Hi, we are Kali and Will Henke, and we are excited to be pursuing domestic adoption!

Even before we started dating in high school, we talked with each other about what adoption has meant in each of our lives. Will’s mom was domestically adopted, and after Will’s dad passed away when he was young, his mom remarried, and his step-dad adopted him and his brothers! There’s no escaping the impact of adoption in Will’s life.

Kali has fond memories of imploring her parents to consider adoption when she was younger. Her mom was the first person to bring to Kali’s mind that maybe God was preparing her heart and life to adopt one day herself. Knowing many family friends that have adopted and supported adoption over the years has only confirmed that initial call of the Lord for Kali to grow her family through adoption.

Given that adoption has meant a lot to both of us over the course of our lives, we deeply believe that God has called us and is preparing us to grow our family through adoption. We talked regularly about our hopes to adopt while dating, engaged, and in the early years of our marriage. But, at the prompting of the Spirit, Kali asked the question, “If we know God is calling us to adopt at some point, why not pursue adoption first? Before trying to grow our family by any other means, why don’t we follow His call now?”

And that brings us to the here and now! We have been preparing to adopt behind-the-scenes for the better part of a year. We are home study approved and recommended to adopt and are buttoning up some of the last tasks remaining in order to become a waiting family with our adoption agency, An Open Door!

Any funds that we raise through this endeavor will go towards bringing home a child or children in need of a family and home. We have been saving personal funds for the last two years, are pursuing adoption grants, and would be tremendously grateful for any gift that you might give to help us meet our goals. If you are interested in knowing more about the financial breakdown of our adoption, please read the additional section below.

We have been blessed by an incredible community of support that has loved us, prayed for us, celebrated with us, and stood by us as we have walked this road so far. It is a gift from God to have your support as we aim to complete this journey.

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Anticipated Adoption Expenses

Phase I (Pre-Active Pool) - $7,000

• Application

• Agency Commitment Fee I

• Home Study

Phase II (Active Pool) - $7,500 (we are here!)

• Agency Commitment Fee II to Become a Waiting Family

Phase III (Match + Placement) - $40,000

• Agency Fee for Birth Mother Care and Support

• Travel to Receive Placement of a Child(ren)

• ICPC Process

Phase IV (Finalization) - $5,500

• Legal Fees

• Post Placement Visits/Reports

• Finalization of Adoption

Total: $60,000

Planned Adoption Budget

We have saved $20,000 in personal funds over the last two years. We are aiming to raise $20,000 through GoFundMe donations, T-shirt sales (Be on the look out! More info to come!), and other small fundraisers. We are pursuing adoption grants and a larger fundraising project through a 501(c)3 organization to raise the final $20,000. To make a tax-deductible gift, please contact Will or Kali directly !