The Reason Why This Diaper Bag Company Gives Away $300 Bags is Priceless

National   |   Lauren Enriquez   |   Dec 19, 2014   |   6:45PM   |   Washington, DC

When Landon and Meggan Wood started Lily Jade, a diaper bag company, in 2013, they had no idea that their bags would travel to places like South America and Ethiopia on the shoulders of adoptive mommies. But thanks to the couple’s generosity and pro-life spirit, their Adoptive Mom Giveaway hosted the first Monday of every month is one of the many ways their company is blessing moms.

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Having two adopted sisters, Meggan grew up with a deep appreciation for the gift of adoption. Like many couples, Meggan’s parents struggled with infertility for years. “You see,” Meggan shares, “after many years of trying, my parents were told they were unable to have children. These words are devastating to many families and were to my parents as well. However, it wasn’t long before their hearts were excitedly awakened to the idea of adoption.”

Meggan’s parents pursued the call to adoption, and were richly blessed. “My mommy is an “adoptive Mommy,” she said. “Both of my older sisters were adopted. One in the US and the other from Philippines. So adoption is near to my heart.” Admiration of her mom’s openness to adoption also played a part in the name Meggan and Landon chose for their company, Lily Jade.  Meggan explains, “The “Jade” portion of Lily Jade, jade being a hard stone, was birthed out of my own story watching my mom model the role of motherhood with strength.”

Now, through their company, Meggan and Landon honor the adoption choice by gifting an adoptive mom with one of their high quality bags each week. Many moms enter for a chance to win the bags, and Meggan shares that she and Landon are so touched by the stories that they struggle to choose just one winner, wishing they could send a bag to every adoptive mom who enters.

One winner, Marika Scott, felt compelled to pursue adoption after giving birth to two biological daughters. During the adoption process – after years of waiting for the phone call that it was finally their turn—Marika and her husband traveled to Ethiopia to meet their little boy for the first time. “It was love at first sight,” she said. But while they were in Ethiopia, the couple also met and fell in love with two other boys, ages 9 and 13. The couple recently brought their youngest son home from Ethiopia, and now prepares to travel back to the country for a fourth time, to bring home two big brothers!

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The giveaway, Meggan shares, is not about raising brand awareness or driving sales. Deeply pro-life on a personal level, Meggan and Landon’s sole purpose for the giveaway is to recognize adoption as a life-affirming gift. Meggan says, “It is about esteeming the beautiful gift of adoption.  It seems like such a small gesture to give away a bag in order to help promote adoption by sharing a few of the many courageous and inspiring stories that are sent to us.”

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Norah, another giveaway winner, faced a long, difficult road to adoption before bringing home her beautiful daughter, Nya, from Ghana. The adoption almost fell through when the country closed all their adoptions. But because Nya has disabilities, a loophole allowed Norah and her husband to adopt their precious daughter despite the obstacle. Their perseverance was rewarded, and today Nya flourishes.

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“The mommies are thrilled to receive a bag and we are honored to be a little part of their story,” says Meggan, who approaches her business as an extension of her personal story. “And sharing these stories through our web presence our way encouraging others that makes it easy to simply share things that we believe are important for living a life that blesses God.”

Yet another adoptive mommy blessed by Lily Jade is Kathy. Kathy’s husband, David, spent over 21 years serving in the U.S. Navy, and during that time the couple raised three children who are now grown. But the empty nesters didn’t kick back and relax! In 2010, a local Native American tribe asked Kathy and David if they would consider adoption—and they said yes. Today they are raising two beautiful, young adopted children.

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For Meggan and Landon, the impetus behind starting a quality diaper bag company was to honor and highlight the role of Mommy. They want motherhood “to be recognized as a role of courage, strength, bravery, and blessing.” If you are (or know of) an adoptive mommy who would love to tote a Lily Jade diaper bag, share your story and photos with Lily Jade.