A Time For Giving

I love this time of year. It's a time for family and love and giving. I love my family and I so enjoy spending time with my brothers and sister and their families and my mom and dad and aunts, uncles and cousins and inlaws. I also love that it is a time for giving. Most of us have such a blessed and abundant life. It is this time of year that we seek out ways to help others who may not be as fortunate. I, as always, want to put in a plug for things that are near and dear to me. Orphans and Down Syndrome.

Not everyone feels 'called' to adopt. That is okay. For those who might have thought about it in the past, I would urge you to start checking out your options. It's hard to find numbers for 'orphans' within the United States. The best ones I could find, state that there are approximately 500,000 children in the foster care system within the US. Of those, about 1/5 are legally available for adoption. Each state has their own guidelines for adopting, but you could check with your state family services department and see what the guidelines are. Also, you could check with organizations such at the Dave Thomas Foundation. For those who are hesitant/leary/afraid (I was one of them) of domestic adoption, may I suggest International Adoption. So many countries offer adoption options. Each country has different rules and requirements but I'm pretty sure there is at least one country that will 'fit' your family. You might start by checking out www.rainbowkids.com to learn more. You need only check out the Unicef website, www.unicef.org/infobycountry/index.html, and see the number of orphans in these countries to know there is a definite need.

For those who do not feel called to adoption, may I suggest other ways to give. A friend of mine runs a program to bring awareness to orphans with Down Syndrome throughout the world. In the US, there is a waiting list of families wishing to adopt a child with DS. In many foreign countries, children with DS are put into institutions. They are looked upon as inferior and are not welcome in the everyday world. Harsh, yes. It is their reality. That is why my friend started Reece's Rainbow. On her website,www.reecesrainbow.com, she has posted a way for you to donate money in order to help those who are willing to adopt these children afford the expenses of adoption. (Adoption is not cheap) Also, a very respected adoption agency in the states has a way for you to sponsor an orphan overseas. This is such an awesome opportunity. The children get to stay in their home country with their families. (nothing could be better) Your sponsorship allows them to have food and attend school and have the basic necessities. The link is: orphan.childrenshope.net.

So, if you are looking for ways to help, please consider these. I have more but I'll stop with this for now. Thank you for reading my blog!