Just One E-mail...Pretty Please?

Dear friends and family,

First I want to thank you all for your incredible support through our adoption journey.  It's been great to know that there's so many people behind us and holding us up when the weight of all this can feel like we might be crushed.  

Second...I wanted to let you all know that our fundraising is going well but we still have a long road ahead. Over $20,000 to be exact.  That's mainly because we have to take three trips to Russia.  Lenski and I continue to fundraise like crazy and we're also applying for grants.  But one thing that would be a HUGE help to us is the Adoption Tax Credit.  

So this is the third thing.  This credit basically refunds you between $10 - 13,000 in adoption expenses.  So you can see how important this is when you're looking at a $60,000 adoption cost.  The bad part is that this credit may no longer exist in 2013.  Unless your adoption is complete in 2012 you won't be able to get a refund...unless we can gain support.  I'm writing this to ask you to consider sending an email to our senators and representative asking them to be cosponsors of the Making Adoptions Affordable Act which would make the Adoption Tax Credit a permanent credit.  

Don't freak out about writing a letter on your own.  I've got one already written for you.  There's a few spots you have to fill in your own words but it's brief.  I'm going to add it at the end of this letter and you can copy and paste it into any message.  Just don't forget to fill in your parts.  That means you need to read the letter :)  Here are the ways to get in touch with the right people. 

Debbie Stabenow - http://www.stabenow.senate.gov/?p=contact

-For this one you'll want to copy and paste YOUR finished letter into the message box.  It works.  I've tried it.

Carl Levin - https://www.levin.senate.gov/contact/email/

-This works the same as Debbie Stabenow

To find your representative just go to this address - http://www.house.mi.gov/mhrpublic/

-Type in your information and you'll be directed to their page where you can find their contact info.  

-You can then send the message accordingly.

I know this may seem political but it's not.  Adoption is an amazing thing and many families just can't do it because of finances.  This credit could change all that and help bring many orphans to loving families.  Please consider not only helping our family by doing this but all the other possible waiting families.  We can use all the help we can get.  Ok, here's the letter...

Dear Senator/Representative NAME:

I am writing to ask you to support the federal adoption tax credit by cosponsoring the bipartisan S. 3616/H.R. 4373 – Making Adoptions Affordable Act. This credit is set to expire on December 31, 2012. Since 1997, the adoption tax credit has helped tens of thousands of parents offset the high cost of adoption, making it possible for them to provide children with loving, permanent families. S.3616/H.R. 4373 is the only bill in Congress that includes the refundable provision, allowing many more children and families to benefit from the credit equally; without the refundable provision some families simply cannot access the credit.

The adoption tax credit is especially important to me and my family because… (This is important, put a face to the issue. Tell Congress why this matters to you. Your Members of Congress value your voice!)

If Congress does not take action, the current adoption tax credit will expire at the end of 2012. The credit will be reduced to $6,000, and will only benefit the few families that adopt children with special needs and have qualified adoption expenses. Most families adopting children from foster care, inter-country adoption, and domestic infant adoption will not receive any benefit. Without the adoption tax credit, many parents hoping to adopt will be unable to do so, and others will face great financial hardship. The adoption tax credit is essential to ensuring that as many children as possible find the forever families they deserve and ensuring that those families are in a more stable financial position to provide an environment where children can thrive.

The adoption tax credit must be extended to help as many children as possible find the permanent, loving family they need and deserve. For 2012 it should be made refundable again so that most adoptive families will benefit from it. The best adoption tax credit would be permanent, refundable, inclusive of all types of adoption, and remain a “flat” credit for children with special needs.

On behalf of the countless children waiting to be adopted, and the many thousands of families that stand to benefit from the adoption tax credit, thank you for your attention to this important issue.