Friday, February 18, 2011

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 

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 :).
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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!!

76 comments:

  1. Lisa, just got home after being out of town since 6 this morning- promise to DONATE and blog for this tomorrow!:)

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  2. Donated ~ thanks for heading this up!

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  3. Donated to a great cause...Hope to see the fund grow!

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  4. Following you for a few months! Great site!

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  5. Thanks for the giveaway
    aubreyfick@yahoo.com

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  6. i added this to my blog post on adoption, where the smiths were listed. i am keeping sort of an ongoing giveaway list. :)

    ps ... am i allowed to enter this? lol!

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  7. Bethany, yes :)! Thank you!

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  8. donated and praying Yana will be with her family for the summer!

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  9. This is for Nancy S. who donated :)

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  10. This is for Nancy S. who posted on facebook

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  11. Already a long time follower!

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  12. Okay, I posted on Facebook AND believe it or not, I wasn't following you since you switched over. I'm not sure how that happened! Computer mishap?? Likely a brain mishap! I check in every now and then but almost missed this giveaway if I didn't see it on the Yahoo group.

    Good luck. Will pray for Yana's family. (that should be an extra entry....I guess it is just an obligation!)

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  13. This is for Gretchen...for posting on facebook :)

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  14. This is for Gretchen...for following :)

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  15. Posted on Facebook and already a follower :)! Donating NOW!

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  16. This is for Jen S. for posting on facebook :)

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  17. This is for Jen S. for following :)

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  18. I donated, posted about this on facebook, and started following you (I thought I already was, but I think that was before the switch over). Thanks for posting about this, Lisa!

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  19. This is for Tess for posting on facebook :)

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  20. This is for Tess for following :)

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  21. Hi Lisa- I donated and will post on FB too. I pray that this family receives all the funds they need quickly. May God bless you as you help these families. Love, Cara- if I win, I would love for the gift to go to another fundraiser.

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  22. Posted on Facebook! Praying for Yana and her family!

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  23. Blogged!
    Gretchen
    ready4ross.blogspot.com

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  24. This is for Cara L. for posting on facebook :)

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  25. Oops that last anonymous was me. My google account signed out. I facebooked!

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  26. Hi Lisa,
    I am a friend of Patti's & I donated to this wonderful cause....

    have been following your story & left a message, previously

    with love
    cathy

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  27. not sure...
    have been following you, Lisa
    & just donated again...this time from my mom;)

    xoxo cathy

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  28. Hello just wanted to let you know that I have donated for this beautiful little girl and to please enter me in the draw :) thanks

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  29. Thanks for all that you do, Lisa : )

    Donated to sweet Yana and am now following YOU : )!!

    xoxo

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  30. This is for Laurie for following :).

    Laurie, I remember the conversations we had about Yana a long time ago! Thank you for donating to help this sweet girl come finally home :).

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  31. Donated to a very special family for a little girl that God meant to be their own!
    Brenda

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  32. just donated to precious yana....

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  33. have been following your sweet family for quite some time ;)

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  34. I donated for my daughter Gabby Smith and I posted it on facebook. I would link it on my blog if I could figure it out and I alredy follow you because you are awesome :)

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  35. I guess I wasn't following, crazy. Now I am :)

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  36. Donated.....and will post on my blog and Facebook.

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  37. I posted on FB and asked my friends to spread the word :)

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  38. I just donated! Ironically, we too had our 'eye' on Yana in the early stages of deciding whether to adopt or not! She's another blue-eyed beauty!!!

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  39. http://soundslikelifetomeblog.blogspot.com/2011/02/another-awesome-giveaway-to-save-life.html
    Finally got it blogged! Sorry it took so long!!

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  40. Elissa, I donated! You rock!

    Nina

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  41. I donated! You are awesome for helping this family and this sweet girl! I hope they can get her home soon!

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  42. I donated! Good Luck!-Lauren Shingleton

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  43. I am now a blog follower!-Lauren Shingleton

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  44. I posted on FB! Happy to send you my FB link if needed! :) Lauren Shingleton

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  45. Blogged about your giveaway! -Lauren Shingleton
    http://theshingletons.blogspot.com/2011/02/bring-yana-home.html

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  46. Donated!
    Angie- (wifeofworldsbesthusband at hotmail dot com)

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  47. I am now following your blog. : )
    Angie (wifeofworldsbesthusband at hotmail dot com)

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  48. just donated again...ending in .51 just for you :)

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  49. This donation was for my daughter Beth.
    She loves her Aunt Lisa, Uncle Matthew, Cousins-Gabby, Dylan, Jon, Anthony and Ethan so much.
    She can't wait to see and Love Yana.
    Will repost and add to blog site.
    Thank you.

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  50. c.held.68@gmail.comSaturday, February 26, 2011

    Donated. Once again, I'm reminded of all the good in this world by your actions!

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  51. Lisa your blog along with two others are what showed me I could do what you did. We are now get ready ourselves to take our first trip to go meet our daughter in EE. I made a donation tonight, posted it on my blog www.twolivesonejourney.blogspot.com, posted it on facebook and became a follower after following for quite sometime. Thanks for helping Lisa, her family, and little Yana too :)

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  52. Hello! I donated to Yana's fund tonight :)
    That little girl needs to come home to her forever family <3

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  53. Happily donated to Yana's fund!

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  54. Donated towards Yana's adoption.

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  55. Just donated to Yana's fund.

    Blessings,
    Amy P

    mypatzer@yahoo.com

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  56. I'm a follower.

    Blessings,
    Amy P.

    mypatzer@yahoo.com

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  57. Just donated. Thanks for raising awareness and helping make possible such a wonderful journey!

    Dana Haynie
    haynie.7@osu.edu

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