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Reece's Rainbow was begun in June of 2006 by our Director, Andrea Roberts. Since that time, the organization has grown exponentially, and many new volunteers have stepped up to assist with the increasing needs of our families and waiting children. God never intended for this to be a one-woman-show! We are seeking additional volunteers to help us in various areas, so we can continue to grow and effectively meet the needs of our adopting families. If there is something you are really good at and would like to offer your time and services to the children of Reece's Rainbow, please do not hesitate to inquire! Even if it is not listed here, if you have a talent or a vision, something you'd like to add to the services offered by Reece's Rainbow, please do not hesitate to ask. Reece's Rainbow relies on private donations to fund our operations, so these are volunteer positions only at this time. We are grateful for your help and new ideas!
Executive Director and Donor Liaison, Andrea Roberts
Currently residing in Maryland, I am the mother of two sons, one of whom is REECE :) Reece is my biological son. Reece's Rainbow was a vision I woke up with one day in early 2006. After getting involved with an orphan aid organization supporting children in Ukraine, I learned what Reece's fate might have been had he born in a different country. I was angry and appalled and moved to action. It was impossible to sit back and not defend him in every way possible! God clearly placed Reece in my life for a special purpose, so Reece's Rainbow was born out of passion, an intense love for my child, and a calling to make a difference, one orphan at a time. It started with (5) children in Ukraine and has grown to over (275) children finding their families in (29) countries around the world. (300) more are still waiting, and the program grows every day. I have two Bachelors degrees from the University of Alabama, 1993. In my life before Reece, I was in sales, marketing, and client support, so my love of working with people and my expertise in meeting the needs of my customers is now entwined with a God-given passion to serve orphans with Down syndrome. I am available to new families and sponsors with questions 7 days a week. Please do not hesitate to write me!
Family Services Coordinator for Ukraine, Meredith Cornish
Meredith and her family live in Florida. They are strong Christians, and very active in their faith and their church. They have two biological children, one with Down syndrome. In March of 2008, they adopted two additional children with Down syndrome from Ukraine through Reece's Rainbow. Since that time, Meredith has naturally taken on a leadership role within the group. She is quite knowledgeable, as an adoptive parent and as an organizer. Meredith now serves as our Family Services Coordinator for all of our families adopting from Ukraine. She is your primary point of contact after committing to a child, and will assist you with any questions you have about the process and paperwork. Meredith has developed and manages a team of amazing volunteers who provide all of our dossier prep and agency services to families adopting from Ukraine. She also assists with a whole host of other organizational needs, and is a crucial part of our Senior Management Team. We are so glad to have Meredith! We are currently seeking (2) additional "full time" helpers to assist Meredith, as our Ukraine program continues to grow!
Family Services Coordinator for Serbia & Bulgaria, Bridgette (Shelley) Bedford
Shelley Bedford is another very special and dedicated mom, who has adopted (3) older boys with Down syndrome through Reece's Rainbow, from Ukraine, Serbia, and Bulgaria. She and her husband are a military family residing in Alabama. The Bedfords did not have any children with Down syndrome prior to their adoptions, but Shelley was a Special Education teacher for several years, and fell in love with our angels with ease. She is home full time with her growing brood, and now serves our families adopting from Serbia.
Shelley is also the Director of our Connecting the Rainbow Program, and another crucial part of our Senior Management Team.
We are so grateful to Shelley for her service, her insight, and her continued advocacy efforts!
Amy is an amazing single mom who has one adult biological son with Down syndrome, and two adopted sons with Down syndrome from Russia! She is a special educator, and serves as our Family Services Coordinator for our families adopting children from Russia. Amy has been a dedicated volunteer for several years, and we are so happy to have her leadership and support as we grow into Russia.
Team CANADA---Shannon Stepanek, Family Coordinator
We are so excited about our growth into Canada, making it possible for Canadian families to adopt our waiting children from Ukraine, Russia, Bulgaria, Serbia, Taiwan, and Mexico! Shannon leads this team to build new agency partnerships and raise awareness for potential PAPs throughout Canada about the possibility to adopt through Reece's Rainbow! We are currently updating the website to include Canada-specific information, as well as seeking incorporation and charitable status there. If you are a Canadian who would like to help on this team, or just adopt, please contact Shannon!
RR Blog and Graphic Design Coordinator--Lucille Brown
 Lucille has personally transformed the face of Reece's Rainbow in cyberspace! Her dedication to RR and her expertise in graphic design and internet marketing makes her an amazing fit to lead this very important team. Lu is responsible for maintaining our Reece's Rainbow blog, designing child blog buttons for new adopting families and advocacy warriors, all of or graphic designs and logos, on top of being an amazing Christian and an inspiration to this ministry! Folks with graphic design experience are welcome to offer their volunteer services as well! Grant Writing Team/Corporate Fundraising--Kelly Mokashi
 This team of ex-teachers, with many years of experience in professional grant writing for non profit organizations, has stepped forward to help secure the financial future of Reece's Rainbow, seeking foundational and corporate sponsorships for our basic operational expenses, outreach opportunities, foreign program relationship building, and of course, the childrens' grants! If you have experience in this field and are willing to help, please contact Kelly!
Prayer Warrior Ministry--Laurie Rhoades  Laurie is also serving as the leader of our Prayer Warrior ministry, one of the most popular programs within Reece's Rainbow. Not everyone is in a position to adopt or to even donate, but prayers are free and SO valuable! Please visit the link above to learn more about how you can be a Prayer Warrior for one of our waiting children. And if you'd like to volunteer or make suggestions, please do not hesitate to ask!
