Gabriel is turning 6 this week! He was the one that turned our lives right side up. He was diagnosed with Down Syndrome at birth and although that seemed, at the time, to be a terrible thing, we've learned that it was one of the best things that could have happened to us.
He is our pride and joy. He loves us more than we could have ever imagined. The victories have been far greater than the struggles. There have definitely been struggles but the joy he has given us has made it all worth it.
We've been thinking about a sibling, as wonderful as he is, for him for about 5 years now. We kept waiting for life to get easier, finances to get better, etc. But Gabriel is getting older and we don't want to wait too long. The waiting list to adopt a child within the United States diagnosed with Down Syndrome is many many years long. So we knew that wasn't going to work.
We found Jade's story and picture last year and just fell in love with her. We knew she was the one that we were supposed to rescue. She was born in China and left in a box on the street with a blanket and her birth certificate when she was 2 months old.
Special needs orphans don't have much of a chance of survival. I can't believe what happens to them. After the age of 4-5 they are sent to mental institutions where most of them die the first year. They are so undernourished, under loved, tied to beds and never gotten up, we'd all languish and die fast too.
It's a terrible thing. We love our little boy so much, we can't bare the thought of that happening to him or any child. We wish we could save them all. So we have to start somewhere, somehow.
Gabriel has already saved a life. Jade will also have a legacy of saving lives. Together, they have a beautiful purpose. For us, they are here to save us, change us and make us better people too. We have so much to learn from them.
"It's time for us to do somethin'", says Matthew West.
Please help us do something. We have been approved for a matching grant of $3,000 through LifeSong for Orphans. That means we have to raise $3,000 in the next 5-6 weeks. Please help us take advantage of every bit of that grant. Any amount will make a difference as it will be matched!
These donations will be matched by C6 Fund up to $3,000!
o Checks should be payable to “Lifesong for Orphans". In the memo, note Solano #4464 to assure it goes to the correct account.
Please mail to Lifesong for Orphans, PO Box 40, Gridley, IL 61744.
You can donate online here. Unfortunately, Paypal reduces the donation with a 2.9% a fee & .30 per donation.
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=472X293AAH4AS
Lifesong has been blessed with a partner that underwrites all U.S. administrative and fund-raising costs. That means 100% of your donation will go directly to the adoption.
Thank you!
o NOTE: In following IRS guidelines, your donation is to the named non-profit organization. This organization retains full discretion over its use, but intends to honor the donor’s suggested use.
o Individual donations $250 or more and yearly donations totaling $250 or more will receive a tax-deductible receipt. Receipts for donations under $250 will gladly be sent upon request. Lifesong is a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization.
