Wednesday, October 2, 2024

Hearts for Homes

It is that time of the year again!

This year we are celebrating World Smile Day at our Hearts for Homes event on October 4th, from 6-9pm. We invite you to be part of a special event dedicated to ensuring that every child has a safe and loving environment to call home. Join us, at Aloft Delray Beach, for an initiative focused on rallying our community to support children in need!

Here’s how you can help:
      🛍️ Donate Silent Auction Items
      🎟️ Attend the Event
🩵 Each attendee gets 2 FREE drinks, tickets, appetizers, and a pass to Silverball Retro Arcade!

Your involvement makes a huge difference in providing essential resources and safe spaces. Reach out to get involved and be part of something special! 

You can register using the link below. We hope to see you there!

                                                                                            REGISTER





Friday, July 19, 2024

Waves of Love

We hope our local friends will join us on August 16 from 5 - 7:30 p.m. for our first “Waves of Love” happy hour event in coordination with the Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce’s Festival Days! The event will be held at the Boca Raton Marriott’s Drift Patio Bar. 

This Festival Days event, sponsored by All Digital Marketing Consultants, will benefit Open Hearts for Orphans by creating waves of love for vulnerable children. This will be a relaxed and casual happy hour event. Light bites will be served in addition to drinks. There will also be a 50/50 raffle!

Admission for the event is $35 in advance and $50 at the door and includes one drink ticket. Additional drink tickets will be available for purchase. You can register for the event by copying this url bit.ly/OHFOwavesoflove or scanning the QR code below!

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out through our instagram @openheartsfororphansorg, or email openheartsfororphansorg@gmail.com. 
We hope to see you all there!




Monday, July 15, 2024

Sound of Hope

We are honored to be a Movement Partner for the new film, Sound of Hope: the Story of Possum Trot and we are so grateful to Angel Studios and Peacetree Productions for making this important film! 


Inspired by the powerful true story, Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot, follows Donna and Reverend Martin as they ignite a fire in the hearts of their rural church to embrace kids in the foster system that nobody else would take. By doing the impossible–adopting 77 children–this East Texas community proved that, with real, determined love, the battle for America’s most vulnerable can be won. 

The official trailer reached half a million views in just a few days! Check it out for yourself:


Critics and audiences are LOVING this powerful film with Cinema Score rating it 5 stars ★★★★ We can say with 100% certainty that this powerful and beautifully-made movie is worth your time! 

You can purchase tickets by either using our link attached below or by visiting angel.com/openheartsfororphansPurchasing tickets with our link encourages others to consider fostering and adoption and supports our cause, too!

            Click here→  

Let’s show our support for vulnerable children by showing up in force and making this movie number one at the box office! 

Tuesday, March 21, 2023

World Down Syndrome Day 2023

Erin: 

The first time I visited Taiwan was at the end of a 2 week trip to China. I was with the Gladney’s Superkids team and we had visited orphanages and seen many children over the prior two weeks. I was tired and ready to get home to my family, but our team was also excited to meet children who needed advocacy in Taiwan. 

Just after we arrived in Taipei we got the news that a typhoon was headed straight for Taiwan and we would not be able to see most of the children we were planning to see. We were obviously disappointed and wondered why we were even there. But we were there, and we weren’t going to be going anywhere for a few days! 


That first afternoon, before the typhoon hit, we saw 3 children one of whom was this darling little baby boy with Down Syndrome. I was wearing a maxi skirt and he loved the way it swished around my feet. He was pulling himself around on his little belly and every time I looked down he was playing with my skirt. He had the cutest hair that stood straight up. To see him was to fall in love. We gave him the advocacy name of Miles and wrote a blog post entitled Magnificent Miles highlighting him. 





Little did we know where meeting little Miles would take us! But I’m going to let his mom and my friend, Michelle, tell you the next parts of this beautiful story.


Michelle:


The very picture and short article sharing information about a sweet little one with Down syndrome named Magnificat Miles came through in my email one morning. His perfectly fluffy hair, almond eyes and baby toes stole my heart at first glance. This was our son! Within hours of requesting more information we had our first call to learn the next steps of our adoption journey. 


In the wait I happily jumped onboard to join the advocacy team to learn all I could. The very first trip to Taiwan with the team I was blessed to meet another young boy with Down syndrome. He and Miles were sweet besties. It was also that very trip I had the privilege to enjoy a meal with the Taiwan team and share my passion for helping to find families for the children with Down syndrome. 


