanage/institution so I set a CRAZY goal for myself, and for you all, to see if we can add $5,000 to his current adoption fund of $5396.  That would be over $10,000!!!!!!!!!!

I am so excited to think you, my friends, can work together to give one boy a chance!!!!  A chance of finding a family to love him!  A chance to give a potential family a good financial head start toward the huge cost of international adoption. 

Oh, please help Sergei find a family!!!  Please tell your friends and family.  Please go to Reece's Rainbow's Angel Tree kids and gaze at all of these Down syndrome beauties; gaze at their sweetness; their innocence.  Do any of them touch your heart?  Does Sergei touch your heart enough for you to repost on Facebook or to email my blog to your family?  To donate?

I truly hope so!!!!!

Now here are the GIVEAWAY details for all those people out there who like the idea of 'winning' a sweet Christmas present to either keep or give away, there's an added incentive in giving to sweet Sergei.

I am donating a brand new Amazon Kindle Fire!!!!!

Every donation of $5 will give you 1 entry into my giveaway.  A donation of $35 will qualify you for 10 entries plus Reece's Rainbow will send you an ornament with Sergei's picture on it!

$5 = 1 entry
$10= 2 entries
$35 = 10 entries + an ornament
$40 = 11 entries
Bonus Entries: Anyone who donates has the added option to gain more entries by posting about this giveaway on their blog, Facebook, or Twitter.  You will get an additional entry per post/FB/Twitter, per day, once a donation is received.  Please comment or email me (sweetsergei@hotmail.com) to tell me about your cross posts!
 
I will draw a winner on November 30, 2011 via random.com and will post the results on December 1st.  The winner will have a brand new Kindle Fire mailed to you directly from Amazon!!!!

There will also be another drawing starting on December 1st and running through December 31st. I will post details about the sweet prizes as time gets closer!!!  There may even be small weekly giveaways to keep you enticed!

Addition Info: 
Click Sergei's picture on the right to get all the Angel Tree info from Reece's Rainbow. 

As for information on my fundraising for Sergei, all the money donated through Chip-In (Online Paypal) goes directly to Sergei's adoption fund. I can see who donates, but I never come in contact with the money. If you'd prefer to donate by writing a check, please make it out to Reece's Rainbow, put a notation that it's for Sergei G. on the Angel Tree, and mail it to:
Reece’s Rainbow
PO Box 4024
Gaithersburg, MD 20885

Thanks for helping Sergei!

Lots of love,
Debby

Stay tuned!!!

November 1st is the start of Reece's Rainbow's Angel Tree Fundraiser!!!  I will again be raising money for Sergei G, in the hopes that someone out there may see him and decide that he will become their new son!  When this happens, this new family will be given a good financial start for their adoption of him!  Someone MUST want this sweet Sergei as their new son!!! 

ARE YOU HIS NEW MAMA OR DADDY?

Stay tuned for some sweet giveaways that I will be holding throughout November and December!  My goal is to raise $5000 and increase his current grant of $5396 to OVER $10,000!!!!!  We can do it, friends, by spreading the word and donating to Sergei!!!

Go to www.reecesrainbow.com for more info.

Going Home!!!!!!

Hooorray!!!!! Kirill is going home! The court overturned the local judges decree and said Kirill can go home with the Davis family in 5+ days!!!!! Here is Tesney Davis' blog
Thanks for praying, friends!!!!!!!!!!!

Kirill!!!!!!!!!

Do you all remember Kirill?  The little boy with Down syndrome that an Eastern European judge ruled should not be adopted, for the sole reason of his extra chromosome?  Well, tonight, while we sleep, the Davis family will be appearing before that country's Supreme Court to try to have the local judge's decree over-ruled.  PLEASE PRAY that Kirill can get out of the institution and brought home to a family that already loves him!!!!  read here for more info: http://covenantbuilders.blogspot.com/2011/05/in-garden.html

the boys

According to Kai

According to Kai: 'eye hair' is the name for eyelashes. :)
and Tears are also known as 'cry drops'. I like it!

Kirill and Kameron

I need to highlight two other families that desperately need help. 

