The Marine Credit Union Foundation and Gift of Adoption are joining forces to form an exciting partnership designed to help orphaned children in Marine’s service area find a home. The Marine Credit Union Foundation Adoption Fund at Gift of Adoption is dedicated to funding adoption assistance grants for nine children through Gift of Adoption’s application process over the next three years. These children will have a family to provide the love, security, advocacy and nurturing they need. See Isaac’s story.
Funding adoption assistance grants to complete the adoptions of vulnerable children has always been a priority for Gift of Adoption. When Gift of Adoption saw they were only able to provide 36.3% of the grants needed in the communities where Marine Credit Union operates over the past 10 years, they saw the opportunity to help. This was the inspiration for the Marine Credit Union Foundation Adoption Fund with Gift of Adoption.
Research by the Dave Thomas Foundation shows that 25% of Americans have seriously considered adoption, yet only 2% complete the process. Many cite the significant upfront cost of adoption (average $29,000 for a domestic adoption and $36,000 for an international adoption) as a significant concern. This leaves vulnerable, parentless children to grow up in foster homes, orphanages or on the streets – resulting in direct and undeniable correlation to homelessness, teen pregnancy, unemployment, mental illness, poverty and crime in our country and around the world.
“Marine Credit Union’s mission is to advance the lives of people from a place of financial need to a life of ownership and giving back,” said Liz Popp, Executive Director of the Marine Credit Union Foundation. “We thought that it was a great fit to partner with Gift of Adoption and provide an additional way to help someone make their dreams of adoption come true.”
“It’s especially important right now, during the COVID-19 pandemic when household incomes are affected, to help families come together,” said Shawn Hanson, Marine Credit Union CEO. “The financial burden many are facing during this time shouldn’t define their adoption story.”
For questions about the Marine Credit Union Foundation’s Adoption Fund or to make a donation to support adoption fund, please contact Brian Murphy.