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Show Hope

Revision as of 20:34, 1 May 2015 by Admin (Talk | contribs)

Founded by Stephen Curtis Chapman and his wife, Mary Beth Chapman, Show Hope is a primarily Christian program designed to provide financial assistance to Christian couples who want to adopt both internationally and domestically.

Show Hope's main objective, as stated on their website, is "to engage the church to care for orphans and reduce the barriers to adoption.

Show Hope also generally provides assistance to orphaned children that have special needs through their five separate Care Centers, which have housed a total of 1,684 children across China. The centers provide education, shelter, food, and medical attention (including surgery) to the children housed in each. Maria's Big House of Hope, Show Hope's largest Care Center , is referred to as the company's "flagship," as the largest Care Center of the five. All of Show Hope's Care Centers are located throughout Henan Province in China. <

Since its founding, Show Hope has aided in over 4,000 adoptions from over fifty countries, including the U.S.

Show Hope also partners with the New Hope Foundation.

Grant Information

Show Hope appears to specialize in direct grants, offering free and clear grants to aid directly with any portion of the adoption process.

Show Hope has six deadlines annually for grant applications. They are currently Feb. 28, April 30, June 30, Aug. 31, Oct. 31 and Dec. 31. An application's official date is considered to be when the full application, along with references and other necessary documents, have been successfully submitted to Show Hope. If one deadline is missed, the application will simply be moved to the next. Up to ninety days should be allowed for processing the application after its deadline has passed.

Pre-Application Necessities

  • Your home study or home study update must be complete.
  • Your placement agency must be 501(c)3 certified. Consultants are not considered a valid agency unless acting as your placement agency.
  • Applications cannot be submitted for non-certified or independent adoptions, or for embryo adoptions.
  • Post-placement applications are not allowed.
  • There are no second applications for the same adoption.
  • If using a consultant, your application must be submitted after you have chosen a placement agency.
  • The following pieces of information will be needed for your application:
    • Church address, email, phone number and website.
    • W2s and tax returns for the last two years.
    • Net worth of property, investments, goods, and liquid assets
    • Annual income and expenses
    • Address, phone, name, and email of your adoption agency and caseworker
    • Your home study or home study update

Application Process Features

  • Application can be fully completed online.
  • References from a pastor or adoption agency are required.
  • All applications are responded to with a letter from Show Hope, to give information regarding the status of their application.
  • Approximately half of all applicants are approved for funding, due to funding limitations.
  • International adoption grants are given up to three months before the travel date to complete the adoption.
  • Domestic adoption grants are given at the time of placement.

    • Origins

    Show Hope was founded in 2003, three years after the Chapmans adopted their first daughter from China. They name this adoption as the inspiration for Show Hope, and have since adopted twice more. "Financial barriers should not be what's stopping these families from getting to these children," Stephen said in an informational video featured on their website, showhope.org.

    Maria's Big House of Hope

    The flagship of Show Hope's Henan Province Care Centers, Maria's Big House of Hope was opened in 2009 in Luoyang. Named after the Chapman's daughter, Maria Sue Chapman, who died in an accident outside their home, Maria's Big House of Hope has been home to over 140 children at a time, the largest of Show Hope's five Care Centers in Henan.

    Maria's Big House of Hope receives help from volunteers, with both consistent caretakers and several annual expeditions. The latter come to aid in construction of projects for the Care Center, or in taking care of the children there. The Center is maintained in part through donations of volunteers and other supporters.

    Empowered to Connect Conference

    Empowered to Connect is a two-day conference designed to help adoptive and foster parents deal with the unique challenges that can come with raising an adopted child. The conference's themes are intended for both adoptive parents and their supporters, such as pastors, social workers, counselors, therapists, and those in adoption-related fields. In some circumstances, the conference can be counted for professionals as continuing education credit.

    There are several conferences every year. There is one remaining in 2015, in Minneapolis on September 18 and 19.

    Examples of quotes from past conferences this year include:

    • "It is not you against this child. It is you and this child against this child's history." - Dr. Karyn Purvis
    • "Always offer a child hope; even in correction."
    • "We teach through play and we correct through play."