Have you ever dreamed of what you could do with just a little financial start? My family is full of idea people, so I have grown up with people around me dreaming up new entrepreneur projects, thinking of how to plan an awesome family get together, and scheming about how to help others in need. Do you have those people around you?
What if I told you that someone is willing to give you $10,000 to fund your dream to set up a non-profit? That was what someone did at Council Road Baptist Church back in 2012. A family gave $10,000 to the church and asked that it go toward families in the process of adopting a child. James Hunt, Clint Chamberlain, Rick Thompson, and others decided to establish the Karis Adoption Fund through Lifesong for Orphans for grants or loans and started dreaming about how that money could help families. Quickly it became an opportunity for outreach to help other families in the OKC metro area who might need financial assistance in their adoption process. As more funds were raised, that geographical outreach moved to the rest of Oklahoma. Next, it included Texas and Louisiana. Karis was also able to meet the financial needs of children in the Ukraine who wanted to be adopted by a family. The cost of an in-country adoption is significantly less than an international adoption, so to know Lifesong had Christian families in the Ukraine ready to adopt children into forever families, rather than leaving them in congregate care settings, was an easy way to use our funds.
Now, this month the board for the Karis Adoption Fund voted to expand the fund into Kansas, Arkansas, and New Mexico as well. We are going to offer funds to families who are in the process of adopting in six different states and one other country! That is just incredible. Even through a worldwide pandemic, our fundraising has hit new heights that have enabled us to expand into three new states. Just incredible.
In all this time, the Karis Adoption Fund has raised $793,045. Every penny of that goes directly into the hands of families as Lifesong for Orphans and Council Road Baptist Church help to cover the overhead fees that are needed in order to manage the fund. That is such a blessing.
$581,683 of that money came directly from The Gift Goes On (TGGO), our annual CRBC fundraiser with storefront and local artisan vendors, a silent auction, raffle, and food trucks. This year The Gift Goes On will be held on November 15, so mark your calendars and follow us on social media for all of the updates! Businesses and families have been sponsoring TGGO to bolster our fundraising for the last six years, elevating our fundraising to a new level that we never thought was even possible. The additional funds that have been raised outside of TGGO come from a lot of people who are faithfully giving monthly or yearly to our ministry, believing so strongly in the mission that it is worth the sacrifice to give consistently. I’m so thankful for those faithful givers.
There is a large burden for families to pay the costs of the adoption process itself. However, many children who are adopted need some helps, services, and resources in order to thrive in their new family. The financial costs of behavioral health services including counseling, occupational therapy, and physical therapy, among others, can deter some families from adopting children into their homes. When we say that we want to support families in the financial costs of adoption, we don't just mean to get them into the door of the family. Instead, we want to help support that child after he or she has moved home as well. So, the other priority the Karis Adoption Fund board voted on this month is to use our money for some post-adoption support. We will offer these post-adoption funds to the families who have benefitted from our fund already to make sure we are fully supporting getting and keeping this child in the home. What a privilege it is to support these families in this way.
We could not be where we are now without that first $10,000 gift, or without each additional dollar that has been given since then. So far, 168 children have benefitted from our fund and we know that, with these new directions, we can support more families. God’s provision for a dream back in 2012 has been incredible to watch and we are so thankful that we get to keep anticipating what God is going to do next in the life of the fund. Thanks for dreaming with us!
Meet the Author!
Carisa Wilsie is a licensed psychologist and orphan care advocate. She lives life with many bright and compassionate people that hold her up. She is a wife and mother to three who were born out of her heart through adoption. Most importantly, she is a Christ follower and strives everyday to live out her unique calling. Thoughts shared here are based out of personal opinion and experience.