Six down !!

I am so very happy to report that just four days after announcing the new goal, we have SIX children already up to or beyond $50 !! A huge shout out for:-

Sarah #11-18 - $52.50

Anastasia S. 15H - $106

Greta - $2293.14

Veronika L59 - $50

Elizaveta 3G - $50

Alec 26HA - $50.60

I am SO excited that we're off to such a great start !! Thank you for helping these kids out ! Don't forget to share share share, so their beautiful faces can be seen by as many people as possible, and their mommy and daddy can find them.

Please - don't forget Parker, Anderson and Sealey - my three little boys of the week !!

Parker - $26

Anderson - $30

Sealey - $20

Let's see if we can get all three of them up to at least $50, so I can focus on different children next week !!

I want to get as many faces out here as possible - I know that somewhere out there are families for every single one of my kids !!

Remember - share, pray, donate !!

Three little boys

Just look at the eyes on this kid !!

Can you imagine him with more hair, and a smile on his face ?? He turned 7 about a month ago. Do you have a son ? if he's older, what did he like to do when he was seven ? My son is 8 - he loves soccer - would play it all day long if we let him. He loves to hang out with the family, read and be read to, play with legos, build things, ride his bike. Just like any number of other kids his age.

What do you think Parker does with his time ?

His listing on Reece's Rainbow says that he is moderately cognitively delayed, and has a "secondary cardiopathy". Sounds like he would fit in wonderfully with a bunch of other young boys ! Go back - look into those eyes of his again - I bet there's a lot more going on in there than he's given credit for.

He would be a wonderful son !!

He surely deserves more than a measly $26 in his RR grant, don't you think ?

How about Anderson ? He's listed as being at the same orphanage as Parker. Maybe they share a room, and spend their days together ?

Anderson turned 8 in December. He is significantly cognitively delayed - he doesn't talk, but is able to make his needs known in his own way. He is physically active - bet he loves to get out and about and enjoy the fresh air ! He's facing the institution soon - and doesn't have much hope of being adopted with just $30 in his grant.

Also at the same orphanage is Sealey.

Sealey turned 7 last October. He's a lot more physically involved than Anderson and Parker, as he has cerebral palsy - but he's still a little boy who needs a mommy's love. I bet he would just love rough housing with his dad, and snuggling with mommy. He'll need lots of care and attention, but given time and therapy, who knows what the future could offer him ?

Sadly, $20 is all HE has to offer.

Three little boys - all around the age of my son

They should be out and about enjoying life with their family, not stuck in an orphanage or destined for an institution. Please - help them out, if you can - donate if you feel able - and above all

SHARE !!!!

Remember our goal - to get every child over the age of 6 over $50

Institution

We all know where the older kids end up - the institution. Some children are lucky enough to be adopted out of the baby house, before they get transferred.

Most children aren't that lucky.

This is what institution reality is.

This is where they will spend the rest of their life.

The bars may not be on a prison cell.

But those on death row have it SO much better.

Death row prisoners are there to be punished for their crimes against humanity.

The way these children live IS a crime against humanity.

All they did wrong was to be born.

Unwanted.

For more information about any of these children, please go to the following links

Girls with Down Syndrome age 10+

Boys with Down Syndrome age 10+

116

Oops - technical problems - I accidentally deleted my original post - sorry !!

I have tried to re-create it below.

UPDATE !!

We now have 116 - sweet Carissa gained a donation button overnight, and, like Daphne, she only has $10. Her story is so sad - please help her out !

Carissa

As you all know, we did reach our goal, by Easter, of all the children with grants over the age of 6 getting at least $20 in their grants. There have been a couple of new children listed since then - one quickly got above $20, the other is still at $10 (but at least she isn't a zero ;)

If you would like to send some love her way - here sh

Daphne

Daphne

There have also been many new children listed who don't have donation buttons yet. Some of the pictures are heartbreaking - older children who have been in the institution for years. In cribs. Teenagers.

Before I get to the new goal - I have to share some new faces. These children are newly listed on Reece's Rainbow - unfortunately, they do not yet have donation buttons. They are not in a good place - as you can tell by looking at the pictures, they are at an institution.

They are in cribs.

Their heads are shaved.

They have sores, and rotten teeth.

They are existing, not living.

You can't even tell if they are boys or girls.

They are TEENAGERS !!

You can't even tell if they are boys or girls.

Sad eyes

Shaved heads

Sore

Rotten teeth.

Lost souls.

Now - to the new goal.

I was going to get really ambitious, but remembered that we are taking baby steps - so, that being said, the new goal is to get every older child up to $50 by July 4th.

There are now 116 children aged over 6 with less than $50 in their grants - but I know we can change that !! I am hoping to pick a few children every week to focus on, so that by the time we are celebrating the birth of the USA, each child will have a better chance of living here. I know so many people pass over the older children - it's up to us to make sure their faces are seen, so they can be found. I know there's a family out there for every one of them.

Please - go and look at them, look into their eyes, and if you can't donate - please, share.

Boys with Down Syndrome age 6-9

Girls with Down Syndrome age 6-9

Other Angel Boys age 6-9

Other Angel Girls age 6-9

HIV+ 6-9

Boys with Down Syndrome age 10+

Girls with Down Syndrome age 10+

Other Angel Boys age 10+

Other Angel Girls age 10+

HIV+ 10+

Please - even if you can't adopt, even if you can't donate - please - share - look into their eyes - look at their faces - then look at their ages. This is their life.

Forever.

Unless they can be saved.

Click on the link below.

Newly listed

Now - onto our new goal

There are currently 115 older children with grants who have less than

$50

in their accounts.

Guess what we're going to do ??

Yep - the next goal is to get all of the older kids up to at least $50.

