our perfectly imperfect life: 12 Days of Giving: Day Seven

Monday, December 7, 2009

12 Days of Giving: Day Seven

For the first 12 days of December, I am hosting the 12 Days of Giving here on my blog. For more information on what this is all about or how you can participate ... click here.

By the way, many of you are questioning whether or not you can jump in late on this ... and the answer is yes! Better late than never!

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Today ... and for the next eight days ... I am helping to try to give a child a chance at life.

Meet Zhora.

"Zhora is too cute! Zhora is short for Georgiy ... so don't be confused ... this is definitely a boy. He is healthy, except for a minor heart murmur, which should not require surgery. He is active, happy and playful! Note: The weather was so hot when this picture was taken, that all the boys had their heads shaved."

Zhora is an orphan in Eastern Europe that was abandoned at birth -- most likely because he has Down syndrome. He lives in an orphanage where his basic needs are met, at best.

A few weeks ago, I was contacted by a friend that I met several years ago ... courtesy of something we have in common ---> a child(ren) with Down syndrome. My friend ... Lisa ... has a son that is similar in age to Payton.

His name is Daniel. And he very much resembles Zhora. And for that reason ... Zhora weighs very heavily on Lisa's heart.

And she wanted to know if she could use my blog as a means to raise money for Zhora and try to find him a family. There are hundreds of families that are emotionally ready to adopt a child with Down syndrome ... however being financially ready is a different story.

Lisa's hope is that she is able to bulk up his grant fund at Reece's Rainbow ... so that it will increase his odds of someone being able to afford to bring him home. Right now, he has $835 in his grant fund. His adoption could cost upwards of $15,000 to $20,000 ... so he has a long way to go.

We are asking for your help ... and in the end, we will be giving away an iPod Touch and a quilt to two people that donated! See below for more information on these items.

The rules:

1) For every $10 donation, your name will be entered one time into the drawing. So ... if you donate $50 ---> then your name will be entered five times.

2) Every person who donates $35 or more at one time, will get a 2009 Reece's Rainbow Christmas Tree Project ornament. The ornament is porcelain and will have a picture of Zhora on the back.

3) Once you have donated ... you can earn extra entries by ---> 1) blogging about this, 2) posting it on your facebook, 3) tweeting about it or 4) emailing your friends and family about it (cc me at bethanybalsis@mac.com). Once you have done any or all of these, leave a separate comment here so your extra entries can be accounted for.

4) The deadline is December 15, 2009 ... and the winners of the iPod Touch and the quilt will be announced on December 16, 2009 ... just in time for Christmas!

Remember ... your donations are 100% tax deductible!

Prizes:

1) iPod Touch

iPod Touch lets you enjoy everything you love about an iPod, and then some. Watch your movies and TV shows on a brilliant 3.5-inch display. Use the revolutionary Multi-Touch interface to flick through your music in Cover Flow. And anytime you’re itching for more entertainment, just tap iTunes to browse and buy on the fly.

Specs ---> 8GB iPod Touch