Sunday, July 29, 2012

New Family of the Week: The O'Brien Family

Greetings friends! We start our new Family of the Week on Sundays here at Give1Save1 Domestic! We are overjoyed to introduce you to this week's family, the O'Briens!




This cute little couple is patiently waiting to be chosen and matched with an expectant mother who would like to make an adoption plan. They are "paper ready", which means they have taken many classes, had their home study completed, and their profile is ready to be seen. This amazing couple is ready to become a mommy and daddy. Go ahead and check out their video!





Not to mention, this week some friends of the O'Brien family are throwing in some sweeeeeeeeet giveaways for those that donate this week. Check it out!



  • Their friend Aubrey giving away a dozen cookies from her Etsy shop at http://www.facebook.com/#!/ParadiseSweetsHawaii. Her cookies ARE AMAZING!  Seriously, they are addicting & she is so talented. For every five dollars donated your name will be put into the raffle & at the end of next week we'll pull a name and ship to the winner!
  • We also have Stacey at Hope Handmade  http://www.facebook.com/#!/hopehandmade giving away a $15 credit to her shop.  Her products are beautiful. Also, the proceeds from her shop go to help raise money for their adoption costs, too!  Nice!  She will be doing the same thing as well, for every $5 donated your name will be put in for this prize & at the end of the week, we'll pick a separate winner for this giveaway!
  • aaannnd...finally, a $20 Starbucks giftcard has been donated for a giveaway.  Yay!  We'd like to do something different with this one....for everybody who SHARES their video via twitter, Facebook or their blog, they will be entered in.  Share all three & they will have three entries.  All they have to do is leave a comment for Ashley on her blog under any post how they shared & the link and they have a chance to win. =)

To help support Ashley and Matthew on their adoption journey, please take a minute and click here to donate $1 this week towards their adoption fund. Please share their story and video with others in order to get the word out to support this couple and their adoption dreams.

Ashley and Matthew, we hope that you have an amazing week!


Current Update 7/30 - Total Donated So Far is $592.81!!! Go go go go O'Brien Family and Friends!

Family of the Week Update and Totals

Hi all! Thank you once again for being here for our first official week on Give1Save1 Domestic! We have kicked off our new fundraising sites for Asia and the Caribbean as well.  Click on the interactive world map to access the other sides of Give1Save1.

Now an update on our family of the week. If you or someone in your family has adopted domestically, you know what a roller coaster of a ride it can be at times. Our family of the week, the Saubers Family, has had a hard time this week with some personal issues within their adoption plan. Although we won't share details, they could use prayers currently during their adoption wait. You can drop by their blog here and tell them you are sending prayers and positive thoughts their way.

The Saubers Family is passionate about the adoption of children with special needs, specifically Downs Syndrome as well, and we are happy that we have been able to raise over $1,186 with your help this week for just that! This will hopefully help the Saubers with their adoption fund towards a child with special needs.

Stay tuned for tonight's post on our new domestic family of the week. As always, if you would like to be featured as a family of the week please drop an email to onesweetworld67 at gmail dot com for an application! We'd love to help you get the word out about your adoption and help support you!

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Semi Open Adoption: From My Perspective


Today's post comes from Brandi who has adopted both internationally and domestically and is one of our Give1 Domestic bloggers. Her blog home is at www.ourcongojourney.blogspot.com

Every domestic adoptive family has to make a life changing decision in their adoption process. Most adoptive parents leave this choice to their children's biological parent/parents.

Ever hear of closed adoption...semi-open...open adoption and wonder what this means? Here is the definition of semi-open adoption I found online:

*Semi-Open Adoptions: A form of adoption that is intentionally designed to be a combination of a more traditional closed adoption and a more progressive open adoption, with the emphasis being on the "privacy" of all parties, rather than on "confidentially." Direct communication after the adoption is more limited, in the fashion that is agreed by the parties to be beneficial for everyone. Last names, addresses, and telephone numbers are usually not exchanged, while the sharing of photographs or other information for an agreed frequency and duration is common. All communication takes place through a third party, which is usually an adoption agency, an adoption attorney or a designated intermediary.

A semi-open adoption is the type of adoption we have with our son's biological mom. We wanted a completely open adoption, but we also wanted to respect our son's biological mom's choice and so we let her choose. While our situation with our son's biological mom is not exactly the same as the definition above we went with what we were most comfortable with and it works for us.

At first when we received the call she wanted a closed adoption. By the time we were ready to leave the hospital she changed her mind and chose a semi-open adoption. It's important that every family chooses the right decision for them. Semi-open adoption gave us (the adoptive parents) the option to be as open as possible to D (our son's biological mom) while also giving her the option to be as open or as closed as she wants. We agreed to exchange phone numbers, email, and her address as well as our Po Box, send her pictures and updates a few times a year because that is what we were comfortable with doing. She agreed to accept these updates, but at the same time she can choose to open those updates when and if she is ready. This works for our family. I love our semi-open adoption with D. She is an incredible woman and someone I want my son to be proud to have as a biological mom. She is a very special part of him and that is why I love her so much. She took care of him and herself for the 9 months he spent in her womb. She also made the best decision she could for him. I've always thought highly of mothers who are able to put their children and their children's needs before their own. That's what D did for our son.

