Non-Profit Updates

Brandon and I have started getting in the bad habit of taking naps when we get home from work. So we wake up from our nap around 8 pm and then stay up late cause we're not tired. At first it was cool to do once or twice but today was the third day in a row. Not good. Then again, my Lupron headaches are the main reason I lay down and after tonight that won't be a problem cause I trigger tonight! Yay! Then Saturday I leave CT to meet the hurricane head-on in NC. I'll be in Greensboro Saturday to spend time with my nephew (it's his birthday) and then Sunday we'll drive east to Fayetteville. Hopefully the hurricane will be gone by then, though it's supposed to be making its way up north so we'll end up riding in the wake of the hurricane on Tuesday. Lucky us.

So first an update on the Lost Stork Foundation cause I've been hard at work so I deserve to go first :) We made it to 107 followers as of today, so thank you all who read my last post and checked out our Facebook page! I'm still working on getting donations for our upcoming raffle. If you haven't heard, we're hosting two raffles in November to celebrate National Adoption Awareness Month. One will be adoption-themed and one will be a general raffle for anyone to participate in. This is the raffle I've been having difficulty with. We haven't received any donations for that one so I still have flexibility when picking a theme for it. I was thinking like a Family Fun Theme Pack with board games, movies, popcorn, etc or maybe a Book Lovers Theme Pack with books, coffee mug, and coffee/hot chocolate. Or maybe a Spa Theme Pack but I tried that once and didn't get too many participants. So let me know what you guys would be interested in and feel free to share your own ideas.

Next we've got a new non-profit organization for our NC folks! It's called the Noah Z.M. Goetz Foundation. They only have a FB page so far and are working on their 501(c)3 status (like the Lost Stork). According to their FB page they "provide educational services and supportive grants to residents of North Carolina pursuing domestic adoption for their first child; have gone through or are currently undergoing infertility treatment". It's a little unclear whether they'll provide grants for both infertility and adoption as they seem to focus on couples who are pursuing adoption after infertility treatments. But keep an eye out for future grants with this organization.

Chance to Hope has had lots of successful fundraisers lately. Their next fundraiser is a BBQ event in Indiana. Afterward they will announce their grant application process so hopefully they will be providing grants soon!

Pay It Forward Fertility is another non-profit organization for NC couples. Their next grant application deadline is September 19th (don't worry, they have 4 application periods a year!). They're also hosting their 3rd Annual Gala Fundraiser in Raleigh on September 23rd.

Tampa, FL is hosting A Family of My Own Fertility and Adoption Conference on November 5th. This conference, like many family-building conferences, will have drawings for things like free IVF cycles and home studies. It's definitely worth checking out.

Well, that's about all for now. I'm sure there's more conferences out there but I have to get ready for my trip to NC. The laundry ain't gonna do itself!