Restaurant holding fundraiser for Athens' couple trying to adopt Ethiopian baby

Athens couple Matt and Emily Hodge have been on a journey to complete their family. They have one child already, but the Hodges are in the final stages of bringing home a second child from Ethiopia.
The Athens community is chiming in and trying to help the couple with the adoption costs.
All Aboard for Adoption, a fundraising effort focused on international adoption, will be held 5-10 p.m. Tuesday at Choo-Choo Japanese Korean Grill Express on Gaines School Road. Funds from the effort will be given directly to the Hodges to help pay for their travel and other adoption expenses.
The couple was paired with a 5-month-old baby girl from Dire Dawa, Ethiopia, in November.
The infant will be the couple’s second child, but their first adoption.
They became interested in international adoption following the earthquake in Haiti.
“When the earthquake hit Haiti, God put it on our hearts to adopt,” said Emily Hodge, who works for the University of Georgia as a public representative. “Our next steps are to accept the referral, which means a $9,200 check showing our commitment to adopt her. Right now, we only have about two-thirds of that amount.”
The adoption process can be costly. The Hodges estimate their expenses will reach $30,000, including two required trips to Ethiopia.

So far, they have raised nearly $25,000 through their church and other fundraising events, such as yard sales, coupon classes and sales of hand-made jewelry and adoption-related apparel.
Through their research, the Hodges learned there are an estimated 147 million orphans around the world, many of which are at risk of human trafficking or becoming slave labor.
The couple is chronicling their journey on their blog at https://sites.google.com/site/hodgepodgeathens/home.
Items can also be purchased from the blog, with a portion of the money going to help with the adoption.
The expenses incurred during an international adoption can range from $20,000 to $50,000 and include the application and dossier fees, a home study, adoption program fees, travel and post-placement support.
“We still need $5,500 to bring our baby girl home,” said Emily Hodge. “Then we will be filed for a court date. ... We could travel to Ethiopia for our court appearance as soon as four to six weeks from now. We are over the moon.”