Dear Friends of A Home for Jolee,
As 2020 comes to a close, I reflect on the events of this year with thankfulness. It has certainly been a difficult year, but our supporters have continued to prove their generosity even in the most trying times. Through many tragedies and tears, you all have remained enthusiastic about the work of A Home for Jolee, and we are ever grateful for your love and encouragement. One of those tragedies was the loss of Sandra Cooper, former vice president of AHFJ. Though I did not know her personally, I am grateful for Sandra’s service to AHFJ and the difference her love continues to make in the lives of adoptive families. Through the Sandra Cooper Memorial Fund, we were able to fill a $5,000 grant for Trent and Amanda Key. As Robin Burroughs writes, “This grant will serve to fulfill Sandra’s passion of ensuring each child has a loving home and comes to know WHO they are, WHOSE they are, and WHO made them." To Sandra’s family and friends, thank you for honoring Sandra in this way. An adoptive family has been greatly blessed as a result of your love. In addition to the Keys’ grant, in 2020 we also awarded the Gracie Gaines Grant to the Wallin family. At this time, their adoption has been put on hold indefinitely. The Wallins contacted AHFJ to let us know that they are not currently in need of the grant and would like to make those funds available for another family. They do remain in need of our prayers and support. As a foundation and Christian family, we continue to wrap around the Wallin family during this difficult time and ask that you continue to support them in any way you can. Though this was a financially difficult year for many, our fundraising events had fantastic participation and we are especially grateful for that. Despite restrictions and hurdles, A Run for Jolee 2020 was a success and encouragement to all. We appreciate each of you for your flexibility and understanding. Special thanks to our t-shirt sponsors and our Christian family at Graphic Expressions for the beautiful t-shirts! We are excited to announce that next year’s run is planned for the spring as usual and will take place Saturday May 1, 2021. Please mark your calendar’s and stay tuned for more information! We tried a new format for our Bids from the Heart online auction this year. From our end, it was much smoother and easier to keep track of bids and notify winners. If you participated in the auction, we welcome any feedback! As of now, we intend to use the same platform for next year’s auction. Thank you to everyone who donated items and placed bids. You helped us raise over $800 for our next grant family. Speaking of our next grant family, for the first time we do not currently have any grant applicants or families we are actively raising funds for. If you have ever considered adoption, now is a great time to take that step! A Home for Jolee Foundation is here to help. Right now, we have $5,000 in the Gracie Gaines Grant available for emergency adoption needs, and $1,700 in the Caelyn Raine Memorial Grant. To find out more about these grants, please visit www.ahomeforjolee.org/grants. In addition to financial assistance, we also offer support through our coaching team. Our coaches are experienced adoptive parents who are available to help you get started in the adoption process. If you are struggling in your adoption, our coaches are also available to speak with you and help you find the support you need. AHFJ is more than just a grant foundation. We exist to support foster care and adoption in a variety of ways. If you know a Christian family in the process of adoption, please encourage them to contact us! The COVID-19 pandemic has presented challenges to every facet of life, including the world of adoption. Both international and domestic adoptions have slowed down, fundraising events and speaking engagements have had to be canceled. Uncertainty has been the theme of the year. But some things have not changed. Some things remain very certain. Still, throughout the world, there are 153 million orphans. There are still over 110,000 children in America waiting for someone to open their home and say, “This is your home, too.” We may be facing many hardships and uncertainties, but we need to remember these children still need homes. They are still waiting for us. Let us continue to care for the fatherless and give them mothers, fathers, and church families to raise them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. For God’s Glory, Joshua Richardson President of A Home for Jolee Foundation
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