Help with the adoption of 8 year old Nini.

Richard Massie is organizing this fundraiser.

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Hello, my name is Richard Massie (Remmie). Almost two and a half years ago, at the start of the pandemic, a five year old named Niikola (Nini) came to live with me. She will turn 8 on July 14th.

I have known Nini since she was a baby and have been friends with her mother, brother, grandmother, aunt, cousin, and uncle for over 11 years.

Nini came to live with me as a kindergartner displaced due to covid and I enrolled her in online classes where she did extremely well. She and I bonded instantly and I love her more than words could possibly express. We may not be related but we share the same heart.

It has been difficult financially but we have received help from every corner of our community to help me raise an extremely smart and social wonder of a child who has gone from a timid, quiet and shy little bird and exploded into a cartwheeling fireball like phoenix. Nini has expressed to myself, her family and everyone she knows that her wish is to be adopted by me.

Since she came to live with me, I have taken many steps toward the creation of a stable and safe place for her to thrive and she has thrived beyond all of our expectations and it has been a joy to watch as she’s grown in every way these past few years. I enrolled her in school, first online and now she happily attends in-person and will soon be finishing second grade and starting 3rd. We connected with her doctor and dentist and began family counseling almost one year ago. I have also been voluntarily attending parenting classes so that I can learn how to become the best parent I can possibly be.

We have also signed Nini up for soccer and she will be starting her third season in September and her teacher says she is at the top of her class.

We connected with an organization called “Friends of the Children” and now Nini has a mentor named Frankie who will be with her from age 6 to 18 and beyond.

Friends of the Children has been a great help and has found an adoption attorney for us at a reduced rate. The attorney has suggested that guardianship before the final stage of adoption is the right path to take. Nini and I are hoping to raise the attorney’s fees for both the guardianship and adoption. The estimate for legal guardianship is $2,500.00 and an additional $2500.00 to handle the adoption plus other fees.

Nini and I would be eternally grateful for any donation no matter how great or small. We have been saving too with Nini having a piggy bank with almost $50 worth of coins she’s been saving.

We have the full blessing and support of our families, our many friends and neighbors, our family counselor, teachers past and present and the organization ‘Friends of the Children” who have tirelessly guided us on this journey to adoption.