Our Expenses So Far

So much of this journey to Katie is about money.  How much money something will cost.  How much money we've raised.  How much money we need.  Planning our fundraisers.  I thought I would break down what we've spent thus far, and what we've spent it on.  Most people know adoption is expensive.  The expense, thankfully, is not paid all at one time.  And I'm so happy to say that although it is very expensive, when we've needed the money for something, we've had the money for it already and haven't had to wait to raise it.  Certainly at the start, before we started our fundraising, the costs were paid from our savings.  Since we've started raising money, we haven't had to use savings again, and we are so thankful for that!  I pray that continues to be the case!  So to date this is what we've done:

• Homestudy application fee - $50.00
• Kim - multistate background check (because I haven't lived in TN for 10 years) - $28.95
• Chris' birth certificate - $20.00
• Kim birth certificate - $54.50
• TBI Background checks for both of us - $58.00
• Chris' medical exam paperwork fee - $25.00
• Reece's Rainbow commitment fee - $275.00
• Chris TB test - $25.00
• Kim medical exam - $25.00
• Marriage Certificate copies x5 - $28.50
• Passport photos - $19.98
• Fingerprinting (rolled prints) - $10.00
• FBI background checks - $36.00
• Passport applications - $270.00
• Adoption education classes - $149.00
• I-600A application - $870.00
• Postage - $36.60
• Homestudy fee - $1,500.00
• Psychiatric evaluation - $775.00
• Chris - medical paperwork fee.  Again.  $25.00
• Hawaii apostilling charge - $21.00

Total spent to date:  $4,302.53

Getting Katie Ruth home to us?  Priceless.

Read All About It!

There is an article in today's edition of The Gardner News about our efforts to raise money for Katie!  www.thegardnernews.com. ‘Coins for Katie’ add up Templeton native’s family receives support from across the nation in effort to adopt eastern European girl with Down syndrome

By Mark Haranas - Reporter Published On Saturday, October 08, 2011

Enlarge Photo Photo By Photo Submitted First-grade students at the Forest Avenue Elementary School in Hudson hold up their “Coins for Katie” cups, part of an effort to help a Templeton native’s family adopt a special needs child from Europe. Templeton native Kimberly Simpson says she understood adopting a child from overseas would be difficult. What she could not foresee was the enormous support she would receive from family, friends and complete strangers from across the country. “We’ve just been completely overwhelmed with the generosity and support from people close to us — people I haven’t talked to in years, and people we don’t even know,” said Ms. Simpson, who now resides in Wartrace, Tenn. “We’ve received donations from literally people from all over the United States.” Ms. Simpson and her family — her husband Chris, and their three sons, David, 7, Henry, 6, and Jack, 3 — have been trying to adopt a young girl from eastern Europe who has been diagnosed with Down syndrome. They have already named her Katie. The amount needed to bring Katie into the Simpson household is roughly $30,000. “When a child (in eastern Europe) with special needs reaches the age of five, they are transferred to asylums, which can often end tragically,” Ms. Simpson said. After much deliberation and research, the family collectively decided that they wanted to adopt the young child, and started collecting loose change in plastic sippy cups in their home to begin the process of raising some money. Little did the Simpson family know that within months from the first coin they collected, over 200 similar cups would be in homes, schools and offices around the country. Word soon spread of the Simpsons’ desire to bring Katie into their home — through social media websites, word of mouth and Ms. Simpson’s blog titled “Coins for Katie.” Her local community in Tennessee, as well as her former community in the Templeton, started to contact Ms. Simpson and ask for similar sippy cups with Katie’s pictures on it for their homes and offices. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for this little girl,” said Erin MacKay, who grew up in Templeton and graduated from Narragansett Regional High School in 1995 with Ms. Simpson. “Kimberly is the right type of person to share her life with someone who needs that type of help.” Ms. MacKay is a first-grade teacher at Forest Avenue Elementary School in Hudson, and for this year’s community service learning program, the entire first grade at the school has joined in the cause to bring Katie into the Simpson family. Around 90 students at the elementary school brought home sippy cups titled “Coins for Katie” to fill with change. The students also write to the Simpsons’ children, becoming pen pals over time. The students use the drive in other curriculum studies, including graphing how many cups and coins are brought into the classroom, as well as studying the different makeup of families across America, according to Ms. MacKay. “ Our students are creating a journey with them,” said Ms. MacKay, who is also a former Templeton Center teacher. “Even my two-year-old daughter is trying to fill a cup anytime she finds money.” Multiple staff members at the elementary school have also brought the sippy cups home to fill. The Simpson family inspired local Gardner High School student Brandon Hursey, 15, to help in the cause. Brandon has organized a benefit concert taking place at the high school auditorium. “I figured it would just be a good idea to get money for the family to adopt the girl,” he said. “All the money is going to go to Katie.” Brandon gathered his own band and other local musicians to perform at the event, scheduled from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Oct. 16. “I’m so proud of him,” said Kathy Hursey, Brandon’s mother and a childhood friend of Ms. Simpson. “He can’t even clean his bedroom, but he can do this? I am shocked.” Ms. Hursey reconnected with Ms. Simpson through Facebook, one of the multiple social media sites Ms. Simpson used to spread the word of her family’s mission. Dozens of families across the country have donated items to the family to raise money at silent auctions and yard sales. There is also a team running a marathon in Tennessee next weekend to raise funds for the effort. “There’s no way we can say thank you to all the people for the things they have done,” said Ms. Simpson. “This woman I never met all the way from Canada has a ‘Coins for Katie’ cup at her work office.” There are currently “Coins for Katie” cups in Texas, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Ohio, Florida, New Hampshire, Maine, Illinois, Rhode Island, North Carolina and Vermont, while various areas in Massachusetts, including Fitchburg, Hudson, Westminster and Gardner, also house the cups. Once a sippy cup is filled with coins, participants send a check to the Simpson family, which has thus far raised nearly $6,000 in less than two months. “The premise behind this is that a little bit of change from everyone adds up,” said Ms. Simpson. “A lucky little girl is going to come home to a family and community that has already supported her so much.” For more information or to have a cup sent to you, visit Ms. Simpson’s blog at www.TheSimpsonSix.blogspot.com mharanas@thegardnernews.com

