How does it make a difference?

Today I guided a friend through voting for 'my' sweet Brett in Angel Tree, which literally took about ten seconds, and I was struck by the thought - no wonder so few people seem to be responding to my pleas... this doesn't FEEL like you're doing anything!

But you ARE!  When you watch those numbers go up every day, cheering when he makes it over 40, then 50, you can SEE a difference being made.

But in what?  A contest?  I'm sure people think... big deal!  But it IS a big deal, because this contest could mean a significant increase in Brett's grant, which may give his family the confidence they need to step up for him.

Let me break it down for you.  On Reece's Rainbow, there's a page called 'Moving Mountains', which showcases all of the adoptable children with certain amounts in their grant funds - the point being to show people that the obstacle does not have to be financial - there are children who are nearly fully funded.  But then... there are a plethora of other children.  Some with a meager ~$100, like Brett... $100 is a lot of money, sure, but in terms of international adoption... that's probably like, birth certificates for ONE family member for a dossier.  And there are some with less.  And there are some with $0.  Honestly all these children are in the same category in my mind... children whose grants will not increase their chances of being adopted, unless they grow substantially.

Last year, Angel Tree raised $1,000 or more for EVERY SINGLE CHILD on the Angel Tree.  That means, whichever of these boys gets on the Angel Tree, may see their grant grow by as much as $1,000, or more, by the end of this year!  When you consider that an adoption from Brett's country usually costs around $20,000, give or take, that's huge.  He could be 1/20, or even 1/10, funded!  And yes.  Every single one of those sweet boys is deserving.  'Choosing' a child to vote for is no fun.  But in Public Health, we have what we call a Needs Assessment - and the title is misleading.  When planning intervention programs, we don't only consider where the need is greatest, but where we can make the greatest difference.  Brett?  This would make a HUGE difference for him.  But why him?  Why such a huge difference for him?

Well..........

*reaches up sleeve for diabolical plan*

Because he has some advocates who will stop at NOTHING to bring him home.  Right here, right now, I'm making a promise.  When a family commits to Brett, I will launch several fundraisers on their behalf.  If initial homestudy fees are an obstacle, we'll figure something out for that.  Then, when the family needs money for facilitation, dossier and travel?  My master plan goes into action.  You see, being in public health... Planning, implementing, and evaluating is what I *do*.  I am an organizer to the core.  And I never, ever pour myself into organizing anything as much as I do something to help someone else.

So... I have... plans.  Some of them are super secret right now... but I'll be sure to let Brett's family in on them right away.  Some of them are tried and true.  I've been plotting a huge, multi-family yard sale in my head for weeks now.  And by huge, I mean, I want to clear all the *crap* out of this house that I don't NEED.  Because look what Brett has versus what I have!  WHY do I need a fancy basket to hold pictures that aren't in albums yet?  Wouldn't a shoebox work?  WHY do I need, and I kid you not, as a 23 year old woman, FIVE backpacks, a diaper bag, a four-size luggage set, a kids' bookbag, at least half a dozen tote bags, and seven purses?  I only ever use ONE of those things at a time.  Heck, why do I need half the stuff I have?  What do box springs actually do anyways?  I bet Brett doesn't have one.  NOBODY sits in that desk chair anymore, now that I have a laptop.  My desk has become useful only for stacking stuff on that I don't have another place for.  Maybe I should organize a little better and get rid of the whole thing!  I have a mini trampoline that the kids love, but they use for maybe five minutes, twice a year?  Pshh.  Put the mattress on the floor, let them jump on it, two problems solved!  And all the clothes that don't fit in my dresser - my goodness.  How many outfits does one person need?  Maybe a week's worth for each season?  A couple of special outfits?  And even that seems excessive when you remember that Brett and his friends have probably been wearing the same clothes for DAYS.  Think about it.  How dirty do pajamas really get?  Do you really need a different pair every night?  I know people who don't even OWN pajamas.  In America.  Yeah, don't think about the logistics of that, just get my point that we have way too many things that are just not vital to our lives.  If I boiled down what I owned to what I used every day, I'm willing to bet I could sell at least half the things in this apartment.  And I would, for Brett.

Aside from the cute little boy in the foreground, you can tell that I have WAY too much junk.

Auctions?  Giveaways?  Yeah, I can do that.  I'm in public health, again!  What do we do when we have health fairs?  We walk around to local businesses and ask for donations.  What do I do when I'm dissatisfied with something?  I write a letter seeking for it to be made right.  I can do those things, times 100, and put on an AWESOME auction/giveaway/whatever.

And... well, as far as creative ideas... let me give you a little sneak peak of something my friends and I did for three summers when I was 10-12...

(Katie Sue, Amber, and Jess, please forgive me for using these embarrassing old photos of us... it's for a good cause!)  Yeah.  We were just little kids.  All that stuff that we have was made by hand.  We had a back yard carnival... A sucker pick made out like the solar system... hand painted of course on a girl scout cookie box... a bean bag toss made of an old box and a poster board... also hand painted... and I sewed the beanbags myself... there was a beanie baby raffle, a face painting station, refreshments, a cookie walk... oh, we had all sorts of fun... and we donated part of our proceeds every year to the local Children's Hospital and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (long story on the reason for that one).  Now... if we did all this at ten years old... what could a group of dedicated ADULTS do to give a child a Forever Home??

Oh.  Here we are after cleaning a local creek.  Did I forget to mention that we had a community service club when we were 12-13?

I'm not in this one.  Somebody needs to get me a copy of the other one, it's better!

We were WET and COVERED in mud (a mud fight may or may not have broken out..) and we were HAPPY.



I certainly didn't do all of that by myself - I was lucky to have some amaaaazing friends growing up - but my point is, I learned how to organize from age 10 all the way through college, learned how to make a successful event - and while I'm completely broke, Brett's family will be the recipient (like it or not!) of ALL my best fundraising/organizing ideas.  His grant might not read 'fully funded' yet, but my intention is to make it clear that the obstacle in his adoption will NOT be financial.  We will make it happen if I have to sell the shirt off my back.  Well.  Maybe I should keep one shirt.  I think there's some sort of rule about public nudity...

But folks, it starts with getting that little guy on Angel Tree.  It starts with raising those numbers high enough to get a family to commit to him.  Then... we hit the ground running.  Now's your chance to be a part of something AMAZING.

Cause and effect.  Simple.  It may be hard to see how clicking that little vote button could get this boy fully funded, but it's a chain reaction and it just needs YOU to set it off.  Tomorrow... just before voting ends... I'll tell you what happens AFTER "Fully Funded".  For now...

Vote for me, maybe?