Over eight years ago I helped to found the non-profit organization Little Flowers Foundation. Our mission has been to help Catholic families with the cost of adoption, especially adoptions of children with special-needs. Often a family will be financially able to raise a child, but not to actually adopt one. An adoption can cost over $20,000, and for most families, that is a one-time expense that simply cannot be afforded. So LFF offers grants to these families so that their adoptions can take place. Over the past 8+ years, we have helped over 40 families, disbursing almost $200,000 in that time-frame. We have almost never had to turn down a qualified family for a grant.

Until recently.

Like most non-profits, our donations over the past year or so have dropped significantly. However, our requests for grants have risen even more dramatically. Just this month, our grant committee considered 12 grant applications totaling $63,000 in requests. Unfortunately, we only had $13,000 to disburse. For the first time in our history, we had to turn down very qualified families for grants because we simply didn’t have the funds. As a member of the grant committee, I can tell you that this was a very disappointing situation.

With that in mind, I would like to announce a special fund-raising appeal: from now until the end of the year, if you donate at least $30 to Little Flowers Foundation through our online donation page*, we will send you a free copy of my book Who is Jesus Christ? Unlocking the Mystery in the Gospel of Matthew. This is a perfect opportunity to make a year-end tax-deductible gift, help Catholic families bring an orphaned child into their home, and get a free book in the process!

Thank you for your generosity!

* Note: this offer only applies to online donations made between now and 1/1/11, and you must mark “My full contact information” under Privacy Preferences when donating or else we can’t send you your book!