Co-Ed Incrediball Softball Tournament

My sweet friend Erica's husband Brian has organized a co-ed Incrediball softball tournament to help us bring Katie home!  Erica and I work together, and I have been a big fan of Brian since I met him.  He's hilarious, caring, a great husband and father, and has a huge heart.  He's a hard worker, generous, and fun.  He loves some baseball and softball, and he completely organized this on his own to help us.  We are so lucky to have such wonderful friends.

The tournament will be October 22, and will be at the Eagleville City Park.  The entry fee is $180 per team, and there will be a Home Run Derby ($5 per person) and a Cornhole Tournament ($25 per team).  Please email me if you'd like more information!

And I have to give a big thank you to our insurance agent at Shelter Insurance.  Blake Finney made a generous donation to sponsor our softball tournament - his donation will cover the purchase of the new balls needed for the tournament, which obviously allows us to get a greater profit from the fundraiser.  Blake is a great insurance agent - he answers any questions we have almost instantly, cares about his customers, and provides fabulous customer service.  If you're looking for insurance or a new agent, I would definitely recommend Blake!  

You've Got Mail!

Henry got a letter today from my friend Erin's first grade class.  I LOVE that we are partnering with her class for Coins for Katie - and the actual coins part is not why I love it so much.  Of course I am excited that they are helping us to raise money for Katie.  But, more than that, I am excited that these children are excited to help someone else.  That they can get a real understanding and appreciation for helping to change someone's life.  And that sounds so dramatic, but it's 100% true.

We got a wonderful letter from Erin's class.  I just love first grade writing!  Erin said her class was excited to send Henry a letter, and that one little boy even told her that his family was having a yard sale and that he and his brother were having a lemonade stand to raise money for Katie!  Again, I will say that the amazing generosity of people is incredible.

We are excited to send Flat Stanley and our journal to Erin's class, as well as a letter from Henry.  Our boys love getting mail, and I'm sure the friends in Erin's class do too.

And we can't wait to show Katie how hard our new friends worked to help us bring her home!

Run for Katie: Meet Adriana

This is my beautiful friend Adriana.

Seriously, this is really what she looks like.

I met Adriana, of all places, at the bank.

She works at our bank, which is also the bank we use at our office, so I see her nearly every day.

When I asked Adriana if she would help us with the Run for Katie, she said yes without hesitating.

Adriana has run several races, and she was excited to join our team.

