YeYe Donnie

We recently shared the story of a very special Chinese couple who gave their all. I wanted to share the story of another very special person today...

We first met Donnie when he signed up to sponsor Brett, a little boy who used to live at the foster home who had only one leg. Brett was a high-spirited little boy, but there seemed to be a sadness about him... some kids just seem to be affected more deeply than others by the fact that they don't have their own family. Brett was one of those little boys, and though we did our best to encourage him and build him up, we could still sense his brokenness and sadness.

But then along came Donnie. Donnie took this sponsorship seriously, and decided that what it really meant was that he'd be Brett's grandpa, or YeYe. He mailed Brett small presents and pictures of his motorcycle. He sent doo rags and lots and lots of candy. And something inside Brett started to bloom. He smiled more and when a package would come to the foster home, he'd excitedly scoot over and ask if it was from his grandpa.

When Brett was adopted, Donnie had the opportunity to meet his little grandson. Brett said he wanted to go on a train ride with his YeYe Donnie, so that's exactly what they did. It's clear from these pictures that what we suspected all along is most definitely true... Love makes a difference.
After Brett joined his family, Donnie started sponsoring Polly and Jack, never missing an opportunity to sneak them some suckers like any good grandpa does. He also sent our kids on a wonderful field trip this summer, and signed up to help sponsor formula as well. He always sends us emails checking on "his kids," and through the internet has connected with families adopting New Day kiddos. He's participated in some fundraisers to help families pay for adoptions, even winning a Vera Bradley bag once! (Donnie said he wasn't too sure what to do with a Vera Bradley bag! It didn't go well with his motorcycle.)

Everyone at the foster home knows about the "American Grandpa," and he's become such a part of our family that we decided to make it official and name him as NDFH's Honorary Grandpa! (Scroll down to the foreign staff section to see Donnie.) Thank you Donnie for all that you do!

From all of your grandkids at NDFH, we hope you have a very Merry Christmas!