Fitzpatricks find hearts of gold with ‘Reece’s Rainbow’

Contributed photograph
ANXIOUSLY WAITING — McKenna and Mikey Fitzpatrick, children of Gillian and Mike Fitzpatrick, are anxiously awaiting the arrival of an adoptive brother and sister from Haiti.
By Gloria Austin
Staff Writer
    Putting their faith in action is what Gillian and Michael “Goose” Fitzpatrick of Houlton are doing, as they are in the process of adopting two Haitian children and then two more from foster care. Right now, the Fitzpatricks do emergency respite, which could lead to adoption.
    “There are so many children on Reece’s Rainbow in need of families,” explained Gillian. “In other countries, these children, if not adopted, are placed in mental institutions with adults starting as young as age 5. They just need a chance to thrive in a loving home. They are beautiful sweet children who need a families who are willing to love them and give them a forever home. We know the cost of adopting internationally is high, but just as He is doing for us, God will provide when we follow His leading.”
    The couple has two biological children, McKenna, 9, and Mikey, 8.
    “Adoption has been on our hearts for many years,” said Gillian. “We were so blessed to find Reece’s Rainbow and learn about children who are desperate for homes.”
    Reece’s Rainbow was founded in 2004 as an outreach program serving families whose babies were born with Down Syndrome at Northside Hospital in Atlanta. As Reece’s Rainbow has grown, in 2006, the program expanded to include promoting international adoption for children with Down syndrome.
    The mission of Reece’s Rainbow as found on their website www.reecesrainbow.org is to “rescue orphans with Down syndrome through the gift of adoption, to raise awareness for all of the children who are waiting in 25 countries around the world, and to raise funds as adoption grants that help adoptive families afford the high cost of adopting these beautiful children.”
    The Fitzpatricks prepared for the adoption process by spending the last three years erasing their debt, except their mortgage, through Dave Ramsey’s Christian approach to finances. They spent six months building a three-bedroom addition onto their home.
    “It was debt free,” said Gillian. “We paid cash as we went with the sole purpose of adopting.”
    The couple planned on waiting on the international adoptions until they paid off their mortgage due to the higher costs.
    The Fitzpatricks learned about Reece’s Rainbow through an adoption magazine.
    “The morning after we visited Reese’s Rainbow [website] was Orphan Sunday at our church, Military Street Baptist Church,” said Gillian. “We listened to our Pastor, Randall Burns, speak on James 1:27 — Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress — we felt God pulling on our hearts and decided those children needed us now and we weren’t going to make them wait while we paid off our mortgage. That night, we sent a request to Reece’s Rainbow for information of the children we fell in love with.”
    In November, the couple started the adoption process through Reece’s Rainbow. The Fitzpatricks are awaiting their children.
    “Wilson is a sweet, loving 3-year-old who was abandoned at six months,” said Gillian. “He has mild cerebral palsy, autism and a history of seizures. Sandrine is quiet little doll who is 2 years old. She was just admitted in October, two days past her second birthday, weighing only 12 pounds. She has Down syndrome, but we thank God she doesn’t have a heart condition, which is common in children with Downs, or she would not have survived being so neglected.”
    Both of the children are Haitian, and Military Street Baptist Church has an affiliation with the country, as the local congregation and another partner are helping to build Strong Tower Orphanage in Haiti.
    “We feel a strong connection to the country,” Gillian said. “Plus, we have families in our church who have adopted from foster care and those who have adopted internationally. We are so thankful to belong to a church that makes taking care of orphans a priority. Our whole church family has rallied around us to help bring these children home.”
    Once a family is matched with a child(ren) Reece’s Rainbow accepts tax deductible donations from sponsors to help the family cover the high cost of international adoptions.
    “Once we saw the pages and pages of children needing homes, we knew we would pursue our international adoptions through their website,” added Gillian.
    Since the Fitzpatricks readied their finances and home for adoption, they were able to cover a portion of the cost. The total amount for international adoption is just more than $20,000.
    “As of right now, we have paid for half of the costs through savings, cash flow and donations,” Gillian said. “We are using Reece’s Rainbow to accept tax deductible donations to help with costs and we will continue to cash flow and save to pay the expenses.
    “We have also received generous donations from our church family and friends,” she added. “Our biological children, McKenna and Mikey have also been selling their crafts in order to help with the fundraising. They are excited to bring their brother and sister home.”
    Gillian’s husband is a self-employed carpenter and she is a stay-at-home mom who home schools her children.
    “We will be mailing in our dossier (legal documents for Haiti) in early March,” said Gillian. “Then we will wait a year to 18 months for the children to be home. Our family and our church family and friends are eager to welcome these children into our lives.”
    For anyone wishing to support the Fitzpatricks financially, visit their site on Reece’s Rainbow at http://reecesrainbow.org/31544/sponsorfitzpatrick.