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Chicago Tribune, July 2008
By KELLY HARAMIS

Six months after Sue and Ken Hill of Tinley Park, Ill., adopted their son Daniel from Ethiopia in 2007, Sue had a pang to adopt again.

The couple — who, in addition to Daniel, have five biological children — recently adopted their seventh child, daughter Gifty from Teshie, Ghana. After learning that the adoption would cost more than they expected, including the cost of two trips to Ghana, the couple — a police officer and a stay-at-home mother — applied for several grants. The Hills received $3,500 from Gift of Adoption Fund and $4,000 from Shaohannah’s Hope. “The grants were such a blessing,” said Sue Hill, whose daughter’s adoption cost $23,000, including travel expenses. “We know God has a plan for us and our daughter. Our debt won’t be here forever,” Hill said.

Adoption costs can easily exceed $40,000, depending on the country. Aside from the Federal Adoption Tax Credit, parents-to-be often have recourse to a savings reserve, generous relatives, loans, military reimbursement programs, employee-based adoption-assistance programs or little-publicized grants. For instance:

The Gift of Adoption Fund, whose headquarters are in Techny, gave 83 grants in its last fiscal year (which ended in June. ). The fund has given 450 grants to help more than 525 adoptions. “Our goal is to grow to 100 grants next year and to reach the 365 — one grant every day — milestone by 2012,” said Brian Murphy, director of programs for Gift of Adoption Fund. To apply for a grant, applicants must be U.S. citizens with an approved home study for either a domestic or international adoption. Financial need must be demonstrated. To learn more about how to donate or apply for grants, call 847-205-2784 or visit giftofadoption.org.

Shaohannah’s Hope was formed by Christian singer Steven Chapman and his wife, Mary Beth. The Chapmans adopted three daughters (Shaohannah Hope being their first) from China and also have three biological children. After their youngest daughter, Maria, died unexpectedly in May, more than $550,000 was donated to the church-based organization, some of which will be used for grants and some toward building Maria’s Big House, a healing home in Luoyang, China, that will temporarily house special needs orphans and tend to their medical needs (cleft palate, clubbed feet, urological disorders, blindness, neurological disorders, etc.) The grants are between $3,000 and $4,000 per family. Typically, the organization gives 35 to 40 grants a month. For more info, call 615-550-5600 or visitmembers.shaohannahshope.org/site/PageServer.

Wheaton, Ill.-based The Asian Bridge offers matching grants between $1,000 to $3,000 for families adopting from any Asian country. The year-old organization gave one grant last year and five so far this year. If a family raises money by, say, running a marathon or holding a bake sale, The Asian Bridge will match between $1,000 and $3,000, depending on fund availability. For more info, call 630-207-9921 or visit theasianbridge.org.

New York City-based Helpusadopt.org awards $500 to $15,000 grants twice a year. The new organization recently approved its first eight grants for a total of $53,000. It was a tough decision for founders Becky and Kipp Fawcett, who received 125 applications, requesting more than $1 million. The Fawcetts adopted their son 2-1/2 years ago and are in the process of adopting their second child, both from the United States. For more info, call 917-684-5484 or visit helpusadopt.org.

In other adoption-related news: Check out the new children’s book “The Mommy Orphanage,” by Cheryl Wilder Krass and Emily Krass (Alexemi, $14.95). The mother-daughter team ponders a world where children visit a “mommy orphanage” to select their parent. Emily, who was adopted from China as a baby, thought of the idea. Kudos to mom Cheryl for not only writing the book, but also for crediting her daughter as an author.

Chicago Tribune - Chicago, IL
May 23, 2007
Author: Mannemarie Mannion
Section: Metro

The Asian Bridge
Targeting the High Cost of Adoption

The experience of being adoptive parents of their 4-year old daughter, Lilah, has been a joy for Geoff and Heather Shaw of Wheaton. They want to share everything about it with other parents who are interested in adopting - except the high cost.

That's why the couple formed the Asian Bridge, a non-profit organization that provides information about adopting children from China and helps defray the cost.