I know that not every situation is like ours. Ultimately in making the decision closed, semi-open, or open adoption you should first think about your child/children. What is best for them? For example: D is not a bad example for our son. She is an incredible woman and when my son meets her I hope he sees D as a hero. She is someone I don't mind him looking up to because I know she wouldn't be a bad example for him. A friend of mine adopted a sibling group (2) through foster care. After the adoption was final she made every attempt to keep it open for as long as she could, but a few months later she had to sever ties with their biological mom because she was being a bad example. It was a painful decision for my friend to make, but she made the best decision she could during that time. She hopes that their biological mom will become the example their children need her to be, but until then the adoption is closed with hopes that eventually it can be opened again.

As a potential adoptive parent you should not agree to an open or semi-open adoption in an attempt to get a baby. I've heard of some adoptive parents agreeing to an open or semi open adoption with their biological child's mom and then when their child was born they closed it for no reason other than just agreeing to whatever the biological mom wanted before the baby was born so that they could get a baby. This is NOT right and if you don't think you can handle an open or semi open adoption then do NOT agree to one. This is something very important to discuss with your agency. If you are not open to a semi-open or open adoption then make sure your adoption agency does not show you to potential biological parents who do want a semi or open adoption. It's not fair to them and it's not fair to you.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Family Update: Saubers

Baby Saubers update! 

He's 35 weeks (gestation) today, on day 7 in the NICU and he's doing well! They are going to try feeding today and his numbers are all looking good! Thank you all for your prayers and support for our first family of the week.

A family friend of theirs and fellow adoptive parent, Chrissy over at Injera and Chocolate Gravy, is doing a giveaway!!! For every $5 donated in the adoption fund for the Saubers she is giving away a 4oz Babycake hair and body butter!!! Go 'head and check out her Babycakes store http://shop.lovemybabycakes.com/ and let her know if you make a $5 or more donation this week by dropping her an email at chrissymjensen (at) facebook (dot) com



To learn more about this week's family or to make a donation for their adoption fund, please
click here. 

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Raising the Funds to Create Your Family

Thanks to those who are spreading the word, praying for, and donating for our first domestic family of the week, the Saubers. The last total so far is $827.00 raised!!! Let's keep it up!

Since we have gone live with our first adoptive family of the week, we have gotten quite a few emails asking for applications. Each person applying for fundraising assistance with Give1Save1 has story to tell. As I browse my emails I hear a variety of stories.

We have exhausted all of our funds..............

We have no savings for adoption after spending all we had on infertility treatments............

We have refinanced our home and taken out loans for this adoption..........


It's heartbreaking to me to read these because I too am an adoptive parent and I too have been in this position where your bills are bigger than your dreams of a family. After going through one failed domestic adoption and then on to three successful international adoptions after years worth of infertility treatments, I cannot give you an exact total of just HOW much we spent overall in creating our own family. I do know that all costs for just our adoption expenses totaled, at the end, over $90,000. 

So I wanted to take a second and let you know of some additional fundraising opportunities in addition to Give1Save1. Some you might have heard of. Some you might not have.

This will be the first of many posts about resources available to help you raise the funds needed to complete your adoption and create your family. I am passionate that if I could raise a large amount of money for our own adoptions, then you can too! Check out the different opportunities below for additional resources to help make your adoption dreams come true. 


And as always please send me an email at onesweetworld67 (at) gmail (dot) com to be considered as a family of the week for Give1Save1 domestic.

  • Lifesong for Orphans - offers grant opportunities and matching grants as well as help with fundraising through their nonprofit organization for Christian Families. Lifesong offers information for prospective parents wanting to adopt and are advocates for children in need. 
  • Both Hands - a branch of Lifesong for Orphans, Both Hands is a sponsorship program in which Christian families apply and are accepted to participate. Families then are mentored on how to successfully fundraising by going out into the community to partner with a local widow. The family spends a day fixing up the widow's home and caring for her needs. The adoptive family asks for sponsorships for their day of work and the proceeds go to help their adoption. 








  • Show Hope - Created by the Chapman Family, this non profit awards grants to Christian families for their adoption as well provides the Shirts for Hope program with Adoption Bug to help families raise funds for adoption. Show Hope provides many resources for families interested in adoption as well as care for orphans in country, child sponsorships, and facilitates a national adoption conference each year.






  • Parenthood for Me - Started by adoptive mom Erica, Parenthood for me is a non profit organization that helps build families through awarding grants for those pursuing expensive infertility treatments as well as domestic and international adoption. 





