40% raised already

Wow! Our hope for the popcorn fundraiser was $100, and that's just about what we raised (including the 4 bags we purchased ourselves). Thanks to some donations from blogger-buddies, we already have almost half of what we need for the hosting fees.

At the request of a good friend, I added a "donate" button to this blog in the hopes that someone might consider helping out some more. Even after we raise enough money for our hosting fees, we are still responsible for fundraising for the hosting organization. I've seen reports that it costs anywhere from $5000 to $8000 to bring a single child here for a month through a hosting program, and the agency pays that mostly through big-business donations. Last year, we did some fundraising for the same agency we're hosting through. I think our fundraising responsibility is $1000, but we know there are some friends who would be more comfortable donating to a nonprofit than directly to us so we're hoping they will help at that time. In the unlikely event that we raise more on our hosting fees fundraiser than we'll need, the rest of that money will go towards the agency fundraiser (how nice would it be to give them beyond the minimum expected donation?).

Even after our hosting fees, we still have other fees associated with the homestudy. I heard that medical insurance won't cover the kind of physical examination you need for that, so I'm thinking it will be over $100 for a physical. Fingerprinting, $75 each for me and Lucky Boy to prove we aren't criminals (which is the best money because it makes me feel that not just anyone can get a child through this route). And of course, the homestudy. I've seen online that homestudies can be in the thousands of dollars, but lucky for me that my state only has a mini-homestudy requirement for hosting so it's like $250.

Once the child is here, there are expenses other than the obvious food and entertainment. The expectation is the child attends summer camp. I don't know about the different camps in my area, but I'd obviously prefer one where there are Spanish speakers. Lucky for me, I live in an area where there are plenty of Spanish-speakers from different countries so chances are good that the camps will have other kids who speak Spanish and maybe even a Spanish-speaking counselor. The regional coordinator for the hosting organization said he knows of some camps that will donate the tuition, but they are like a 30 minute drive away. With the cost of gas, it might be more economical to pay for a local camp, if I can't find one that will give me a discount for a hosted child (the hosting organization can help set that up).

We also have to sponsor (or co-sponsor) one of the weekly get-togethers when the kids are here. Last year they had picnics, pool parties, that kind of thing. There's a local small farm with a petting zoo, we're going to see if we can arrange for something there. (The point of the get-together is so that the kids see each other and play, the host parents see each other and talk, and people who are considering adoption meet the kids to see if there's any connection.) That's only one day a week, which means we'd have to figure out other fun-but-not-overwhelming things to do the rest of the week. Our development has a pool, which is always fun for the summer and there are plenty of kids around (some Spanish-speakers, too). We're trying to come up with some free and low-cost activities in the area and asking our friends who have kids the similar age we'll host.

And clothing. The hosting organization warned us not to get too many things for the child ahead of time. Not a whole closet of clothes, just a few outfits and that's probably more than the children are used to. The kids can only return to Colombia with a carry-on suitcase (they arrive with just a backpack), so it's not like if we get her all of this clothes thinking she can bring it back with her. There are a few Goodwill stores in our area (one by home and one by each of our jobs), and you can often find brand new clothes there. Once we find out more about the child we'll host (age, height, weight), we'll see what's available. I'm sure Lucky Boy is going to feel real comfortable in the little girl's section of Goodwill! Maybe we'll just send him looking for toys instead (which we're also told to limit).