Gariepy family adoption fund

Thank you for looking at funding an adoption.

We are a family with 5 children aged from 5 to 7 years old. All children were adopted from Russia. My wife and I tried twice the in vitro fertilization to find out after more testing that this rout could not be possible. After paying the bill (26K) for the In vitro attempts, we decided to look at adoptions. During our research, we were looking at a process that could be relatively quick and safe because we did not want to come empty handed like we did for the in vitro attempts. We looked at different international adoption programs including the ones from the USA and made a decision by looking at all the pros and cons. Many factors of our lives weighted in the decision to adopt from Russia. I had my best friend at work born in Ukraine who I had learned a lot about the soviet union over many years. I grew up in Canada watching the hockey sport channel. I grew up watching a long television series involving hockey players from Russia that did not show the stereotype of almost all American action movies that want to portrait the Russian as bad. I grew up with an aunt as a neighbor who fostered over than 40 children in her life. I organized games, went to school with few of them, and always got frustrated that I could not do more for these children since I was minor at the time. My wife was an Audiologist as AllChildrens Hospital and worked all day long with children. Her Italian grand mother was adopted long time ago in Italy and my wife and her mother always shared this love for orphans. We watched a lot of youtube videos about adoptions and joined some blogs on Facebook. Then the air miles started to show. We adopted our first son Noah at 14 months, then our second son Isaac (Zac) at 10 months. Then we tried to adopt girls from foster care from USA but we had to give up because the majority of the girls would never had been referenced to us because of their abusive past and our young toddlers. So we went back in Russia to adopt our first girl Sophia at 19 months. Then we thought that Sophia needed a sister and we went back to adopt a bio brother and sister Peter(4 ½ years old) and Magdalena(Maggie)(3 ½ years old). Then a little voice from my childhood told me that I was now in position to help an older child. So we looked at hosting a girl from Latvia. Such hosting programs cost around 3K per season. Summer programs are from 5 to 8 weeks and winter programs are 4 weeks. We selected a girl from a photolisting with a short description and waited December 2013. The minute that we saw her at the airport amid a group of children wearing the same color caps, we knew that she could be part of our family forever. She was shy a little bit for the first 5 minutes. She just could have been an older daughter from my wife and I. She called us Dad and Mom from the beginning. I just like to be a Dad, this is my life. We hosted her 3 more times. We had to wait for her to be available internationally for adoption. We sent a letter of intent long time ago.

Now that she is available for adoption, we are proceeding for it. We never asked any money for our previous adoptions but we are now seeking assistance. It is $30,000. I'm asking you to participate to the funding. It is saving her life because she has basically no family over there and might end up in the street as she is aging fast in orphanage. I answered to God, I'm a good worker and I'm providing a dynamic family for all my children. This little girl 13 years old had her mother leaving her at 1 year old, received a paper at 3 years old saying that her mom died from a balcony accident, lived at her grand mother until 11 years old with her Dad who has been struggling and is still struggling with social issues. Her grand mother is old, over 75 years old and can not take care of her, she has an uncle who can not have the proper family structure to have this girl thriving in life. This little girls is already part of our family when it comes to the heart but the official papers are not. I must believe God has a plan for each of us. Wake up call's about distress in society are the most amazing things you can do in your life. Over than 150 millions orphans, I want to provide an amazing life for this little girl, please help us! $20, $100, $1000, anything is good. The donation is secured.

Thanks.

I want to include a poem that I wrote. It is describing how this little girl felt since her first hosting.

Rays of light.

I packed my bags

And kissed my friends

Said my goodbyes

And boarded a plane

I said my prayer

And closed my eyes

I saw my mother

As I reached the skies

I drifted from my land

Pushed by the engines so loud

I fell asleep a cross in my hand

Over these pillows of clouds

They turned off the lights

To the family struggles

It was a too long flight

With battles and bottles

I lost the sense of direction

With no home in sight

Only a moon and a reflection

Without a mom to hold me tight

The dust came down

After the turbulences

I landed in a new town

Finally another chance

I almost lost my faith,

My beliefs, my religion

I crossed so many gates

At the middle of confusion

I recognized familiar faces

Waiving a sign with pretty smiles

I received hugs and kisses

Expected from many miles

I was a starfish from the sea

Washed ashore by the tide at night

Mother nature was my destiny

The sun never looked so bright

I woke up as a princess

Aside a king and a queen

The buffoons were blessed

Of all things I have seen

I was part of a feast

With dances and songs

We scared the beast

Throwing fire like dragons

After all these years

A war came to an end

I stood up with no fears

A heart in my hand

Dad – Winter 2013

In addition, I'm including another poem but this one written in french for the adoption of my first daughter Sophia.

C'est un poeme que j'ai compose lors de l'adoption de ma premiere fille Sophia

Enjoy,

--- Petits miroirs ---

Il ne faut qu’une seule prière

Et d’un peu de vent au rendez-vous

Une traverse sur ces grosses pierres

Que dieu a surement pose partout

Une petite fille ferme les paupières

Et laisse couler des rivières sur ces joues

Elle n’attend que le geste d’une mère

Pour sécher de chaudes larmes à son cou

Il ne faut que des papiers pour plaire

Et d’adieux sur sa banque de sous

Une averse amène cette eau claire

Que veut ce désert caché en dessous

Une petite fille dessine des terres

Et laisse pousser des fleurs sous la tour

Son étoile mène au pastel d’une mer

Où d’autres pleurs appellent au secours

Il ne faut qu’un dernier itinéraire

Et d’un bleu ciel sur notre parcours

Une adresse mène à cette barrière

Que des yeux n’ont vu qu’à contre-jour

Une petite fille s’envole dans l’air

Et laisse tomber une pluie dans la cour

Elle n’attend que le geste d’un père

Pour éponger ses peurs a son retour

Il ne faut qu’une passe en première

Et d’un soleil pour ces belle-de-jours

Une voix intérieure chante à un concert

Que réveille parfois même un sourd

Une petite fille est sous une lumière

Et se laisse habiller d’un vêtement court

Elle ne prend pas le même sentier qu’hier

Peut-être bien est-ce finalement son tour

Il ne faut qu’oublier les frontières

Et entendre ce cri d’appel au secours

Un S.O.S sous des éclats de verres

Que reflètent ton court passé si lourd

Une petite fille entre par la portière

Et se laisse caresser des mains qui l‘entoure

Elle a les gestes d’un père et d’une mère

Pour lui dire des je t’aime pour toujours.

Il ne faut que souffler cette poussière

Et ouvrir son coeur à ces bouts de choux

Une détresse sur un fromage de gruyère

Que l’on mesure à la grosseur des trous

Les petits miroirs sont pour l’arrière

Et laissent des enfants pour tous les gouts

Je ne sais pas si c’est la dernière

Pour l’instant on me dit que je suis fou

Sophia je t'aime.

Marc Gariepy, 2013