Staff writer
A garage sale is being held this weekend outside Hillsboro to help raise money for the Schumacher family, who are in the process of adopting two children from the Dominican Republic.
The sale will be from 3 to 7 p.m. Friday and 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at 1461 Indigo Rd. According to Andrea Schumacher, more than 20 families have donated unwanted or new items to the sale.
The adoption process, which the Schumacher family began in March, will cost around $40,000 before completed.
“Our whole family will have to complete a four to six month in country residency, before we can bring the children back to the U.S.,” she said. “This is why the cost is so high.”
According to Schumacher, the family will receive advanced warning and have only a few weeks to relocate to the Dominican.
“My husband is a business professor at Tabor College, and the college has already said they will gladly make arrangements for Jesse to teach online while in the Dominican,” Schumacher said. “I teach home school so it will be easy for me to leave quickly.”
So far the family has paid nearly $10,000 in adoption fees, of which $1,500 has been donated. The family hopes the garage sale will not only raise money, but also allow them time to meet new people and spend some time with friends.
The Schumachers chose to adopt from the Dominican Republic after doing missionary work there shortly after their first child, 13-year-old daughter Noah, was born.
“We fell in love with the people and the country, and still wanted to grow our family so we thought this would be a logical choice,” Schumacher said.
The Schumachers also have two sons, 10-year-old Elijah and 8-year-old Malachi.
Noah said she has been praying for a little sister since she was little.
“I want a sister, but I would be fine with brothers too,” she said.
It will be six months to two years until the Schumachers are matched with their new family members. The family is keeping track of the application process with a chart hanging in their home.
“It’s become a passion for us,” Schumacher said. “We would like the chance to give two children opportunities they wouldn’t have and to be raised in a loving home.”