Fourteen months from seeing Miles’ picture in my inbox he was placed in my arms forever. Our adventures together had just begun. He hadn’t just stolen our hearts with his total sweetness he had many people surrounding him with love. He was our whole world and we were blissfully enjoying life through his eyes. His amazing charismatic personality radiating in every single thing he was a part of. He was blooming so much! We were learning so much together. 





Oh and during the time we were bonding and learning our new world with our little guy… we were telling everyone about his bestie that still awaited his forever family. We were so excited to learn he had a family coming for him. 


Then one day a new little one with Down syndrome came through on the waiting for a family list. We knew Miles would be the best big brother ever. We eagerly asked for more information. A little girl that just so happened to have a bit more of a complex medical history. We said yes and our 17 month journey to our precious Maddie began. 




During the wait we learned that two more of the littles ones with Down syndrome the team had been advocating for had forever families coming! Such amazing news! 





The very moment Miles and Maddie saw each other was a moment I’ll never forget. Miles was over the moon that Maddie was his little sister and he could help mama care for her. Their bond grew stronger each and every day. 


Fast forward to today… six years from when Miles joined our family and just over three from when Maddie joined. We couldn’t imagine our lives without our two special littles that so happened to both have Down syndrome. They have shown us that they are able to accomplish anything. The sky is the limit. Their zest for life and eagerness to do their best melts my mama heart each day. Truly I stand in awe at just how amazing both Miles and Maddie are. Perfectly who they are meant to be and such a special part of our family. We cherish every moment and look forward to all the adventures ahead. Living life through their eyes is a true gift. 





We especially enjoy sharing in celebrations like 3/21 by wearing our silly socks and sharing the science behind what having Down syndrome means. Taking the opportunity to share our littles uniqueness is something we find important. Not every family can say they’re just as unique as ours. We are blessed beyond measure to share life’s journey with our extra special Miles and Maddie. 


A special thank you to the team of advocacy volunteers that share such an amazing part of our families story. Adoption and advocacy for special needs children has forever changed our lives. 


Erin:


Michelle and her husband would go on to add another precious little girl from Taiwan, so now Miles has 2 little sisters and Maddie is a big sister! They came to visit us in November and all 3 of their littles are thriving! So I'll close with one last picture of me with all of their little ones.




Today is World Down Syndrome Day and Michelle is on a mission to let the world know that different isn't scary...it is just different. And different can be amazing!


Wednesday, October 6, 2021

Stories of Yes - Silas

 

Just over a year ago I got a phone call saying that the family of the little boy chose us.
I said, "Are you serious?" 
 
After I told my husband and then the kids, I looked at his paperwork again. He didn't pass hearing or vision tests, he doesn't eat by mouth, he has Down syndrome and he has IA. What is IA? Google. Oh no! He could have a colostomy for the rest of his life! Do they mean he's deaf and blind? Do I have to learn how to insert a feeding tube? I had not read this paperwork very well when I said yes. What does all of this mean? Can we possibly do this?? 
 
Yes. We're doing it. 
 
Four days later, we were allowed to meet this baby for the first time. Once I held him, I never wanted to let him go. He was the baby we had been waiting for. 
 
We called our son "Silas" and his first year was filled with surgeries, ER trips, more doctors appointments than I can count and ongoing physical therapy. It felt like a very long year. And it felt like a very short year. Because this same little boy who had no mama to hold him in the NICU now lifts his arms and yells for me to rock him. He snuggles his little face into my neck. He stares at my face with perfect vision, and he listens to my lullabies with perfect hearing. He climbs into my lap with no colostomy in the way. 
 
Silas was once "a little boy with Down syndrome and VACTERL and no mama." Now, he's MY little boy who wants to be tickled and eat bananas all day. He plays peekaboo with his siblings and screams "Dada!" when Daddy gets home from work. 
 
Silas - and all of us - have worked very hard this last year. But the truth is that God loves children and they progress so much easier when they are in a family who loves them too. 
 
Silas is such a beautiful and happy little soul who is made in the image of God...and he will ALWAYS belong in our family! 💙💛
- Jessica Peters

Friday, April 23, 2021

The Jameo family

 

In April, we served the Jameo family in Uganda as a form of "orphan prevention." Their father passed away, and their widowed mother struggles with providing for the children. The daughter, Bashira, who was under medical care for hydrocephalus at the CURE Hospital in Uganda, unexpectedly passed away last month. She was nine years old. We covered the hospital bill that her mom was unable to pay, along with the funeral expenses for Bashira. We pray that lifting those financial burdens will help Bashira's loving mama, and her siblings, as they mourn the tremendous loss in their lives. We are still working on plans to serve them going forward with education and more permanent housing. We will keep you posted and please pray for this family.