Christmas is for the Children...

Our Little Tom Terrific!!

We have a friend... In addition to being many people's friend, she is a devoted wife, a devoted and loving -- and capable -- mother of two. She is sister, aunt, daughter. She is smart and fun and witty. She's also a milblogger.

She has made it through one deployment of her Guard husband and will endure yet another early in the New Year. She has a heart of gold and a heart full of love... and she and her husband and their two daughters would like very much to add another child to their home!! They would like very much to adopt a beautiful little girl from Ethiopia.

Melinda is my Gunga Din. A better person than I. In this day and age and economic times (and theirs are no different), they still want to open their arms and give all the love they have to a third child.

Well, if you're not familiar with how adoption plans work, they have to front all the money for their adoption expenses before they can get any of it reimbursed. As this wonderful woman tells it,

in a nutshell, we're staring down thousands of dollars in costs and fees, BUT after the adoption is finalized, we will be able to recoup nearly all of that in reimbursement from my husband's employer, our state's adoption subsidy and our federal tax credit. So, we really only need to 'borrow' $5 from 4,000 people to make this happen.

That's the idea behind www.5forHope.com. There is a featured post at their blog as well as a FAQ page and a post that describes - from her heart -- why she is so committed to bringing another child into their lives.

Briefly, they are asking 4,000 of their closest friends (this means you!) to allow them to borrow five of your hard-earned dollars. Sure, if you want to provide more than $5, they aren't going to stop you. However, $5 will be very much appreciated.

Melinda says,

We will be documenting any and all of these $5 loans and, if you wish to be reimbursed, simply supply us with the contact information necessary to return your $5 when our adoption is finalized and our reimbursement money arrives.

Becoming 1 of the 4,000 is easy.

Use snail mail: If you wish to send your $5 via the mail, or if you wish to contact them via mail, the fund raising address is:

Hope's New Home

P.O. Box 1501

Miamisburg, Ohio 45343-1501

Use Pay Pal: Look at the right sidebar of their blog near the top of the screen. You will see a PayPal button that will link you directly to their account for this drive. If you'd rather just send money straight through the Paypal site, the e-mail for our PayPal account is: mostcertainlynot-at-hotmail-dot-com. (Remember, though, if you'd like to be reimbursed you will need to include your contact information.)

So this Christmas Day, remember that Christmas is for children (no matter how big a kid you are!) $5 can help a family buy happiness for themselves and a little girl in Ethiopia. There's no better place to spend $5 of that Christmas stocking cash!!