Connecting the Rainbow: Foreign Birth Family outreach program--Shelley Bedford
 Shelley Bedford is a very dedicated and very busy mom of 6 who just keeps coming up with amazing opportunities to serve children with Down syndrome. Connecting the Rainbow is a program designed to reach out to birth families of children with Down syndrome abroad, and to help them build their own DSA's to support each other in the raising of their own children at home. CTR is the first step in eliminating the need for Reece's Rainbow long term, as we seek to educate foreign families about the true potential and value of these precious gifts. CTR encourages these families to fight for the rights of their own children, and to "be the change they want to see in the world" by demanding inclusion of people with disabilities in their own countries. Donations to Connecting the Rainbow make it possible to send awareness materials to these families, and to have it translated into their native language. These funds pay for the purchase of educational materials for the children, as well as therapy toys and items that are much needed. CTR arranges for visits by therapists and developmental specialists, and is planning a World Down Syndrome Day mission trip in March 2011 (all of which needs funding!). CTR is a very special opportunity to invest in the future of all children with Down syndrome, by opening the eyes and hearts of birth families abroad and helping them be strong enough to embrace their own child. Someone said to me recently, " It is amazing to see what God can do with one wililng mother"! I couldn't agree more, and CTR helps each of these mothers be WILLING.
HIV Family Coordinator and Support Liaison-- Audrey Baker
 In recent months, the availability of orphans who are HIV+ has been spearheaded by the folks at www.projecthopeful.org Carolyn Twietmeyer and her team there have been instrumental in the devleopment and presentation of our Angels with HIV program. There are quite a number of families who specificalyl seek children with HIV, just as those who seek children with Down syndrome, and we have seen a growing number of HIV+ children find committed families in a very short period of time! The response has been amazing!
Audrey Baker serves our families who are interested in adopting kids with HIV. She and her husband have three biological children, ages 26, 20 and 18. In 2007, Audrey had the life-changing opportunity to travel to
Audrey is available at any time to speak with families considering the adoption of children who are HIV+. As an adoptive parent and a passionate advocate for these kids, she is an excellent resource for personal information, as well as www.projecthopeful.org A weekly chat group for these families will begin soon! We have MANY waiting children throughout Eastern Europe and Latin America in need of adoptive families. Your donations for them and consideration for adoption are such a blessing!
"After the Rainbow" Post-Adoption Care Coordinator--Jill Spicer
Jill Spicer is one of our earliest adoptive families. She has stepped forward to serve as the Chair of our Post Adoption Care Team. Jill and her team are responsible for sending "welcome home" letters, birthday cards for each of the adopted children every year (maintaining records of all of these kids), and maintaining basic, and when necessary, in depth Christian care for families who are newly home and may be struggling with the challenges of adjustment. Jill manages the "After The Rainbow" Yahoo group, and actively encourages new adoptive families to join and be active in it. The goal of this part of Reece's Rainbow is to ensure that all families remain in some contact, that they know they have a well-versed resource and group of families who are experiencing the same things post-adoption. Adjustment once home can sometimes be very difficult, and much more challenging than adoptive families expect. Our "After the Rainbow" group is totally confidential. and you can feel safe reaching out here! Please write if you might be interested in participating in this group.
Christmas Angel Tree Coordinator--Rita Andrews
Our Christmas Angel Tree Project is our largest and most important fundraiser each year. Beginning on November 1 and running through December 31st, our Angel Tree is on one page where ALL of our waiting children are openly posted. This makes it possible for all of the children to earn grant sponsorship funds and an even better chance to find adoptive families. Rita is the adoptive mom of (3) little girls with Down syndrome from India, Guatemala, and Colombia. She works with a team of volunteers in the Montgomery, AL area to assemble and mail all of the Christmas ornaments that sponsors receive when making a donation of $35 or more to a child. In 2008, we raised over $32,000 and shipped 500 ornaments! Your help next year can ensure it's even bigger! Please write to Rita if you are available to assist her or have any ideas!
Guardian Angel Project Coordinator--Laurie Rhoades The "Guardian Angel" project is designed to bring awareness and donations specifically for our "other angels". This team of folks is led by Laurie Rhoades, a former business owner and mom to two children, one of whom is adopted. Her experience with advertising and marketing will be a great asset, and she is dedicated to raising funds and awareness for our "Other Angels", those children with special needs other than Down syndrome.
A new "Guardian Angel Bracelet" project will be under way soon, along with an aggressive effort for ongoing fundraising through Ebay sales. If your heart is with these "Other Angels" and you have time and or ideas to share, please contact Laurie!
Raising Awareness/Event Planning
*** OPEN *** This team would be responsible for seeking out new marketing and advertising methods (mostly internet based), along with assisting in the planning and execution of ministry-level fundraising events (not individual). This team would help with planning local/regional gatherings of RR adoptive families, as well as raising awareness through a variety of resources globally.
Web Design and Support
Older Child Adoption Support Team-- Linda Duncan and Louise Puderbaugh
Military Family Adoptive Support Coordinator, Bridgette (Shelley) Bedford
Shelley Bedford is another very special and dedicated mom, who has adopted (2) boys with Down syndrome through Reece's Rainbow, one from Ukraine and the other from Serbia. Her family is now pursuing a 3rd and 4th adoption of another boy, this one from Bulgaria, in 2009. She and her husband are a military family residing in Alabama. The Bedfords did not have any children with Down syndrome prior to their adoptions, but Shelley was a Special Education teacher for several years, and fell in love with our angels with ease. She is home full time with her growing brood, and now serves our families adopting from Serbia. We are so grateful to Shelley for her service, her insight, and her continued advocacy efforts!
Reece's Rainbow en Espanol---(El Arcoiris de Reece)--Alicia deLlanas
United Kingdom Family Coordinator--Sandra Wright
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