Adriana, perhaps more than all of the people who have been involved with this journey to Katie, Adriana has a special reason for helping.

Adriana is adopted.

I liked Adriana from the moment I met her.

She is smart, funny, has a fabulous sense of humor, is outgoing, and loves the Twilight series.

Um, hello, team Jacob.

Did I mention she's beautiful?!  

She has two little sisters she loves like crazy, and I'm pretty sure she's probably the most fun big sister ever.

Adriana has been so supportive of our journey to Katie.  She has been a wonderful friend to me, and I'm so glad she's part of our Run for Katie!

Run for Katie Shirts!

I am SO excited about our Run for Katie shirts.  Our Run for Katie is in 10 days, and I will be honest that I didn't order our shirts until Sunday. . . I was getting nervous about them.  Custom shirts are not inexpensive, and obviously every shirt we order cuts into our profits from the race.  And, if I'm paying for these shirts, I want them to look good!

My friend Katie Jane posted on her blog way back in February about her friend Carrie's new business called For the Birds Couture.

Sunday when I was completely freaking out starting to get a bit nervous because I had not ordered shirts, I thought of Carrie.  Way back in February when KJ posted about Carrie, I "liked" For the Birds Couture on Facebook.  And I'll be honest - I probably hadn't looked at it since.  I don't know what made me think of it then, but I really wanted to get some shirts that were not the typical "race shirts".  Carrie is so cute, and has two adorable boys.  She also has some really, really cute designs for her products.  Some of my favorites are the following:

This one will be coming to our house for Christmas.
Three of them, actually! 

One reason I love, love, love Carrie's designs is because they're simple - simple is always better.

So Sunday I sent Carrie a slightly panicky message on Facebook asking her if an order of nearly 20 shirts was something she could design, print, and ship to me before October 13.  You know - 10 days later.  Carrie messaged me back almost instantly and said that she was pretty sure she would be able to do it.  We emailed back and forth talking about design, colors, etc.  And she read our blog to get some inspiration, learn about our family and Katie, and read about what we're doing.  And she designed the perfect shirt.  I was going to wait to post it, but I can't because I love it so much!

It is absolutely perfect.  I posted on Facebook about how much I loved our shirts and almost instantly had a friend ask if she could buy one.  Carrie has made these shirts available to purchase through her etsy site for $15.00.  Carrie's customer service is top notch, and she is the sweetest, easiest person to work with.  Please check out her website and support her business.  

And Carrie - thank you so, so much for making such amazing shirts for us.  You saved me!  

Flat Stanley Helps

Our oldest son David is in the second grade, and he loves the Flat Stanley books.  This week he has his own Flat Stanley, and he is to take photos of Flat Stanley with him throughout the week and journal about what Flat Stanley does with our family.  Well we put him to work counting and rolling some Coins for Katie!

I have a big glass jar in my office with Katie's picture on it.  It's between the two chairs that everyone in town sits in when they come to our office to chat, go to lunch, etc.  (We have a very social office!)  EVERYONE sees the jar, asks about Katie, and puts change in.  And I mean everyone - clients, the children of clients, attorneys, our process server, the guy trying to sell us a new credit card processing service. . . everyone.  The jar was a little more than half full last night, so I brought it home to count.

David, Flat Stanley, and I all got busy counting our coins and rolling them.  I know something like Coinstar would be faster and easier, but the counting and rolling is part of the process for us.  I believe it helps the boys to see how change - literally something people drop on the ground and don't pick up - adds up to so much money.  I really want them to have an understanding of what we're doing with Coins for Katie.  They understand that Katie's adoption is expensive.  (Hello - David told his counselor at summer camp, "Thanks for the fun.  We're getting a new sister and it's really expensive.  Once we're done paying for her adoption I probably can't come back next summer."  Um, he reached that conclusion on his own, and he will be back at camp!)  But I want them to be part of the counting, rolling, and depositing at the bank to get a real understanding of this process.  So we counted.  And we rolled.  And we talked about coins and who was on them.  And we talked about all of the people who have filled the jar.  And we talked about all of the things we need to do with the money.  David talks a lot. . . We counted $100.57 from the jar in my office!  We added that to the big jar at our house and have $275 we'll be depositing today at the bank!  Anyone who thinks that Coins for Katie isn't going to be great for us is wrong - these coins are adding up QUICK!