TEAM UP

LATEST NEWS

For anyone just joining us, we have been on an adoption journey for almost 5 years.  We have now been matched with a beautiful brother and sister in Bulgaria.  These children deserve a chance to have a loving home where they can grow up feeling safe, secure, and wanted.  We want to provide them with that kind of home.  Our boys Colton and Eli are already very excited about their new brother and sister.

If you are familiar with international adoption, you know how expensive it can be.  While some of the fees have already been paid, we still have many more to go, not to mention the cost of traveling there twice.

COUNTING THE COST

We have worked through many, many fundraisers so far including 28 yard sales.  We’ve made things to sell and worked odd jobs.  While we don’t mind the work, we are now pressed for time.  We need roughly $13,500 before we can begin making travel arrangements for our first trip.  Most grants that I can apply for, now that we have a referral, would take 1-3 months to respond.   I’ll still be applying to them because we will have another $13,500 due by fall.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

What we are doing is asking our friends and family to TEAM UP with each other to help us make this goal.   We are asking you to be a Team Leader and share our story with at least 9 other people who might like to be a part of helping us bring our kids home.  Ask those 9 people to join you and your team in donating $10 each (more or less won’t be refused).  If you could do that, your team would have generated $100!  If we can find 135 people to be Team Leaders (and everyone participates), we will reach our $13,500 goal with ease.  As much as I hope everyone can help, I know some people truly can’t.  So if you happen to be someone who can do more than $10, that would be awesome!  Ask your team members to try to let us know in their transaction that they are donating through your team (write it on the check, comment in PayPal, comment on my blog, email me, etc.)

HOW TO BUILD A TEAM

Here are a few ideas of how to build your team…

1. You can print copies of this post (or your letter or email if you got those from us) to give to your friends, coworkers, neighbors, Sunday school class…whomever.  You might want to edit out the "How to Build a Team" section -- too much information.
2. You can make a request on Facebook for people to join your team.  For example…
• Some friends of mine are adopting 2 kids and need to raise a lot of money fast.  If you could donate just $10 to their cause you can go to the link below.  I’m looking for at least 9 people who will join my team in supporting them.  Let me know if you are interested.  If you do donate, please let them know you are supporting through my team.
3. You can send out an email using something like this…
• Some friends of mine from church (work, etc) are adopting two kids from Bulgaria.  You can read more about their story here (thedemossfamily.blogspot.com).  They’ve asked me to team up with a few friends to help them raise money.  I need to put together a team worth at least $100.  Could you put in $10?  You can donate by PayPal on their blog or mail it to the address shown there.  Just look for the blog entry titled TEAM UP.  You can also read more about this fundraiser there.  Just let me know if you can’t so I can look for another person.   If you do donate, please let them know that you are supporting through my team.

If you get more than 9 people responding on Facebook OR  if you can think of more than 9 people to send an email to OR if anyone wants to donate more than the requested $10, all the better!!  Anything above our first goal will go toward the final goal.

DONATIONS

Your donation can be made in one of three ways:

1. If you have the opportunity, give it to us personally.
2. Send a check to us at 3438 Leslie Ln., Murfreesboro, TN 37128.
3. Use the “Donate” button on the right to pay with PayPal.

Please help bring these beautiful children home.  Share our story and make donations as soon as possible.  We are setting April 15, 2012, as our goal for raising these funds.  Again, as soon as we have the funds, we can arrange our trip.  Any funds that may come in later can still be used for the final fees and 2^nd trip, but remember we MUST have $13,500 before the 1^st trip can be scheduled.  Hopefully we can raise the entire $27,000 and make this our last fundraiser!  Feel free to share our story with more than 9 people or share through email or Facebook.  You might even make sure you have your team built and then post it on Facebook for anyone else who might be interested.  If one of your team members wants to start a new team, that will work too!  Any way you can reach people to join our cause would be greatly appreciated.

With all our thanks,

The DeMoss Family (Tim, Libby, Colton, Eli, M & V)