Thank You!

This may be a little overdue, but better late than never!!!  The Zacharias family just wanted to post how thankful we are for being able to host the 3rd Annual Orphan Love Run (Back in NOVEMBER 2015!!) and how thankful we are for all of the sponsors, participants, and volunteers who helped make it possible!!!

On January 18, 2016, we were in Changsha, China meeting our little girl, Lucee, for the first time. We spent the next week and a half finishing up the paperwork process and bonding with her until we were able to bring her home at the end of January.   Over the past 3 1/2 months of having her with us, we have watched her blossom and grow so much!  Looking back to the beginning of the adoption process (about a 1 1/2 ago) we are blown away how God was preparing us and her for each other and brought us together in such a special way.

Adoption (especially from an international country) can be very expensive and that was one of the reasons we were hesitant at first, but we felt God reminding us that He would take care of everything.  He used the Orphan Love Run, as well as many other avenues, to provide everything we have needed financially for this adoption.

Thanks again!
With Love,
Ben, Brandee, Noah, Gavin, Lilee, and Lucee Zacharias!

Less than 24 hrs!!

We are excited to see you all at the 3rd Annual Orphan Love Run!  

Where?
Apex Community Church  
5200 Far Hills Ave. Kettering, OH 45429 
Click here for directions

When?
If you have registered already, please come between 8:20 and 8:40AM in order to get your runner packet and timing chip.  
If you haven't registered yet, please come between 8-8:30AM in order to fill out the registration form and pay the registration fee ($25).  Cash and Check are preferred. However, we will have a Square to take credit card payments.  

The 5K race will begin at 9AM in the front lot of the Apex Parking lot.

Parking?
- You may park anywhere in the Apex Community Church parking lot, except for the front lot where the start line is. 

Other:
At the finish line, we will have Bill's Donuts, bananas, granola bars, coffee and water for participants!  

Bundle up the kiddos if you are bringing them, as it will be a chilly morning. :) 
 

If you have any questions, feel free to contact Ben and Brandee Zacharias by emailing us at bringluceehome@gmail.com 

We look forward to seeing you all tomorrow!

3rd Annual Orphan Love Run/Walk

Join us for the 

3rd Annual Orphan Love Run/Walk

November 14, 2015 

Starting Line is in Apex Community Church parking lot @ 9:00 AM

Click here to register online... Registration: $25
Registration also available on the morning of the race at 8am.

Proceeds from the 5K registrations will support the adoption of a 4 yr old girl (Lucee) from the China Waiting Child program by Ben & Brandee Zacharias, which includes an orphanage donation to help continue care for the children still waiting for a forever family.   The Waiting Child program is for orphans who have special needs or are older children that typically have a harder time finding a forever family.  

Please come join us as we raise awareness for the Waiting Child locally, as well as, around the world!  Thank you in advance!

-The Zacharias Family

Thank You Sponsors!!!

Shout out to the Sponsors that we have so far for the

 3rd Annual Orphan Love Run!!!

GOLD Sponsors:

Grower's Source, L.L.C. 

Synergy Chiropractic

Korrect Plumbing, Heating, & Air
Precision Interior Services (937) 367-5956
Lauren Shepherd Photography

SILVER Sponsors:

Carpenter's Excavating (937) 436-1533

Angela Ruth Photography
Honey & Roses Press

Thanks to: 

Bill's Donuts for providing donuts at the Finish Line!!

TCA Graphics for the T-shirts
Apex Community Church for the Location
The Bair Foundation for water bottles and Fostering Info

Speedy Feet for running the Event 
Debi Hampton for creating the T-shirt Logo!!

Thanks for making this event possible!!!

Only 4 more days to register and guarantee a t-shirt!

The Orphan Love Run (walk, skip, jump, crawl, or whatever other means it takes for you to finish...)

 is scheduled for Saturday, November 14, 2015.  The race will begin at Apex Community church starting at 9AM!  

Walkers and strollers are welcome!!  

You do not have to register your kids. (They just will not get a timing chip or t-shirt.)

This is a 5K Benefit to support the adoption of a little girl in the China Waiting Child program by the Zacharias family.  Proceeds also contribute to a donation for an orphanage serving children with special needs in Changsha, China. 
Be sure to register for the event by October 24, 2015 to
 guarantee a shirt!  

Click here to register online.

 We look forward to seeing you there!!! 

Even if you think you can't help, there's probably a way you still can!!! If you live out of state or are unable to make it to the race, you can still participate!!!  Click here to be a satellite runner.  
Or, click here to order a t-shirt.

 

3rd Annual Orphan Love Run!!

We are excited to announce the 3rd Annual Orphan Love Run
 is scheduled for Saturday, November 14, 2015. 
 The race will start at 9AM!  
Walkers and strollers are welcome!! 