My initial time line is to get them all up to $50 by the 4th of July.

Do you think we can do it ?? It's less than 3 months away - about 16 weeks. I plan on picking several children per week to focus on, and hopefully get those grants growing !!

I know it's overwhelming - 115 is a big number - but we've done it before - and I know we can do it again.

And again.

And again.

Baby steps :)

Thank you.

Interrupting the schedule

I will post the new goal this weekend - but in the meantime, I just wanted to interrupt this blog with a shameless plug for a new little boy I am advocating for. As you know - this blog advocates for the older children with next to nothing in their grants. I usually don't spend a lot of time looking at the younger children listed on Reece's Rainbow, otherwise I get driven to distraction and just can't focus on "my" kids.

However, once in a while I just can't help myself, and I get drawn into looking at all those waiting faces - and came across Neville. I stopped in my tracks, because he shares a name with my late dad - and it's not a name you see around much these days. I understand it's not his real name, but it's still quite the coincidence, don't you think ?

I had been wanting to become "Guardian Angel" to one of the older Angels - a logical step, as they are among the kids I advocate for. Once I saw Neville, though, I knew I was supposed to be HIS Guardian Angel. So - I am. I will fund raise and advocate for him until he is found, and is home - and, hopefully, after that.

Boy, born December 2010

Eyes of Gray

Hair light brown

From his medical records: Congenital communicating hydrocephalus.

The first surgery was unsuccessful, the second surgery was performed but the shunt is still not operating properly on one brain hemisphere. Neville shows very little physical activity, is not crawling and not walking, sits with support. Unfortunately, the child is not getting proper attention and care, as an orphan — he truly needs a family! Neville was born a twin, but the family only took the healthy child home The child is very calm, loves attention and always smiles and so happy when being held.

Neville needs to be adopted so he can get his shunt working properly. He's 14 months old and obviously developmentally delayed at this time - a working shunt would make ALL the difference !!

PLEASE - share his picture and information - one of your friends or family members might be the perfect family for him - but they'll never know if they don't see him !!

Thank you thank you thank you !!!!

Thanks to many donations, all but 12 children had made it to $20 by this morning. I made my matching donations, and now ALL the kids have at least $20 in their grants !! I used the extra matching money to boost the grants of a few of the kids, so many have over $20.

Of course - you can still donate - they need all the $$ and sharing they can get !!

Again - thank you !!

Of course -a special thanks to Julia's Army - her blog has so many more followers who are the best advocates for Reece's Rainbow ever !! She's also a much better blogger than me - ONE of these days I'll learn how to make my blogs look a little more professional :)

Of course - this isn't the end. There WILL be a new goal.

I have an idea of what it is.

So watch this space :)

Chipping away !!

I have issued a challenge - I will match $ for $ every donation that gets a child up to $20. For example - if you donate $10 to a child, I will donate $10 to that same child, or another child with less than $20. If you donate $50 - unfortunately, I can only match the amount that got them up to $20. I will keep matching until every child listed below is up to $20. Please do what you can !

This was where we stand as of about 6.30pm this evening. There are now only 24 children with less than $20 - and that will change when I get my matching donations in - 17 children have already jumped over the $20 wall this evening, and 2 are a few dollars closer !!!

UPDATE - I will make my matching donations tomorrow (Good Friday). Things are going so well, I'm having a hard time keeping up :):) I will figure out in the morning who still needs $$, and then post who my matching donations have gone to. IF, by some miracle, all (or most of) the kids have made it to $20 - I will try and split my donations as fairly as possible. Thank you to everyone who has donated and/or shared !

Celeste $6

Mark $6

Yelena $6

Taylor $6

Christian $6

David $6

Drew $6

Andrew $6

Ana $6

Eric $6

Andrey $6

Yuri $6

Ross $6

Donald $6

Dmitri $6 -

BOY, born July 5, 2003

Diagnosis: vegetative-vascular dystonia, scoliosis

Parker $6 - BOY, born March 20, 2005 Parker is a handsome boy with big brown eyes! He is moderately cognitively delayed, and has a secondary cardiopathy. Parker will be a wonderful son!

Lance $6

Frank $6

Rhonda $6 -Girl, born 1/22/2000

Meet this eleven year old cutie pie! She is the winner of a Good Student Award in 2011. She enjoys learning and her classmates and likes to serve others as well. She is good at imitating sounds and using signs. She enjoys music and has made tremendous progress in her development over the last few years. She is described as a calm, contented and very resilient girl with Chromosomal Disorder and Microcephaly. Given her special needs she has come far and would only gain more with a family to call her own!

Prudence $6 - Girl, born March 4, 2000

AWARD WINNER!! This little girl is the winner of the Most Studious in her class! In the eyes of her teachers she is a positive, enthusiastic and very hardworking student. By holding the wrist of an adult she is able to walk and enjoys listening to music. Although she is considered to be a child with severe special needs she is described as one of the most responsive children in her home. She loves to be sung to, talked to, touched , hugged and giggles out loud when tickled. She has a history of respiratory illnesses, congenital chromosomal disorder and global developmental delay due to mental retardation. Despite her diagnoses of multiple health issues, this sweetheart continues to grow and live joyfully every day. She deserves to enjoy the one-on-one family relationship that only a family can give her!!

Russ $10

Francis $10

Linda $10 - Girl, DOB: July 26, 2005 Location: Asia

Linda has mild developmental delays. She receives speech therapy once a week. She’s currently living with a foster family.Photos, a video and additional information is available through the agency.

Alisha $10

Johanna and Jordan $18

Please - share these faces - even if you can't donate, please share - you never know where their Mommy and Daddy might first see their faces and fall in love with them !