The first is the Davis family who is trying to adopt a sweet little boy with Down syndrome in Eastern Europe.  They met in that country's court last week and the judge said that they could not adopt Kirill because he has Down syndrome and he is better off in an institution!!!!  They are taking it to that country's Supreme Court and apealling the decision, as there was no other reason the judge declined the Davis family from adopting from that country.  Here is the Davis' blog.  PLease pray that the court will grant the appeal, in which case it goes back to the original judge to be tried again.  The judge told the Davis' that if the appeal was granted and sent back to her court she would not fight it. 

Here is a link (here ) that talks about Kirill and his family in case you want to read more than the tiny bit I've posted. 

This is a video of sweet Kirill meeting his mom, Tesney, for the very first time along with a second link telling more about their first visit together. 



Kirill was the first Reeces Rainbow child that I was drawn to, prayed for and donated to.  I've always had a special place in my heart for him and have been praying for the Davis' during their looooong process to adopt him.  Also, there are 2 more families waiting to go to the same judge to try to adopt 2 other children with Down syndrome.  If Kirill's appeal and 2nd trial fail, then these families most likely won't be granted adoption of their sweet kids!  A lot is at stake here!!!  Please pray!!!


The second family is the Beamish Family.  They are adopting a little girl named 'Kameron' and are leaving this Sunday to go get her!!   They've already raised $7000, but still need about $8000 more to pay for their trip.   Here is a link that tells their story and tells about being able to win a Kindle and an IPad.  Please pray that they can raise the money to actually bring their little girl home and please donate if you feel lead. 

Thank you so much!

Spreading the word on Fundraisers

Hey Everyone,
I want to spread the word about two Reece's Rainbow families that are trying to bring home their soon-to-be-adopted daughters.  While I don't know these families 'in person' I have been following blogs and their stories on the RR Yahoo group.  They are working hard to raise money, so I thought I'd put a shout out to spread the word and give you a chance to be entered into their awesome give-aways! I won't deny it, I want to win an IPAD2 or some sweet jewelry!! Hehehe!! But you all know enough about me to know that even more than wanting 'things', I want orphans with Down syndrome to have a family and have a home!!!  So it's kind of a win-win.  They get more $$ and awareness for their adoptions; and I get to help out a cause and children I love by donating my money and by spreading the word.... and MAYBE I'll get a sweet prize too!!  

One family is the Green family trying to bring home Angelina
http://helpsaveangelina.blogspot.com/

Angelina

The other family is the Tam family trying to bring home Paisley: http://chasing-moonlight.blogspot.com/

Paisley

Thanks for reading!

Teacher with Down Syndrome

Time for a new post.

It's been awhile!  I don't have much to say, but I want to jot down a couple of 'funnies' the boys have said recently so that I won't forget them. 

The other night Kai said, "Mama, Jesus lives in my heart!"
Me: "You're right!  It's so wonderful you know that, Kai!"
Kai: "I can feel Jesus in my heart at night when I'm in bed."
Me: "Wow!  That is SO great Kai!" (Me thinking: Oh my goodness!  Did Kai accept Christ and I didn't even know about it? Does he see angels and stuff?  Do I start talking about sin and forgiveness and all that stuff with him now?!!!"
Kai: "Yeah, He goes 'bump BUMP, bump BUMP, bump BUMP' in my heart.  He's very bumpy."
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We spent some time with my dad this past weekend and I suspect he was saying one of his favorite quotes to my boys, "Hi ho, Silver!  Away!!!"  I'm pretty sure I've never said that, and I know that my dad often said this when I was growing up at different silly opportunities, so I'm betting it may have come out of his lips while the boys were running around, back and forth all day.  The reason I bring this up is because yesterday Kai and Zeze were running around the house yelling, "Hi, old slipper! Away!!"
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Zeze had a pile of vitamins to eat one morning and he says to me, "Mom, my vitamins are going to go in my mouth and watch a show.  This pink one is the mommy vitamin and she is very nice.  She let's them watch shows and take long baths with bubbles and toys." (I made him take a quick shower the night before without bubbles or toys and I didn't let him watch his show afterwards.)  *sigh*
------------------------------------------------