This is a 5K Benefit to support the adoption of a little girl in the China Waiting Child program by the Zacharias family.  Proceeds also contribute to a donation for an orphanage serving children with special needs in Changsha, China. 
Be sure to register for the event before October 24, 2015 to
 guarantee a shirt!  

Click here to register online.
For a mail-in registration form, click on the link to the right--> 
that says Mail-in Registration.

We look forward to seeing you there!!! 

Xavier is Home!

As I sit here and think about this time last year, I'm overwhelmed with how loved we felt and also, how much has changed since then. It's hard to believe almost a year has passed since the 2014 Orphan Love Run! It was an amazing event and we hope that it impacted participants and supporters in a big way. Over 100 runners and walkers united to raise awareness for waiting children, and more specifically, to help bring Xavier home to our family. I'm happy to share that the money raised was more than enough to make the large donation to Xavier's orphanage to help care for waiting children.  The Orphan Love Run was extremely influential in us getting Xavier home.

As for our family, we were able to travel to China this past winter and on February 1st, we held Xavier in our arms for the first time! We became his mommy and daddy and he became our precious son, and baby brother to Grace and Liam. All 5 of our lives were changed forever and we can't imagine it any other way. He's been home with us for 7 months now and he is thriving! There are days that we are in the trenches of parenting and it seems like nothing special and then there are the days when we are able to look into Xavier's face and see what a miracle it is that we are a family. I often say to him "I'm your mama. I'm all yours, and we belong together". Those are truly amazing words. God knew each of our children before we knew anything about them, and we believe that He specifically made a place for Xavier in our family.

We want to thank each person and business who participated in the Orphan Love Run last year. We will be forever grateful for your love and support.

Registration Link

Click here to register!

Walkers and strollers welcome, $25 sign up fee includes t-shirt when registered by Oct 29.

2nd Annual Orphan Love Run takes place at 5200 Far Hills Avenue, Kettering, OH on Saturday, November 8 at 9am.

Donuts at the Race and Last Day for T-shirts!

Today is the last day to receive a t-shirt with your race registration. It is also the last day to order a t-shirt separately. Please register here or order your shirt here by tonight in order to guarantee you'll receive a shirt!

In other news, we are happy to announce that Bill's Donut Shop in Centerville, Ohio will be providing donuts at the finish line of this year's Orphan Love Run! It's going to be a great day... you won't want to miss it! Register today!

Satellite Runners

This year, we know that there are many runners and walkers interested in participating in the Orphan Love Run who aren't local to Ohio. Since it would be very inconvenient for many of you to make the trip to Ohio just for a 5k, we have tried to make a way for you to participate wherever you are! The Augsburger family is so blessed to have many friends and family all across the United States, and we would be honored if you would participate in our fundraiser for Xavier's orphanage.


Here are the instructions for satellite runners/walkers-


1. Visit our Adopt Together site and make a secure, tax deductible donation of $25 per registration.


2. In the comment section, please include the names of participants and sizes of t-shirts* you need.


3. Sometime during the week of Nov 8-15, complete a 5k, in whatever way works best for you! If you'd like, post a photo on the Orphan Love Run Facebook Page.


Our goal for the Orphan Love Run is 200 participants. Satellite participants will count towards that number! Share with your friends and make it a group event!


*Unfortunately, though we've done our best, we will not be able to get t-shirts to satellite runners by November 8th. T-shirts will be mailed on Monday, November 10th. You will be contacted before then for shipping information.

Registration Update:

In order to receive a t-shirt, you must register by Wednesday, October 29. Registration will remain open through race day, but participants who sign up after Oct 29 will not receive a t-shirt.

Sponsoring a Runner

Well, the Orphan Love Run is only 37 days away! Have you registered yet?

Today, we'd like to share about how you can get your friends and family involved! We all know people who may not be able to physically participate in the race because of location, scheduling, etc. This year, those friends will be able to sponsor runners to help raise more money for our orphanage donation!
Here's how it works...

1. You register for the race. Remember, you can run, walk, push a stroller, or even just show up and have a cup of coffee. ;)

2. Send the link below to you friends and ask them to donate in your name. This is a secure, tax deductible site that will give us a grant in the amount of the money raised. Your friends will fill out their information and include in the comment section the name of the runner they are choosing to sponsor.

https://www.adopttogether.org/augsburger

The person who raises the most sponsorship will be recognized at the race!

Registration is Open!

Guess what?! Registration is open! Click here to register right now and then keep reading,

Here's the deal- The 2nd Annual Orphan Love Run, a 5k benefit for waiting children, will be held on Saturday, November 8 at 9:00 am. The starting line is in the parking lot at Apex Community Church, 5200 Far Hills Drive, Kettering, Ohio. The race is hosted by Speedy Feet, providing the course, registration and timing. All are welcome- racers, joggers, walkers, and strollers. Registration is $25 and includes a t-shirt.

