First of all, Chasidy, how is a blog post about adoption advocacy on your ADHD blog?  Good question, and I thought you might wonder about that.  So, our goal is to #crushthecookiecutter, and although we are all about breaking the mold for expectations of and perceptions about ADHD (and mental health in general), we are about being a voice for the marginalized.  Being an advocate for those who need a loud voice to shout for them.

For the month of December, another adoption advocate was looking for someone to be an “advocacy angel” to the more than 300 orphans in China with Down Syndrome.  I said yes to advocate for Timmy.  And Liam.  And Shelbie.  Many times, when a child doesn’t match the criteria prospective adoptive parents have given, and therefore aren’t matched with families, they get put on a “shared list.”  This means that there aren’t any one agency working to match them, which can be a good thing, because any agency can help your family bring them home (pro), but also not a good thing, because they can literally fall through the cracks and get very overlooked/forgotten (con).

Just today, I had a precious 3-4 year old little girl in my class at church.  It was obvious that she had Down Syndrome, based on the classic physical features that come with the syndrome.  She was precious.  SO smart.  SO sweet.  And basically stole my heart this morning.  As we were singing and dancing, my mind kept going back to the three kiddos I have been advocating for this month.  They also have Down Syndrome.  But they don’t have moms and dads fighting for them to help make sure they reach their fullest potential, like this beautiful girl.

All three of the children I am advocating for the month of December are on the shared list for China.  There is a website called Reece’s Rainbow where many of these children, especially ones with Down’s Syndrome, are posted.  Two of the three of my kiddos were not, which is already a disadvantage to them.  Just by being her advocate and letting someone know that Shelbie nor Liam had a profile on this amazing site has gotten Shelbie listed and available for families to see.

I would like to tell you what I know about each of these kiddos, as well as share the link to their profiles.  All 3 have grants towards their adoptions, so the families that move forward with their adoptions will likely start with around $5000 to help fund their international adoption.  Even if you don’t feel like international adoption is in your near, or ever, future, but you want to help, making a donation to one of these children is incredibly helpful, as it helps take away one of the barriers from their future family stepping forward.  We all know the cost is daunting, and having thousands of dollars already available for a child’s adoption is so very helpful.

Timmy- 6 years old

Timmy was born in July 2011.  He has spent his whole life either with a foster family or in an orphanage in China.  He was born with a congenital heart defect, which has been surgically corrected.  There is over $6000 available in grants for his adoption.  There are two precious videos on his profile at Reece’s Rainbow that show just how adorable (and smart!) he is!  Timmy <<<—- link to his profile where you may view his story, donate towards his adoption, or see his videos.  He is a sweet boy who needs a mommy and daddy.  Let’s help make this the last Christmas this sweet guy spends without a family.

Shelby- 3 1/2 years old

How very cute is this girl?!  She is not going to just give a smile to anyone.  It looks like she is going to play hard to get and make you work for that smile!  One of her nannies described her as “cute and chubby,” and I think they’re spot on with that one.  She also has a $5000 grant towards her adoption.  Shelbie  <<<———–  Click here to see sweet Shelbie’s profile, donate towards her adoption, or to request more info about pursuing adoption for her.

Liam- 3 years old

I agreed to advocate for one more China baby this Christmas season because 1) How cute is he?? 2) His name is Liam and 3) He needs a mommy! Liam was born in Summer 2014.   He has been in an orphanage since he was about 8 months old.  He does not have a Reece’s Rainbow profile at this time, but you can request more info about Liam by emailing info@holtinternational.org .  He has a $3000 grant through their agency.  They also have a video of him as well.  This little man is so absolutely adorable.

It’s really easy to go to sleep at night when you hear statistics about millions of orphans in the world without families.  Not my monkeys.  Not my circus.  Right?  BUT, when these sweet little people have names, faces, and stories, it is so much harder to go to bed at night without thinking about their sweet little faces.  Timmy, Shelby, and Liam need someone to care about them.  Not the orphan crisis, but them.  They need a family to celebrate the great days and hug them on the sad days.  They need someone to tell them that they are loved and treasured.  How can you help?  You can share their stories.  You can donate towards their adoptions through Reece’s Rainbow.  You can pray for them and their future families.  You can consider adding one of them or a beautiful child like them to your family.