Love for Yana & Family...A Giveaway!

**The Giveaway Has Now Ended**

THANK YOU, so much, to everyone who participated!

Winners will be announced shortly :).

Dear Friends, 

It's February, the perfect month to spread a little love and kindness. I know a family who could really use a little (or a lot!) of both right now.  This family has been working incredibly hard to adopt a little girl with Down syndrome from Eastern Europe, and hopes to travel soon to meet her.  But, saving their daughter comes with a high price tag (they'll need $30,000 total)--and despite very deliberate, concerted fundraising efforts, they are still in need of a good chunk of money in order to reach their goal.  

I would love to help remove their financial barrier and see them make their way overseas to get that beautiful little girl and take her out of the orphanage forever.  

And, due to some good luck and some wonderful friends, I have a handful of amazing items to give away in order to give Yana's fund a boost:).  

Please read on to learn how you can win a brand new Xbox 360 250GB Console with Kinect, or a new iPod nano (or one of the other great prizes listed below), AND bless this family with much needed funds for their adoption :)!

How this all came about:

I recently won a giveaway on Patti's blog, which is a funny thing...because Patti and I are both passionate advocates for people with Down syndrome and for orphans, and because I had no intention of keeping the prize I won. 

So we put our heads together and have figured out how to turn one item into giveaways for two families. (Thank you so much to all of the kind people who quickly and graciously offered to donate additional items for this giveaway!)


*I should say that we don't need the item I won on Patti's blog.  No one should feel badly about keeping giveaway prizes!  They are meant as a way to give back to people who are doing good things.  So if you win something you would really enjoy or use in a giveaway, keep it!*

The story behind this particular giveaway: 

The day we discovered Reece's Rainbow, we decided to pick a few children and donate to their adoption funds.  One of those children was our Alina, and another was Yana, an adorable little girl with big, blue eyes.  Yana pulled at our heartstrings, but we could only commit to one child, and Alina appeared to be in great need of a family.  Just a few months after we committed to adopt Alina, a family also came forward for Yana.  I was so happy!  And, as it turns out, that family--the Smith family--lives less than an hour away from us :).   

Yana is in a region in Eastern Europe that is quite a bit more expensive than Alina's, and the process to get to her has been much longer.  The Smith's have worked so hard to get to their little girl.  They have held garage sales and a puzzle-piece fundraiser.  They've raffled off Pampered Chef items and books, and have even sold t-shirts, coffee, and DutchMill flower bulbs to help raise money for their adoption.  They have applied for every grant to help with their adoption costs that they can find.  The Smith's will be receiving a $5,000 grant from Gift of Adoption just before they travel.  But Yana's adoption will cost around $30,000 total.  With just weeks before their first trip (and meeting their new daughter), they are still about $12,000 short.  

They hope to have Yana home for good sometime this summer.

The Smith's have five beautiful children (two biological and three adopted), and the two youngest have Ds.  They have supported and raised awareness about the fundraisers of other adoptive families, while they continue to work on gathering funds of their own.  They have watched countless families successfully raise the money necessary to travel and then also watched as those families brought their children home.  The Smith's are always happy for everyone else, but it is their turn.  It is Yana's turn.  She needs to come home to her family.

So, let's show the Smith family some love!  Let's get them even closer to their dream of holding their little girl and taking her out of the orphanage forever.

HOW TO ENTER: Use the button on the top of the right-hand sidebar to donate (whatever amount you can, via PayPal or with your credit card) to the fund for Yana and her family.  If you make a donation of any amount, please leave a comment saying that you donated.  Your comment is your entry for the drawing. 

After donating, you can also leave a comment (1 entry) for each of the following if you:

*blog about this giveaway (include the link to your post in the comment)

*post on facebook about this giveaway

*already follow this blog or become a new follower

So there are four ways to enter, but only if you donate to Yana's adoption fund first :). 

And now, for the fun stuff, some things to help you get your groove on...and also to help you get your give on :)...

THE PRIZES:

The BIG ONE...

Xbox 360 Kinect:  250 GB Kinect Bundle

The Special Edition Xbox 360 250GB Console with Kinect. Kinect brings games and entertainment to life in extraordinary new ways-no controller required. Easy to use and instantly fun, Kinect gets everyone off the couch moving, laughing, and cheering. See a ball? Kick it. Control an HD movie with the wave of a hand. Want to join a friend in the fun? Simply jump in. Wi-Fi is built-in for easier connection to the world of entertainment on Xbox LIVE, where HD movies and TV stream in an instant. Xbox 360 is more games, entertainment, and fun.

• Jump, dodge, and kick your way through exciting adventures set in a variety of exotic locations with Kinect Adventures
• Xbox 360 console includes built-in Wi-Fi for easy connection to Xbox LIVE, and comes with matching black controller and headset
• Get off the couch and into the game by using your body as the controller with Kinect
• Control your Xbox 360 with a single gesture or wave of the hand
• Connect with friends and family with easy and interactive gameplay, video chat, and more

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8gb iPod Nano (blue) plus a $25 iTunes gift card

• 8 GB capacity for about 2,000 songs
• Up to 24 hours of audio playback on a single charge

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$25 Starbucks gift card...because everything is better with coffee :)

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One Pair of Skatezz...because it is good to get up and move :)!
Skatezz is a 2-piece in-line skateboard set that uses a new style of self-propelled fusion riding, combining skateboarding, snowboarding and in-line skating.  These are so cool!  (Click the link to learn more)

Our son Brian's personal endorsement of Skatezz:  "They are AMAZING and fun.  Easy to learn to use, and you will never get bored of them."

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Bumble Bags Hannah and Haley Snack Bags in Blue Latte 

from The Polkadot Platypus

This is a set of Bumble Bags Hannah and Haley Snack Bags *one of each*.  These versatile, completely insulated snack bags are designed to keep items warm or cold, and feature fully removable compartments to hold snacks and containers of different sizes, as well as a top mesh pocket. Includes a velcro adjustable strap allowing attachment to any stroller. Water/stain resistant and dishwasher safe {top rack only}. *These would also make an adorable lunch bag or addition to your beach/pool tote for food, or even make-up :)!

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You Are Loved Necklace 
from Helen Winnemore Craft



"What a wonderful gift for anyone you want to tell that you love them in the biggest way. Beyond measure...sounds great to us. Sterling Silver. Handmade with care in California."

Helen Winnemore Craft is my dear friend Sarah's shop in historic German Village (Columbus, Ohio).  It is considered the oldest store of its kind in the United States.  Since 1938, Helen Winnemore Craft has celebrated usable, wearable, art created by American Artisans. If you're not local, you can also visit Helen Winnemore's on-line :).

********************* Special Needs Book Bundle, Signed Copies:   Schuyler's Monster and Road Map to Holland

Two must-have books for parents and advocates:  Schuyler's Monster, signed by Robert Rummel-Hudson AND Schuyler, & Road Map to Holland, signed by Jennifer Graf Groneberg.

 

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Stampin' Up! Stamp Set and Set of Homemade Cards

Because I Care clear-mount stamp set

 

Because I Care Homemade card (Set of 5)

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The Love for Yana & Family Giveaway begins today and ends on Monday, February 28th at noon EST. Winners will be drawn and announced in the evening on the 28th.

Each listing is a separate prize.  When you comment and enter, your name may be pulled for any one of the items listed above.

Good luck, and thank you in advance for helping to make dreams come true for Yana and her family!!