It was an overcast morning and Zeze and I could look at the cloudy-covered sun and see its whole dim outline.  When Zeze spotted it he shouted, "Mom, it's a shiny moon in the sky!!!!!"  (I love his creativity!).  I didn't want to crush him so I just said, "wow!", but he persisted.  Because, like a dog with a bone, Zeze does not give up until I give him definitive answers about things....no vagueness allowed!  He asked, "It's a shiny moon, right?" So I told him it was actually the sun that looked dim because of the clouds.  Wanting definitive answers, yet always looking for an argument, coupled with thinking I am very stupid and that Kai is the be-all-end-all of earthly wisdom, Zeze confidently condescending says, "THAT is NOT the sun, mama!  There are no lines coming out of it (like when I draw a crayon picture of a sun)!!  It is a shiny moon!"  We went back and forth a couple of times with me gently trying to explain, to no avail.  At his last assertion that it was a shiny moon, I said, "Wow, Zeze!"  He let it go at that.  I'm not sure if my tactic made him reluctantly realize his folly, or more likely, he concluded that I actually AM the stupidest person he knows.  I can't wait for the arguments we'll have when he's 13 and not 3 (sarcasm is dripping from those words).  :)
---------------------------

Results!

I used random.org to choose the winning entries and I will be contacting the winners in order to let them choose from the prizes.  1st place gets first pick, 2nd place gets second pick and so forth.  Please be patient as it might take the day to get in touch with everyone (in order) to find out what prize they choose.  Congratulations and thank you all so much for donating to Sergei!  I am so happy that he has SO much money in his account now!!!!!  Yay!!!!!

1. Brad  - $100 Amazon gift card

2. Cindi - passing on the prize

3. Arty - Keurig Coffee Brewer with K-cups

4. Jessica - #12 Blue scarf and hat

5. Brandy - #1 Strawberry hat

6. Doug - no response

7. Mike G.- #14 blue sparkle hat & scarf

8. Ryann M. - #11 blue 'popcorn' scarf

9. Darci - #7 purple/brown/yellow hat

10. Shirley- #8 purple/brown/yellow hat

11.Gail - #13 white scarf

12. Josephine - #2 strawberry hat

13. Gardner - Passing on the prize

14. Angela - #16 pink hat

15. Paul C. - Passing on the prize

16. Kristina - #3 Strawberry hat

17. Matt - no response

18. Kristen - #10 pink and white hat

19. Kate B.- #4 yellow/blue/brown hat MD

20. Glenn - #5 yellow blue brown hat LG

21. Leah - # 15 red/green scarf and hat

22. Joanna - #17 blue/yellow/green hat

23. Melissa - #6 yellow/blue/brown hat SM

24. Strand Styling Studio - #9 yellow/purple/brown/blue hat

Prizes are the Keurig Coffee Brewer.  $100 Amazon gift card and assorted knittery (see pics below and corresponding #s on each item.)

P.S.

PS- If you have donated to Sergei's grant fund directly through Reece's Rainbow by paypal or by check and would like to be included in the drawing for the Keurig, Amazon gift card and knittery, PLEASE contact me! I am only made aware of the donations made through the chipin on the sidebar or by contacting me personally (Reece's Rainbow cannot disclose donor information to outside parties) and I don't want to leave anyone out!

Thanks!

P.P.S  Chad made $330 for Sergei from his "meat sale"* at his work today!!!!  Woo Hoo!!!! 
*Instead of a traditional bake sale, he gave away pulled pork sandwiches and buffalo chicken wings for donations!

One More Day

It's time to donate if you want to be entered into the drawing!  There is only 1 day left and I will contact winners on the 16th!  You can always donate until December 31st, but not if you want to be entered into the drawing!  Please donate via the ChipIn today! 

Thanks, everyone!  We have gotten a pretty good nest egg started for Sergei's future family!  Hopefully, they will step forward soon!!

