In this column, you will find inspirational pieces offering an in-depth look at the personal stories of individuals, families and small non-profit organizations who have requested help from Modest Needs - and the miracles made possible by your giving.
The $398 Family | 2009-07-01 15:06
As I speak on the phone with Gina, an applicant who received a $398 Modest Needs grant earlier this year, I can't help but feel distracted by a little girl chattering away in the background. Over and over she utters the same word: 'ma-ma-ma-ma-ma.' In any other conversation, I probably wouldn't have even noticed it. But the fact that this mother and daughter have come together is nothing short of a miracle -- a miracle that Modest Needs contributors played an enormous part in creating. And every time I hear those delightfully sweet little syllables, that 'ma-ma-ma' gives me goose-bumps.
If a year ago you'd asked Gina to look into 2009, motherhood wouldn't even have crossed her mind. She and her husband had been in their mid-twenties, happily married, and getting their first taste of the workforce in entry-level jobs. They'd discussed having children, but neither was in any particular rush.
Until they met a child who took hold of their hearts and wouldn't let go.
---------------------------------When Gina first heard about a job opening in the Family Services Department for the state of Delaware, she wasn't especially intrigued. It wasn't as if she'd always had strong feelings on the topic of adoption or foster care. Her reason for applying was simple: she needed a job. Any job. When she landed the position, her primary responsibilities involved performing clerical duties and transporting children to their doctor's visits and other appointments. And one of those children was a very special little girl named Jasmine.
At 9 months old, Jasmine had been in foster care for months and wasn't thriving physically. Her mother was no longer present in her life. And at some point in their relationship, during those drives to see doctors and physical therapists, Gina and Jasmine's time together became more personal, more intimate. With every encounter, their bond intensified. Co-workers even teased Gina that Jasmine 'belonged in her arms.'
Gina began to consider the idea of adopting Jasmine, but didn't mention a word to anyone except her husband. Gradually, he came around to the idea and began spending weekends with this adorable child. Once that process got underway, there wasn't much convincing necessary.
'We just knew that she was meant to be with us,' Gina said simply. 'When I would pick her up, I felt it with all my heart. I couldn't face the idea of her becoming just another statistic.'
The first step toward adoption, according to the state, was for Gina and her husband to become foster parents. And so they proceeded, doing everything by the book, including adoption-parenting courses. The plan was to foster Jasmine first, and then adopt her. But Gina ran into wads of red tape when Jasmine's caseworkers began to change multiple times over. Through the complicated transition, weeks of time elapsed.
Suddenly, Gina had only a few months to pull together $800 for an adoptive home study -- which would include a thorough examination of their finances, credit history, personal references, and home. They scraped together half of the money, but if Gina and her husband couldn't come up with the remainder, Jasmine would be going back into the foster system. Friends and family weren't in a position to help, and neither of their employers offered any kind of financial adoption assistance.
'We've always had enough to pay our bills,' she explained. 'But we didn't have an extra $800 lying around.'
Gina had written down Modest Needs' name when she'd seen me on the Dave Ramsey Show a few months back. Her application was so different from the others, she explained to me, that she worried they wouldn't match our requirements. Gina and her husband weren't on the brink of foreclosure and homelessness, like so many of their fellow applicants. And yet her need was real, and equally as urgent.
The bureaucracy around Jasmine's adoption was frustrating and stressful for Gina; it was out of her hands entirely.
'We were desperate,' she admitted. 'It was a stab in the dark.'
But it certainly paid off.
A few weeks after applying for a grant, Gina received the check for the remainder of their adoptive home study and was literally 'jumping for joy.' It was, as she told me, a 'dream come true.'
As expected, Gina's adoptive home study went off incredibly smoothly. They were the perfect fit for Jasmine. And on February 20, 2009, this very lucky little girl came to live with her new family. By September, when the lawyers finish, Gina and her husband will be Jasmine's legal guardians once and for all.
'Because of Modest Needs donors, Jasmine has a shot at a good life,' Gina said. 'Not only has she been blessed -- we've been blessed. At a time when we needed the money the most, people were there for us.'
So how has motherhood been treating her?
'There is so much joy in our lives,' Gina said cheerfully. As the caretaker for her younger brother for most of his life, she's a natural with young children.
Adjusting their budget to cover Jasmine's necessities hasn't proven as difficult as she imagined it would. They've always been conservative and careful when it comes to money. And so when a tree crushed her husband's car in a major windstorm earlier this year, they decided to get rid of it. The money they once put toward a car payment now goes toward daycare.
And Jasmine?
Well, she's downright blossoming. Isn't it extraordinary what unconditional love and one-on-one attention will do for kids? She'll be 2 years old this month. She's running, talking, climbing, singing.
And most importantly, saying a whole lot of 'ma-ma-ma's'.
