in a nut shell: November 2012

never in a million years did i expect from a single "event invitation" on facebook such an abundance of support and donations! if we are friends on facebook than more than likely you were aware that this past saturday november 17, was adoption saturday at the st.louis county family court. twenty eight families attended actual court that morning and finalized their adoptions!! all other attendees were either family supporters or volunteers including the judges, attorney's, state workers, and last but not least my husband henry and myself.

like i have stated in previous posts we attended this event three years ago for our own adoption and also as a volunteer. since that day i knew i wanted to continue being a part of such a meaningful day and was pondering on the idea of a way to make it a bit more special for the children themselves. last year time got away and besides the sandwiches and donuts we had nothing more to be accountable for and was disappointed in myself.

this year was much different! thanks to easy communication through facebook, and my most kind family and friends, the generosity was flowing.

thirty six children that ranged from 4 months to 13 years of age were handed gift bags in the court rooms that were packed with

books - my kind neighbor donated stacks of brand new children's book that i carefully separated and took much time in selecting the perfect ones for each child based on age and gender.
a game - no lie when i say hours were spent between toys r us and target finding the best prices and selection on games. between the two stores i went back and forth selecting the best game again based on age and gender and kept my fingers crossed that i would choose something they would each enjoy. my hopes are they will sit down with their families and enjoy the game together. for the babies i chose the cutest stacker or sorting toys i could find!
stuffed bear - in years past the children have always been given a bear that had been donated by a certain "bear manufacturer". that company has gone out of business since last year :( thanks to your donations the bear tradition continued on!
keepsake necklace - my friend melanie, who's family owns MSG jewelers made the most beautiful charm necklaces for each child. inside the lid of the jewelery box was a saying about the importance of family, it was beautiful!
tooth brush and tooth paste - who can't use a new toothbrush? my sister whom is a dental hygienist found a rep to donate these items!
treat coupons - my friend kelly donated treat coupons to mcdonalds. i over heard one child ask his mom if they could leave and get his free ice cream cone!

in addition to the individual gifts 1 family who adopted multiple children was given a zoo bag that included safari passes from my friends mark and jen and a 1 year zoo membership compliments of seany's god father dan! there were also 15 other attendance prizes that were given away to random families!! giving gifts away to well deserved people has to be the best thing ever!

balloon ribbons dangled from the ceiling while a shriner twisted others into animals. fred bird and ronald mcdonald popped in for a visit and made little ones giggle. lots of good food was donated and thanks to my friend maria chair massages were offered for the first time ever in the history of adoption saturday!!

thankful is an understatement for the way i feel about the support that was given to me from my family and friends. when i delivered the gift bags earlier in the week the staff at the court house was shocked at how nice they were. my exact words "i know some really nice people"! go right ahead and check this day off as a good deed in your books because friends you deserve it. many smiles were produced because of your generosity and if only you could have seen the children proudly walking the halls with their bags over their shoulders.

i walked up to a little girl who appeared to be about 7 or 8 and said" congratulations on your special day". she politely replied "thank you, did you buy me this stuff"? i told her about my awesome family and friends who donated the money so i could go on a special shopping trip just for her and the other children. with a smile on her face she said "really"? "yep", this girl doesn't lie.

the items inside the fun gift bags at adoption saturday were just materialistic. thirty six children were given the best gift anyone could ask for...FAMILY.

adoption is amazing...children are amazing...family is amazing. no wonder i love this event!!