  • 147 Million Orphans - 147 started with a team of two moms who decided to help other families raise funds to complete their adoptions through the sales of tshirts. 147 offers unique tshirts, apparel, and jewelry for adoptive families to sell to help raise funds to complete their adoptions. The money paid to 147 helps with feeding programs for the hungry.








  • Simply Love - Kari is an adoptive mom who wanted to make fundraising easier for other adoptive families as well. Her family has created the Simply Love kits in which families pick the designs they would like and are given all the materials needed to take the tshirt images to local printshops where they can purchase shirts to sell at cost. Check out Kari's website as well for tons of information about adoption and other resources.




  • These are just a few of the resources available to help adoptive parents fund their adoptions. Stay tuned, we will be continually featuring different organizations and grants to help alleviate the stress from the costs of adoption.

    Sunday, July 22, 2012

    1st Week and 1st Family!

    On Give1Save1, the premise is that we highlight one family per week on the domestic adoption page in the hopes that you might be able to scratch up $1 to donate towards their adoption fees. Adoption is expensive and the fees can seem insurmountable to many adoptive parents. We'd like to show some love here at Give1Save1 towards adoptive families by helping collect donations in their names in the hopes of making a dent in their worries. Each week as well, there will be a family on the Asia page, Europe page, Africa page, and the Caribbean page for you to donate $1 to.

    We'd like to kick things off and running this Monday with our very first domestic family of the week, the Saubers Family!!!!

    The Saubers Family were drawn to domestic adoption when they decided to add a 5th child to their family. They were matched with an expectant mother who was pregnant with a child identified in-utero with Down's Syndrome. The Saubers' were overjoyed to welcome this baby into their family and began preparations to adopt him.

    As they were wrapping up their last weeks as a family of six, they received a call that the expectant mother had to have an emergency c-section. Little baby Saubers ended up coming 6 WEEKS EARLY and weighing in at a teeny 3 lbs. This means that the Saubers' are quickly doing their last fundraising needed to complete their adoption and pay off the remaining fees.



    To make a donation to the Saubers Family, please click here. You can click here to go to their family blog to learn a little more about them.


    Update: Current running total is $961.68 raised

    Please share their story with others and donate $1 to their family fund this week! We would love for the Saubers Family to not have to worry about adoption finances this week as they go and love on their little tiny boy.

    Ready? Set? Go!

    Saturday, July 21, 2012

    The Journey Starts Now

    Hello and welcome to one of the new pages for Give1Save1! I wanted to take a minute to personally welcome you to the new website and thank you for taking the time to learn more about Give1Save1.

    First off - What is Give1Save1?

    The spark that lit the fire began with a girl named Beth. Beth, who was in the adoption process herself and knew how expensive it was, created a blog that could help families who were in the adoption process. She wanted to feature a family per week and allow others to donate to that family's adoption fund. Encouraging others to give $1, the adoptive family could quickly raise money to help bring their child home.

    What started off as a project to help families who were adopting internationally from Africa turned into something much larger. Give1 has now branched out to reach other families as well. We are now featuring families who are in the domestic process on this blog, as well as Asia and the Caribbean on our other linked pages. This allows for many adoptive families to join together to help raise money for the family of the week.

    How do I get started helping?


    First off, tell your friends. Blast it out on Twitter and Facebook. Let others know that we are looking for families who need a little boost in finances to help them in their domestic adoption process. We know they're out there.

    After you've done that, bookmark this page and come back weekly, become a follower, or sign up for updates and subscribe. You will know when new posts are published and you can return to help out a new family each week raise money for their adoption.

    Finally, make sure you have a Paypal account set up so that you're ready to donate. This is a secure way to donate $1 or more to the family of the week through your credit card or bank account. It's quick and painless and makes you feel warm fuzzies inside knowing you're helping a family get a smidge closer to their adoption dreams.

    How do we become a featured family?

    We are currently accepting families who would like to be featured as the featured family of the week. You can be matched with a birth parent. You can be a family who is still looking for a match. Either way, we'd like to help. If you are needing support for your domestic adoption, you can apply to be a featured family of the week. If you would like an application, please shoot an email to me at onesweetworld67 (at) gmail (dot) com and I will get one to you.

    Each family will be featured for one week. You will create a short video that helps the readers get to know your family and your adoption story. Make it fun! Give1 readers love adoption and they'd like to know a little about you. Your video will get shared on Facebook, twitter, and through emails by your friends - thus helping you raise money for your adoption. Those $1 add up and at the end of the week, you have a little boost to help you on your journey.

    If you haven't been matched with a birth parent and you are still in the waiting phase that's okay too. Maybe in the sharing of your video an expectant mother may be able to learn more about you as well. You never know who will watch your video and who you may meet along the way.

    In conclusion, I hope that you are excited as we are here at Give1Save1 to help even more families on their path to adoption and help unite more parents with their waiting children. We are just a little blog but we'd like to help fulfill some big dreams. Please stick around and see what we have in store.