Month of November

The month of November is National Adoption Awareness Month, a month set aside to raise awareness about adoption & foster care. This year’s theme is "Answering the Call - You don't have to be perfect to be a perfect parent.” So, before November gets away from me, I thought it would be fitting to post a few adoption related items that might be of interest to someone out there reading. Even if just one person takes action on one of these items, I will consider this post a success!

Before I share the action items, I wanted to first give you some sobering statistics:

-There are 147 million children worldwide who have lost one or both parents.

-Every 14 seconds an AIDS death leaves another child orphaned.

-Every 60 seconds, 20 children die from malnutrition and preventable diseases. Those who survive often suffer from muscle wastage, stunted growth, mental retardation, blindness or anemia due to chronic malnutrition.

-Approximately 88 million orphans live in Asia.

-Approximately 45 million orphans live in Africa.

-Approximately 14 million orphans live in Latin America & the Caribbean.

-Approximately 1 million children live in public care in Central and Eastern Europe

-More than 800,000 children pass through America’s foster care system each year.

These statistics do not even include the UNKNOWN children living orphaned both here and abroad that go uncounted, unnoticed and unloved.

I know it’s hard to read those, but the way those stats get knocked down are if action is taken. What follows are a few simple, easy ways to start that I’ve been made aware of in the past month:

I’ll begin with the easiest one in the world. Coffee. If you are not a regular coffee drinker, you don’t know what you are missing. If you are a regular coffee drinker, then I have just the place for you to buy your next bag from. Our friends from college, Brandon & Jill, have started up an online coffee store to help with the cost of their international adoption from Ethiopia. It is one of the most unique and cool adoption fundraisers I have ever heard of! They are partnering with One Love Coffee….each bag of coffee is only $12.95 (come on, seriously?!?!) and they receive $5 of the proceeds of each bag sold which will go towards their adoption costs. Not only that, but a portion of the proceeds of Just Love Coffees goes to help build a school for older children in Addis Abba, Ethiopia. This is so neat! To order a bag visit http://www.justlovecoffee.com/thenicolfamily

Next up, a very unique way that you can offer an orphan the gift of family for Christmas 2009. Here is the info from our adoption agency: Up to ten Ukrainian orphans are ready to come to central Iowa for a cultural exchange program sponsored by Bethany Alliance Church in Charles City, Iowa. The children, ranging from 6-12 years of age will be arriving December 25, 2009 and staying until January 3, 2010. There is a need for host families for these children for their short stay….host families that will help these children experience Christmas in a family setting. For additional information, email Nancy Dunham at nancy@aboutachild.org

And, the last one – if you are interested in learning more about adoption or foster care, there is a great informational event coming up that will be held at Lutheran Church of Hope in West Des Moines. Click on the following flyer to read details:

A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families. (Psalm 68:5-6)