Introducing "The Little Pearl Foundation"

Hi Everyone,

Today is a very very special day for Olivia and I. Olivia doesn't know yet that it is special, but I hope that someday she will be happy about what I'm about to reveal. For a long time now, I have had a desire in my heart to do something charitable in a more substantial and meaningful way, but I didn't really have any direction or ideas to pull it all together. As most of you know, I volunteered for 2 weeks in China with the China Care foundation in 2005 and I have done several other small China-related projects with a few other groups that I'm involved with. Although I have always enjoyed these projects, I have also felt the desire to do something a little bit more personal and lasting.

So...with that in mind, I have created The Little Pearl Foundation. I have lots of really big ideas, but to begin, I would like to provide financial assistance to at least one family per year in adopting a Special Needs child from China. The Special Needs program is very close to my heart because that is where I found my beautiful daughter Olivia. Becoming a parent through adoption is always a leap of faith, but it takes a special kind of courage to adopt a special needs child. I want to inspire and assist other families in making this dream come true for as many of these precious children as possible. For those of you that don't know me very well, I am a single Mom that sometimes struggles to provide for my little family; I am very spiritual but not particularly religious and I certainly don't come from a family of "means". But, I think that all too often people sell themselves short and stop themselves from doing something more because they think "What can I do? I don't have much to offer." I want to let everyone know that you CAN do a lot more than you think you can. Something small to you could be HUGE to someone else. I am making the choice to do the "something small" in the hopes that I can make it grow into something big over time and because I know that even a little bit of help can really go a long way for a family in the process of adopting.

The other motivation that I have is to create something for our family that establishes a strong and ongoing connection with China that Olivia and I can both take part in. Nothing would make me happier than for this foundation to continue far into the future and for this to be something that Olivia can fully take over someday. I definitely plan on involving her in the decisions we make in the future, but I took the liberty of selecting the first deserving family on my own...I just couldn't help myself!

Some of you reading this will definitely recognize this family and for those of you that don't, you will be so happy to know them. I have long been inspired by them and I did not want to miss my chance to help with their latest adoption (since it may be their last!). They are truly an amazing family and a true testament to what you can do if you put your dreams into action. This family is in the process of adopting their 4th Special Needs child from China (who will be their 8th child) and I honestly could not be more proud that they will be first beneficiary of The Little Pearl Fund. So, without further ado, please join me in celebrating the special family over at Ni Hao Y'All and their adoption of Shepherd. I would like to thank Stefanie for sharing her adoption experiences with all of us -- I learned so much from her before I adopted Olivia and I continue to be in awe of her faith in following her dreams. I hope that your journey to Shepherd is quick and that you have him in your arms in no time!

To see some beautiful pictures of Shepherd, click here and here.

I'll post more info later about the foundation and what my plans for the future are...for now, I just wanted to share this amazing family with you and give you all a glimpse into my little dream.
Thanks,

Maureen

A FEW UPDATES:
1. About the foundation -- I am working on getting the 501(c)(3) set up. Once this is done, anyone who wants to donate to it can and it will meet all the requirements to qualify as a tax deductible donation. I will do my best to get this done as soon as I can.

2. My day today -- to say this was a crazy day for me would be an understatement! I had a lot going on in all areas of my life and it was a day of up and down emotion. But it all ended on a good note...late this afternoon I was talking to my sister about The Little Pearl Fund and it suddenly occurred to me that my company has a "Matching Program" for Charitable Contributions. So...I checked into it and I am pretty sure that the amount I am planning to donate to the Ni Hao Y'All bunch will be matched EQUALLY by my company. How great is that??? I have a few more facts to check, but based on what I know now, it seems like we meet all the requirements. What an amazing blessing and a wonderful surprise (I'm glad that I remembered before it was too late)!

Happy Friday!

Maureen