Help Us Grow Our Family Through Adoption

Hi friends,

We’re Josh and Sarah, parents to our sweet son, Justin, who joined our family through adoption while we were living in Nova Scotia. Becoming his mom and dad has been the greatest joy of our lives, and now we feel called to open our hearts and home once again to another child through adoption here in Ontario.

Adoption in Ontario works differently than it did in Nova Scotia, and there are a few different paths we are pursuing:

Public adoption (CAS) – where we may be matched with a waiting child in the foster care system. Costs are lower, but many children come with additional medical or therapeutic needs.

Private adoption through JFJ (a licensed private agency) – where we may be chosen by birth parents to adopt a newborn. This option has higher upfront costs, averaging around $25,000 CAD.

Licensed adoption professionals – where we may be matched with a child through a licensee in Ontario’s private adoption system. The cost to register is $113 and then the full costs are not known until a match is made. We have been told it can be in the range from $15,000-25,000.

Because private adoptions require families to have funds immediately available, we need to be prepared. That’s where we’re asking for your help.

How funds will be used:

Your generosity will go directly toward adoption-related costs, including:

Agency fees

Legal fees

Social worker costs

Transition expenses (travel and accommodations, if needed)

Time off work to allow for bonding and attachment as a family

If there are excess funds after covering adoption expenses, they will be applied to the child’s medical or therapeutic needs (specialized therapies, medical equipment, etc.). If not required for that, we will donate any remaining funds to another adoption fundraiser.

We want to be absolutely transparent: whether our journey leads to a public adoption or a private placement, these funds will be used solely to bring a child into our family and to care for their unique needs.

Other ways we are fundraising:

Ladies in our church are hosting a bake sale with proceeds going toward the adoption.

Cross-stitch designers are creating a special pattern book, with all proceeds helping fund our adoption journey.

Adoption is a journey of faith, patience, and hope. We’re so grateful for every prayer, kind word, and dollar that helps bring us closer to welcoming another child into our home.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts,

Josh, Sarah and Justin