The cost of adopting a child in China is about $25,000, including travel costs. When the Shaws brought Lilah home three years ago, they were approached by many people who had questions on the process.

"People came up to me and told me they were thinking of adopting. I started handing out pins and then business cards. It was just an awareness thing," said Geoff Shaw.

After distributing the business cards, he estimated he got about 300 calls from people who had questions about adopting.

One of the biggest issues people were facing was the cost.

"People said, 'I'd love to do it, but I can't afford it,'" he said.

The organization, which recently garnered $14,000 at its first fundraiser, is providing matching grants of up to $3,000 to help people become adoptive parents. They have made their first grant to a Wheaton College professor and his wife who took part in a marathon to raise their share. Though the Shaws are focusing on China, they plan to expand to other countries.

Meanwhile the Shaws, who also have three older sons, are enjoying having a daughter. Their sons, all biological, are Evan, 13, Alec, 11 and Nolan, 8.

"My sons love Lilah. It's like she's always been there," said Geoff Shaw. "She's outgoing, gregarious, she loves to run and play and make funny faces. She's the happiest little girl you ever met."

"Our daughter is my child. She just happened to be born on the other side of the world, and I had to go get her," added Heather Shaw.

Article from The Wheaton Sun April 20, 2007
By: Jennifer Grant

Do you know the story about the starfish thrower? It is in a collection of anthropologist Loren Eiseley’s writing called, “The Star Thrower.”

You might not recognize his name, but Eiseley has been called the “modern Thoreau,” and many people – including writer Ray Bradbury – count him as a major influence on their work and lives.
In “The Star Thrower,” Eiseley writes of a walk he once took along a beach. He sees a younger man ahead of him, picking up starfish and throwing them in to the ocean. Eiseley asks the man what he’s doing, and the stranger replies: “The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them in, they’ll die.” Eiseley tells the man that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along the way; he can’t possibly make a difference. The younger man bends down, picks up a starfish, and throws in into the water. “It made a difference for that one,” he says.

Geoff and Heather Shaw are Wheaton residents whose hopeful passion rivals that of the starfish thrower. Their attention, however, is focused on helping to connect Chinese orphans with loving families – the environment that helps these little starfish to flourish. The Shaws founded “The Asian Bridge,” an organization that provides information, emotional support and financial assistance to those interested or involved in adopting from China. The Shaws’ daughter Lilah, almost 4, was adopted from China in 2004.

Geoff loves to tell the story of how The Asian Bridge was born.

“Heather and Lilah came home from the grocery store, and Heather said to me, ‘It happened... again!’”

What had happened that day still occurs regularly for the Shaws – a stranger had approached them and asked about how Lilah had come into their family. On that particular day, Geoff and Heather explored the meaning of these encounters. They knew that some of the people who spoke to them were likely thinking about adopting a child themselves. But, under the bright lights of a grocery store checkout aisle or in other public places, the strangers didn’t voice their questions or fears.

Perhaps they wondered about the amount of paperwork required for adoptions. They might have concerns about the cost or the risk of traveling so far to bring home a child. And, maybe after seeing Heather and Geoff with their three birth children (sons ages 12, 10, and 7), they might even wonder whether parents love a child whom they adopt as much as their children by birth.

In order to give people an opportunity to ask questions like these, Geoff and Heather created a simple, visible way to invite dialogue about Chinese adoption. They produced a pin inscribed with the Chinese symbol for “love.” When people remark about it – or ask about their Chinese-American daughter – Geoff and Heather offer a business card that has information on The Asian Bridge.

When prospective adoptive parents call The Asian Bridge, the Shaws offer to meet with them and introduce them to Lilah. The Asian Bridge also offers matching funds to assist families with the financial burden of adoption. So far, several hundred pins have been distributed.

Although the Shaws’ work focuses on Chinese adoptions, Geoff hopes that in time he will be able to expand the work of the organization and provide support to people hoping to adopt from other parts of the world. As well as raising his children and running The Asian Bridge with his wife, Geoff Shaw is a publishing manager for a paper company. His dream, however, is someday to run The Asian Bridge full time.