Chris and Gina, adoptive parents in Kansas adopted their first child, who was hearing impaired, in 1997. They hadn’t planned to adopt again because of the high cost of adoption. However, their Adoption Agency called in 2002 with a referral for a child from China who also was hearing impaired. It was an unexpected call, but they stated in their application “a spark ignited in our hearts and we felt we should pursue adopting this child.” The adoption would cost around $20,000 and they noted in their application that the boy would also need extensive ear surgery. Like most adoptive couples, they did not have large sums of money available to them so they began holding fundraising events. They held car washes, sold calendars and asked for financial gifts from friends and family. It simply was not enough to make the adoption happen. They appealed to Gift of Adoption Fund for a grant and was awarded $3,000. It was the last increment of money they needed to complete the adoption and bring their son “Little Fu” home.

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