Many families in Western Pennsylvania are anxious to bring a child into their home through adoption, but the process can drag on for years and cost tens of thousands of dollars.
Adopting their son Alek from Khazaskstan cost the Wert family nearly $50,000, and they still had more bills ahead.
"We were sharing some of our concerns with a friend of ours, and a couple days later he said, 'You know what, I've got you covered. I'm going to finish off the rest of the money that you need. I'll provide that. It's a gift. I don't want it back," said David Wert, the co-founder of Gregory's Gift, a charity that helps families pay for adoptions in Western Pennsylvania.
That gift from a friend inspired David Wert to help others bring children home.
"We knew, right at that moment, that wow, this is an opportunity we need to pay forward," said Wert.
That's how Gregory's Gift began. It is named for the friend who helped them bring their son home.
Amy and Andy Bishop were one of the first families to receive a grant from Gregory's Gift, and they brought home their son Rudy in September.
"(It) just made an incredible impact for us, to be able to be able to continue the process because, otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to," Andy Bishop said.
"It was a sense of relief, a sense of peace, knowing the money is now there when we need it and we can just go," said Amy Bishop.
The Bishops used the money from Gregory's Gift to travel to Haiti to pick up Rudy.
Gregory's Gift has helped 14 families since May 2016 and it is working to raise more money to help additional families. It is currently planning its biggest event of the year, a gala in April.
For more information, to apply for a grant or to donate, visit
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Cox Media Group
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