Help Bring Zack and Jillian's Baby Home

For those of you who know Zack and Jillian, understanding why they’re going to make wonderful parents is easy.

For those who may have stumbled on this from ‘the outside’…

Jill has been a teacher for a decade and has spent large swaths of her time outside the classroom nannying/tutoring/otherwise engaging her community’s little people. Her impact is easy to read on the faces and in the lives of the children she’s worked with. Jill doesn’t just create lifelong learners, she builds lifelong relationships. This isn’t (just) because she was born with some extra nurturing gene, but because she has and continues to put countless hours of hard work and research into what she does. Can you tell I’m a big fan of my sister-in-law? Because I am a big, big fan.

Zachary is one of the funniest, silliest, most hard-working people you will ever meet in your life. There’s not a self-serving bone in his body. A craftsman at heart, he spends his (little) free time creating beautiful furniture and handmade wooden art. And while his relationship with sunscreen is tenuous at best (he can learn!), his love for the outdoors and spending quality time in nature with people he cares about is contagious. All he needs now are some kids to terrify around a campfire.

If I sound like I’m crafting a dating profile for my (very married) sibling and sibling-in-law, I apologize. They have been working towards parenthood for quite some time now, and I am so excited and hopeful for them right now that I find myself waxing poetic about their greatness to the universe quite often. They’ve entered this process with nothing but optimism and unshakable faith, and I know that their journey with parenthood is going to be an incredible one.

For the nitty-gritty details: They’re taking out a $35,000 loan to cover the fees at the wonderful adoption agency they’re working with, which is where the goal of this fundraiser came from. Every dollar made from it (and sales of my brother’s woodwork – reach out for details), will go directly towards the repayment of that loan.  The adoption agency has made them aware that it is essentially go-time, so the coming months are very likely going to move quickly and without mercy. I would love to lessen their burden as they make this transition and would be so grateful for any contributions from friends, family, and anyone else who chooses to give.