A Little Whine and a Desperate Heart

Sorry I haven't had too much to say lately. My kids have been sick since before Thanksgiving! Zeze had a vomiting bug. Kai had strep throat. Zeze had strep throat. Noah had the vomiting bug all through the night Friday, Zeze all day Monday and then Kai all Monday night. Now Noah just vomited again today!! Plus we have all the IEP meetings, annual check-ups for all the specialists the kids (mostly Noah) go to, plus pre-op visits for Noah's upcoming adnoidectomy and -oscopy explorations! Oh and 2 major holidays and 3 birthdays all within 4 weeks! I guess I just needed to whine a little bit because I'm so worn out! I expect and am usually prepared for the regular busyness of November and December (holidays, birthdays, doctors, IEPs etc.), but the Strep, vomiting and upcoming surgery are tipping me over the edge a little bit! Ok, whining is all done! :) 
I have to say though, that due to all the vomiting going on this week around here, my "vomiting reflexes" have improved dramatically!  In the begininning of the week I just stood there stupidly, my reflexes slow as cold honey, watching as the child covered the entire bed, rug, clothes, teddies or whatever.  Today, however, as Noah started, I caught the vomit in one hand (yes, it's gross, but so is scrubbing puke out of a rug), scooped him up in my other arm and booked it to the sink, throwing (not really) him in just in time for the full stomach-wrenching heaves began!  In a sick (ha ha) way, I felt like a hero saving my couch, the rug, toys, maybe a cat from getting covered yet again!  Yay me!!! Hey, you've gotta find triumphs and humor somehow with a week like this!  

In all seriousness, I am very excited to be getting ready for Chad's "meat sale" at his work! He's going to 'sell' chicken wings and pulled pork sandwiches to all the guys in his shop to help raise money for Sergei! I would love to help Sergei get even more money in his adoption account! Some of the kids on Reece's Rainbow's Angel tree have recently been transferred to institutions!

Alexander and Max were recently transferred from their baby orphanage to the institution!!  (http://reecesrainbow.org/alexander-20)      (http://reecesrainbow.org/max-2h)

Gavin is at the same orphanage that Alexander was just transferred out of and he is 2 months older than Alexander, so his time is coming in the next few weeks/months!!!  Please see Julia's blog post titled "Aaron's Nothing" about the institution from which she just adopted her son, Aaron.  She is Gavin's Christmas Warrior and if fighting to raise money to prevent Gavin from going to a place just like her son's former institution.

It makes me so sad and almost desperate to do what I can to help Sergei (or any of the kids) get adopted before having to go there. It sounds awful!  I know I can't save them all and that there will always be orphans and homelessness, but I can't just sit and ignore it anymore.  It hits home to know that these kids are only there because they have Down syndrome.  They aren't murderers or savage beasts, they just have 1 extra chromosome that makes them smile more, give more hugs and take a little longer to say what they feel...just the same as my Noah.  Wouldn't you go crazy if you knew that all girls with blue eyes, or all boys with red hair were abandoned at birth and sent to hellish places to live?  It feels just as outrageous to me, that kids like my son ARE going through this!

Please help!  If you can't adopt, donate some money and spread the word.  The kids with large adoptions grants get chosen very quickly!  Please be a part of keeping Sergei from the institution!

Thank you!

Wow!

New Picture of Sergei G.!!!

Hey Everyone!  Andrea at Reece's Rainbow sent me a current picture of Sergei G. today! What a cutie pie!!

 

  (Note added 11/24: I was wrong about adding the ChipIn to the Angel Tree account to get his total.  His Angel Tree $$ already adds the ChipIn amount to it, so it reflects the actual total.  However, the hard working ladies at Reece's Rainbow sometimes take a few days to update the number on the A.T site so the numbers don't always match the ChipIn amount on my page.  Sorry it's so confusing and sorry to have unintentionally mislead you all.  Whichever amount is highest is the correct amount.  *I think*!)

 

 

So now Sergei's total is:

$2290!!!

That is so wonderful!!!  I'm so happy to see his new picture, too!  It looks like he's sitting up on his own and has gained some weight!  Hopefully, this is true!  He still doesn't look like a 5 year old to me, but at least he doesn't look like an infant anymore.  Maybe like a 2 year old.  He still needs our help raising money and he absolutely needs a family to bring him home!!  Are you out there, family?  Are you feeling that little nudge like it should be you?  PLEASE respond to those feelings.  Don't push them away out of fear!!  Look what is already being accomplished for this little boy!  God can do amazing things! 

