April 15 fundraiser to assist with paperwork costs
By Scott Mitchell Johnson
Staff Writer
FORT FAIRFIELD — A Fort Fairfield couple that believes it’s God’s plan for them to adopt a child from Haiti is turning to the community for some financial assistance.
A spaghetti supper/silent auction will be held from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Friday, April 15 at the Aroostook County Shrine Club on the Houlton Road in Presque Isle to help Shelly and Darren Condon achieve their dream.
“We’re in the process of adopting a child from Haiti,” said Shelly, noting that she and her husband requested a healthy child that is no older than 4 years old. “We did not specify a boy or a girl, so we will take either. However, we would like a child as young as possible. We didn’t want to limit ourselves; if you’re super specific, it could lengthen the time that you wait for that child. We figured the younger the child, the easier the transition might be as far as speaking English. Plus, this may be our only child and we want all the opportunities and experiences that go with having a small child.”
Admission to the spaghetti supper is $10 per plate, while children 12 and under will eat for $5.
Business and community members alike have donated numerous items to the silent auction including a one-year couple’s gym membership to either the Presque Isle or Caribou Inns and Convention Centers, three hours of limo service donated by Doug and Josette Hunter, three iPod shuffles provided by ACE Rent A Car, two photo shoots donated by Captured by Andretta Jones of Caribou, handcrafted items, candles and much more.
“The list is so long,” said Shelly. “It’s been amazing. We appreciate everyone’s generosity.
“We need to submit all of our paperwork to the Haitian government by the end of June, and with that is our final payment of $4,500,” she said. “That’s what we’re looking to raise at our upcoming fundraiser. Once all of our paperwork is processed, we’ll be invited to go to Haiti so any money we raise above and beyond the $4,500 will help cover flights.”
Shelly said that she and Darren are required to go to Haiti twice.
“The first time we would be there for about a week and that would be to spend some time with the child that we get paired up with and also to begin the immigration paperwork in-country that we have to do,” she said. “The second trip would be to pick up the child once we get to that point.
“Once we submit our paperwork by the end of June, all of our documents need to be authenticated. That’s what the Texas-based adoption agency we’re working with will do,” said Shelly. “Then they have to translate them into French to submit them to the Haitian government, and we’re estimating that it will be a couple of months after that when we receive a profile of a child that we will review. We will have two weeks to either accept or decline that child. A couple of months after that, we would be invited to go and meet the child. It’s all estimations; the government will take as long as the government will take, but we’re hoping it will be some time this year that we’ll go to meet the child for the first time.”
Recognizing that there are children in the United States available for adoption, the Condons chose Haiti based on their religious faith.
“We did some research on domestic versus international adoption. The prices are kind of the same, but for Darren and I, we fully believe — without a shadow of a doubt — that God is calling us to adopt from Haiti specifically,” said Shelly. “That’s ultimately the reason. It was very clear to us and we got confirmation from some very trusted friends that prayed for us … before we even decided on this.
“Also, when you do a domestic adoption, you have a biological parent that may come back and change their mind, but typically with international adoptions, you go through an orphanage and there are no biological parents or family members that could alter your plans,” she said. “Ultimately though it was God’s call on our life.”
The Condons have already invested money into the project, which could cost — in total —$18,000 to $22,000.
“It’s expensive, but it’s something we feel very strongly in,” said Shelly. “Both sides of our family were immediately overjoyed with our decision and have been over-the-top supportive. It’s remarkable the amount of support we’ve received not just from our family and friends, but our church and community. Everybody is excited and can’t wait.”
The entire adoption process could take as long as two years.
“We’re believing it’s going to be less, but you never know,” Shelly said. “We’re looking forward to the time when we can bring our child home to Fort Fairfield.”
For more information on the April 15 fundraiser or to donate items to the silent auction, call Shelly Condon at 554-7399.