All money raised by this 2014 Orphan Love Run will be given to a Chinese orphanage, as part of our adoption fees. It is super exciting to be able to give this gift to the orphanage that has been housing our baby and to know that it will be used for the remaining children there.

What if you really, really don't want to run or walk in the 5k? You can still help! We are looking for small business sponsors to help off set some of the cost of the race. Sponsors will be able to submit their business logo for advertisement on the t-shirts and banner.* We also need help spreading the word about the race! You can share our event on social media or we will have flyers you can pass around. Also, in the coming weeks, we'll be telling you about how you can sponsor runners with a tax deductible donation and how runners can raise sponsorship.

We are so excited to gather together, to raise funds for our child's orphanage, and to spread the word about the need for homes for sweet waiting children. Please join us!!

* For more information about sponsors, please contact us.

Who Are We and Why Are We Here?

We are Jared and Angi, best friends first, husband and wife, and parents to the spunky dreamer, Grace, and the curious adventurer, Liam. Jared is an engineer for the U.S. Air Force and the family handyman. Angi spends her days with the kids, at home and out and about. As a couple, we enjoy dancing, board games, and day dreaming about home improvement projects. As a family, we love trips to the park, taking walks, and sharing scoops at our favorite ice cream parlor.


Adoption has been a part of our story as long as there's been an "us", but when we talked about it, it was always "when we're older", "after we have biological kids", "when we're really settled", or "when we can afford it". One day we realized that those were just excuses, and really, they were a telling way of how adoption was a Plan B for us. We were willing, and yes, we even wanted to adopt, but we wanted the American dream first. And then, if there was time and money left, we'd go for it.


That changed in November 2012. We went from thinking of all the logical reasons we could keep waiting, to wondering why in the world we were. It started by just sticking our toes in to test the water, but very soon, there we were, trying to potty train a toddler and carrying an almost one year old on the hip, looking at each other with wide eyes and wondering if we were crazy for plunging into the adoption world. It came down to simple truths. We have room in our hearts and home for another child and there are many that are waiting for families. We are not rescuing anyone;
 we don't believe adopting will earn us any favor with God, but we know that He gave us a passion for parenting waiting children and we are just following through with the work that He began in us.

It's been a crazy little ride over the past 20 months, and we're still waiting to find out who our beloved little one is. We've learned much and we've been blessed to be able to walk along side other adoptive families and experience real life with them, including the happy and the sad pieces of adoption. We know each day is taking us one step closer to China. We are honored to have such a big role in this year's Orphan Love Run and we hope that eyes and hearts are opened to the many waiting children, in China and around the rest of the world. We can't wait to see you all at the Second Annual Orphan Love Run!


To view updates throughout our adoption journey, please visit www.justtobewithyoubaby.blogspot.com

2nd Annual Orphan Love Run!

The 2nd Annual Orphan Love Run will be November 8 at Apex Community Church.  Details, including how to sign up, will be posted soon.

We wanted to introduce the beneficiaries of this year's Orphan Love Run.  Meet Jared and Angi Augsburger, and their children Gracie and Liam!

They are in the process of adopting a little girl or boy from China.  They will share more about themselves in a coming post.

Jared and Angi will be organizing the Run this year, with Ben and Julie providing support.  Please join us in helping the Augsburgers bring their little one home :)

Thank you!

We just wanted to write to share with everyone who participated in the First Annual Orphan Love Run.  We are pleased to introduce Selah Grace!

She came home on August 1, and she has been doing great!  Thank you to everyone, you were an important part of her coming home :)

Stay tuned for information on the Second Annual Orphan Love Run.

2nd Annual Orphan Love Run

We have put November 8 on the calendar for the 2nd Annual Orphan Live Run. More info closer to time. 

Online Registration

You can register for the 5K HERE

Orphan Love Run route

The 5K is coming up soon, hopefully everyone is getting ready!

For those that have asked, we have a map of the route.  You can view the map here

We are inviting you to be a part of the 1^st Annual Orphan Love Run, a 5K benefit for children in the China Waiting Child adoption program.  The Waiting Child program is for orphans who have special needs, or are older children who have a harder time finding a forever home.  The proceeds from this year’s race will support our adoption of a child from the Waiting Child program, as well as provide a large donation to the orphanage where she currently resides.  Future 5K runs will go to support other families in their adoption, their orphanages, and the Super Kids Charity.

The Orphan Love Run will be held at Apex Community Church in Kettering, Ohio on November 9, 2013 starting at 9 am.  Registrants will receive a tee-shirt if they register by October 30, 2013.

We would appreciate it very much if you would consider supporting our hearts to help orphans find a loving forever home.  Come run and/or walk with us this year to help bring our daughter home!!!  Please refer to the links on the right for the 5K registration information, as well as general information regarding our adoption journey.

Register On-Line

Mail-In Registration

Race Flyer