Announcing the Beth Venable State Farm Grant Winner!!

Congratulations to the Pellegrino family on being selected for the 

Beth Venable State Farm Adoption Assistance Grant!

The Pellegrino family with their son, Anthony (bottom middle) and their waiting son (courtesy of photoshop), top middle.

The Pellegrino family, both teachers from Maryland, adopted their son, Anthony, internationally in September of 2012. In their words...."Once we were married we left our home state of New York to move to Maryland to raise a family. We continued to teach with the hopes of filling our home with lots of little feet. As the years passed we came to realize that birth children were not in God’s plan for us. Rather than search for answers in biological terms, we chose to begin our search in the many faces of orphaned children. In August of 2011, we found our first son Anthony. His cleft lip and palate was likely the reason he was abandoned and his age was likely the reason he was still available. While he was considered “special focus” all we knew was that he was SPECIAL. Anthony came home a year later and is just so full of life and personality!" Shortly after bringing him home, Kim saw a photo of a waiting child, an 18 month old boy with psychomotor delays who had been abandoned at one month old.  Due to the unknowns of his medical condition, he would most likely stay in the orphanage his whole life. The Pellegrino's could not let that happen and have started the process to bring him home.
With the approval of this second adoption, they decided that "Momma" would stay home another year. "We believe this to be very important as well however it leaves us as a one-income family on a teacher's salary. For the last adoption we did not reach out for any assistance what so ever and relied on our savings and the re-mortgaging of our home. For this adoption we are applying for grants and fundraising." 

On behalf of State Farm and the Beth Venable Memorial Fund, we are thrilled to give this $1000 grant to the Pellegrino Family! This decision was made by a panel of OH Staff and Michael Venable, himself. Each picked their top three and the Pellegrino Family was on each list which made it unanimous.

Thank you to State Farm and all the donors who gave on behalf of the Beth Venable Memorial Fund. This grant would not have been possible without you. And thank you to the 15 other families who applied for this grant. It was so hard to choose just one recipient! We heard many amazing stories of love for these children that are waiting. We hope to offer another grant in the future.

Affiliates, stay tuned! The next grant giveaway will be going on March 15-22, with three $500 grants to be given away to the top 3 selling affiliates. Are you not an OH affiliate yet? Sign up here.