The Gift of Family
“As is perhaps typical, our adoption journey is one with many turns. We started our process after much discussion and prayer in May of 2020. We had 3 amazing boys, but our hearts longed to hold a baby girl as well. We chose to complete our home study with a small agency in Indianapolis, and after a few months, also joined with an adoption consultancy out of Georgia in order to expand our opportunities to be matched. We cannot know how many expectant mothers we had been presented to, but we were never chosen. One day, in February, 2022, we received an email from our consultant about three siblings, twin girls and their older brother. Both Krista and I received this message separately, had already decided that we were going to respond and it only took one look at each other to know that we were going to say ‘yes’ to these kids. The next 24 hours were absolutely crazy as we were trying to figure out how we were going to manage 6 children in our home. Then we got a call... the family decided to choose somebody else. We were devastated. That experience opened our eyes to the world of older children in need of a loving home, something we honestly had never considered. Several weeks later, our oldest son, sitting down at the dinner table specifically prayed for an older sister. We were shocked. Even though we had been considering older children, we never imagined a child older than our boys. We tried to tell him that wasn’t very likely, but God had a different plan. In November 2022, responding to a letter that Krista had submitted, we received a call from NightLight regarding a girl in Virginia. She was 11, older than our boys. We cautiously agreed to explore the situation, met with her parents and despite the challenges we knew we would be facing, God immediately moved in our hearts to say yes. Jayne came home with us in January of this year and our adoption was finalized in August. In the past several months we’ve had our share of ups and downs, but God has been there every step of the way with everything that we’ve needed. Over the extended duration of our adoption journey, in addition to the emotional toll, the financial costs pile up. In 2022, as we were facing the costs of renewing our home study and consultancy agreements, Sierra’s Fund granted us a generous gift that removed that financial burden for the rest of the year. We are extremely grateful for that as it provided much-needed encouragement at the time and allowed us the opportunity to welcome home our daughter.” Written by: Krista and Jacob Bower
Whitley County Dazzlers get ready to perform at a competition in Fort Wayne.
Non-Permanent Funds (Continued)
Junior Lady Eagle Basketball Lady Eagle Basketball Team Boosters
Rex Schrader Testamentary Gift Rich Patch Union Church Rob and Jill Marr Family Fund Scientific & Regulatory Consultants Donor Advised Fund Sierra’s Fund Nonpermanent Straight Smiles Tammy Horne Memorial Scholarship Fund The Potters Hand Todd Jagger Memorial Scholarship Vietnam Memorial Whitko Education Fund Whitley County Arts Commission Whitley County Cares Whitley County Dazzlers Whitley County Domestic Violence Prevention Task Force Whitley County Energy Assistance Fund Whitley County Promise Youth Philanthropy Fund (HANDS Foundation)
Leatherneck Coffee Club Fund Little Turtle Elementary PTSO Mary Raber P.I.E. Micropulse Charity Fund Micropulse Employee Giving Fund Manufacturing Your Future! Don Wood Foundation New Building Fund Night To Shine Fund Northeast Indiana Warbirds Northern Heights Parents In Education Northern Heights Playground Fund Ohki Alley Fund/EDC Old Settler’s Nonpermanent Fund Operating Construction Fund Pass Thru Fund Project Prom – Columbia City High School Ralph Bailey Memorial Fund Randy Bills Memorial Scholarship
Matt and Hallie Grant are recognized as respected business leaders through their successful, international company, Sailrite; but first and foremost, they are parents. Like many families today, the Grant’s story is anything but traditional. The details as to how their family circle was made complete led the couple to establish Sierra’s Fund. The fund, named for their daughter, is an endowment meant to assist Whitley County residents navigating the adoption process to build their own families, now and for generations to come. “The moment Sierra was placed in my arms can’t be explained. The tears came streaming down my face, I couldn’t believe she was our daughter. The adoption process is full of highs and lows but I am here to tell you it is so worth it. I can’t image our family without her, she is exactly where she was meant to be.” ~ Hallie Grant
26 2022 Annual Report
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