Also, here are some pictures of some more newly knitted items added to the drawing!
A matching Christmas scarf and hat

A second strawberry hat

and two more stripey hats but with purple, yellow and brown instead of blue, yellow and brown.

 

That makes 11 prizes total!  So many of you are going to win something awesome!!  Woo Hoo!  Please keep helping to spread the word about Sergei so that more people can help him come home to a family!  Please leave me a comment or email if you cross-post the "Sweet Sergei G.'s Fundraiser" so you can get credit for another entry into the drawing!  Thanks!

What 6 Months Can Do...

Go over to Adeye's blog to read this amazing post.  http://www.nogreaterjoymom.com/2010/11/she-rocks.html
She adopted 2 little girls with Down syndrome 6 months ago.  When she got Hailee, she had just turned 5 years old, weighed 16lbs, could not sit up by herself or barely hold her head up, like a 3 month old.  5 YEARS OLD!!!   Now she no longer has the constant wound across her forehead from banging it on the crib bars out of boredome, she can stand up, she smiles, she's growing.  She is LOVED!  Amazing changes in this girl in just 6 months.  When they found Hailee in the back room of the orphanage she "was written off as being useless, a burden on society, without any abilities, with no hope at all, a mere corpse with breath in a crib...."   How haunting! 
  
Hailee 6 months ago.      Hailee today!
Please read, learn and learn to love! 

New Prize!!!

I can finally tell you all about the new fabulous prize for Sergei G.'s fundraiser! 

In addition to the $100 Amazon gift card

the hand-knit boys' hats in 3 sizes 

the hand-knit girls' strawberry hat

 the hand-knit matching hat and scarf (modeled and knit by my wonderful sister-in-law, Jamie)

we are adding a brand new Keurig Special Edition Brewer ($139.95 value) PLUS 4 boxes of K-cups (coffee, tea, cocoa etc., a $55 value)

 all generously donated by Keurig themselves!!!  Woo Hoo! 

Man, I want one of those brewers!!!  Haha!  But I want one of you to win it more so that Sergei can have more money in his adoption account!!! So, let all your friends know that they are helping a sweet orphan boy with Down syndrome AND entering this drawing with some AMAZING prizes!!!

Donate with the ChipIn here or on the side of my blog or by going to the Reece's Rainbow Angel Page and scrolling down to Sergei on the 4th line.  Don't forget you get 1 entry for posting on Facebook, Twitter, or Blog, but you need to leave me a comment letting me know you've done this in order to get the entry recorded.  Also, if you donate through the RR Angel Tree site, leave a comment in the PayPal instructions that you're donating through my blog and want to be entered into the drawing, or leave me a comment letting me know! 

Oh, and the total count, as of this morning, is $975!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

F.Y.I., I updated the original "Sweet Sergei's Fundraiser" post with the current prize pictures if you want to see them all together along with the details for the drawing.  Thanks!

WOW!!

My sister, Heather, raised a total of $50 at her bake sale with just one type of cookie and rice crispie squares!  See what one person can do?!!!  Awesome!

  Can you believe that on Friday Sergei only had $450 and today he has..............

$805!!!!!!

yay!!!!

Add the ChipIn on my page to his Angel account here

Great job, everyone!  Keep spreading the word about Sergei and keep donating!  Also, if you donate directly through the Reece's Rainbow Angel Tree page and want to be entered into my drawing, just leave a note in "Special Instructions" on the PayPal page that you came from my blog.  If you already donated and didn't make that note, no problem!  Just email me and let me know or email Reece's Rainbow and let them know and they'll tell me.  It's all good!

Here are the finished boys' hats that my sister-in-law knitted!  They are so awesome!  Thanks, Jamie!!

Stay tuned!

My sister is doing a bake sale at her husband's work today to raise money for Sergei.  I can't wait to see how many people donate $$ to eat her super yummy gourmet rice crispie treats and cookies!!! I'll let you all know she did and how much more $$ Sergei gets!! 

If you add the money from his RR Angel Tree account and the ChipIn on my page, he has

$390!!!

Also, there is going to be another AWESOME prize added on to this drawing!!  It's not finalized yet, but I'll let you know soon.  All I'll say is, it's something I wish I could win and could enjoy every day!!!!  Stay tuned...........!!!