Reece's Rainbow

Photo Credit: Reece's Rainbow Logo

What do you do on payday? If you're anything like me, you already have things picked out, and a lot of the money "spent" before you even get your check! The American lifestyle puts many of us into the "must consume, all the time" mentality. Also, if you are anything like me, there isn't much left over for fun stuff. I have taken a hard look at my money, and have realized that the stuff (aside from bills) that I am spending the most on isn't truly making me happy! Then WHY am I spending money on that? Hmmm....

But lately instead of looking forward to the new thing I want to buy, I have found a different and much more worthwhile way to spend my money. And it does truly make me happy and feel satisfied, so I had to share! I have been picking a face "out of the crowd" each time I get paid, and donating to their adoption grant! How do I do that?

Well...each time I get paid, I go to Reece's Rainbow to read through the profiles, and I donate to the adoption grant of a special needs child waiting to be adopted.

Reece's Rainbow was started by a woman whose son has the diagnosis of Down Syndrome (aka Trisomy 21). She wanted to help the orphans with Down Syndrome of Eastern Europe, but she ended up also including children with various other types of special needs, and expanded the ministry to include Asia, Africa and South and Central America as well.

Unfortunately, in some developing countries, children with special needs do not receive the same level of care as they would in the United States. In some countries in Eastern Europe special needs children who are not adopted before their fourth birthday are transferred to institutions for those with special needs. What makes this even worse is that those institutions often receive very little funding, are unequipped to give the children the care and therapies needed to improve their condition, and there is often a shortage of food. Worse still, these children are sometimes restrained (tied to the bed so that they cannot fall on the floor or move freely about the room), and starved because of inadequate food supplies and/or under equipped caregivers. With these types of conditions, it is no surprise that these children do not survive long in these institutions.

Reece's Rainbow is not an adoption agency, but instead a site where special needs children are profiled, and individuals can contribute money towards their adoption grants. When a qualified family comes forward to adopt a specific child, the grant for that child can be applied to the cost of the adoption. As I am sure most people know, international adoption can be quite costly, and for some families cost prohibitive.

These special children need special families who will love and care for them and help them reach their greatest potential! By contributing towards an adoption grant of a child featured on Reece's Rainbow, you can help a family bring one of these precious children home.

So, next time you get your paycheck, please consider giving to the adoption of one of these deserving children. Even if it's $5 or $10 dollars that you can spare, that might be enough to get the ball rolling for a child!

So far, I have helped three kiddos get closer to finding a forever family. That's better than anything else I could have bought myself, and it has become something I look forward to on payday.

Take a minute to check out the "Homecomings" page to see so many happy endings!