Adoption Help. Big Family Dreams.

We are the Dyer family. After the birth of our son Clinton, we knew we wanted more children. We had always talked about adoption, and after multiple failed attempts at artificial insemination, a failed invitro fertilization, and a miscarriage, we figured it was a sign that God had a perfect baby in mind for us. It was difficult to give up on pregnancy, as I had taken a second job, working at night doing collections, strictly for the benefits they offered for infertility. I could have never afforded these expensive options without the medical benefits that came along with the job. One week after I miscarried in March 2011, we decided we were going to adopt. I had no idea where we would find the money for this, but we wanted another child so bad. I was told by a friend, who adopted 2 boys, of a good adoption agency, and we saved up the money for the home study program and completed it by January 2012. Now we just had to come up with $10,000 to put down as an activation fee. When the baby would come, we would have to pay the additional $16,500 plus other possible expenses including finalization costs. We were told that since we were open to any race, that we would likely have our little bundle much quicker than the average wait. So I looked into adoption assistance, but I soon discovered that the organizations favored families with no children. The application process was extremely lengthy and the wait times were very long, with no guarantee that you would receive any help. We decided to look into an adoption loan and did so through America's Christian Credit Union, so we could get the ball rolling. By some miracle, they approved us for the $25,000 and we were able to put the money down (with liens on our truck and car). I was still confident that we would be able to receive some grant money at that point, and submitted to several organizations a request for help. In the meantime, I picked up yet another job so that we could afford the monthly payment for the adoption loan. I figured it was just temporary since we would surely get some assistance or grant money. Six months later we received the call, and Kennedy LeeAnn was born, and she has changed our lives forever. She is so very loved and appreciated by us and our extended families. We are just elated to have her. I have since tried to find grants to help us with the adoption costs. I was misinformed and believed that there would be help out there that would help offset the costs. But, to my surprise, none of the organizations will help you with adoption costs after the baby has been adopted. So needless to say, we are strapped and I am working multiple jobs to make ends meet. I was searching online for a fundraiser of some sort. One of my jobs is a high school teacher, which I now do for an online school from home. But, when I taught in a regular school, we did fundraisers and earned money for the kids, so I thought maybe I could find a fundraiser that could help out. After looking, I came across this site (GoFundMe.com) and I looked through and wondered if it would cost a lot of money to set up. Then I remembered that a friend of mine had mentioned either this site or one like it and thought it could be something I could use to reach out for help. So I continued to read through so many stories and even found some on adoption and infertility. My first thoughts were, "I hate asking anybody for help," and "why would anyone want to help us?" We aren't living on the streets or eating out of a trash bin. But the thought that kept coming back is if I don't at least try to ask for help, I will be stuck working 3 jobs until this loan is paid for. This is not what I want for my children. After all, I know this is putting a strain on my family, as they do miss me and I miss a lot of the great milestones that my kids have had. We have never taken a family vacation and certainly do not have one in our near future. Of course, we would do this all over again in a second to have our beautiful baby girl. I really don't want anyone reading this to think that we regret this decision to adopt at all. We would do it all over again! This is the best thing to ever happen in our lives. And so we decided to create this site to reach out to anyone who has struggled with infertility, or gone through the adoption journey and wants to help. Any gift is appreciated!! If you are lead to help us, then you are an answered prayer. Please know that just sharing our link and our story is a huge help as well. Being a mom is my most important role. We live a very modest life, but it's filled with love and happiness everyday. We really wish that we had 3 or 4 children because we love being parents that much. But, with infertility issues and lack of funds for adoption, we don't really see that as a reality. If by another miracle we can exceed our goal, we would definitely pursue adoption again, but this time with no misconceptions of any assistance. It does weigh heavy on my heart sometimes that even though we have a wonderful family and home, with room for at least one more, money is the deciding factor of making that dream a reality. Thank you for reading about us. God Bless.