Dear friends and family,

You may or may not know that Christina and Riley have been on a difficult journey to become parents. They did not know how challenging, both emotionally and financially, this long-awaited chapter would be for them.

For the last five years, Christina and Riley have quietly wished for their own family while watching (and enthusiastically supporting) other families grow, have planned their date-nights and vacations around rounds of hormone shots and treatments, and have had several heartbreaking let downs. All while having to grapple with significant financial burden due to their shared employer's Florida-based insurance company not covering any fertility treatments. The amount of savings and energy they poured into this process shows just how dedicated to becoming parents they are.

After many months of healing from the pain of their journey thus far, Christina and Riley have now excitedly begun the process of adoption. However, adoption is also very expensive and emotionally difficult. The American Adoptions agency has told Christina and Riley to prepare for the incredible financial hurdle of spending approximately $77,000, on top of what they have already spent on fertility treatments. As high as that price is, we cannot let this be an insurmountable barrier to Christina and Riley sharing their love and hearts with a new member of their family.

To help Christina and Riley, we’ve started a fundraiser for them that we would truly appreciate you considering donating to.

Goal: $46,460 (variable birth parent expenses, legal fees, travel/accommodation, post-placement fees, parenting/adoption classes, family therapy, self-care for future mom and dad (e.g. massage, date night), anything else you want to give for!)

[If you prefer to avoid fees altogether, you can venmo (@Christina-Carmer-18) or send directly to them however you want, and we can update GFM manually to reflect progress towards the goal while avoiding any fee!]

They are proud dog-parents to their beloved Finley, but know that they have so much more love to give. Anyone who knows them can see that Christina is born to be the most loving helicopter mom, and Riley the most cringe-worthy sports dad. Their fertility journey has been difficult and costly, but this is not the end of the road for Christina and Riley's journey to parenthood.

Your support doesn't just help Christina and Riley — it adds a person to all of our lives, and changes the life of a child forever. We know Christina and Riley will give this child the absolute best life. Please consider contributing – any amount is so helpful and appreciated!

Whether you can donate or not, please take a few minutes to share this with anyone else who may be interested.

Much love,

Katie and Nicole