Great things happen when we make God’s work a priority in our lives. Our efforts are multiplied, the results go beyond our own vision.
Such is the case for David and Dana Carrozza, who sold their California chain of medical labs in 2006 and determined they would “start a ‘business’ for God.” This weekend they will celebrate the 15th anniversary of Sacred Selections (a nonprofit they operate as volunteers) and the families whose lives it has transformed.
“We are a funding institution that provides grants for young couples to afford adoptions,” David told the Lawrence County Advocate. “We take the money barrier off the table.” Since 2007, it has made more than 400 adoptions possible for couples in 29 states, and for children from newborns to 18-year-olds from across the U.S. and eleven countries.
On the agency website, SacredSelections.org, Dana explained how the couple became adoption advocates while they were still in the medical lab business.
“Early on, when patients would come in wanting a written confirmation of their positive pregnancy test, I was overcome with emotion and frustration. You see, they need a written confirmation for an abortion clinic to perform an abortion, but because of privacy laws we were not allowed to talk to them about anything regarding their pregnancy, let alone the alternatives. This weighed very heavy on my heart and we prayed for an answer.”
After a friend adopted a child, the Carrozzas placed a brochure about adoption at their labs, “a silent protest against the abomination of abortion.” They opened their home to families who needed a place to stay during adoption proceedings, and were often called on to help with an unwanted pregnancy or an older child who needed a home. Dana also served on the Board of Lifetime Adoption in Auburn, California.
When the couple started Sacred Selections, they began their outreach from a card table in front of a bookstore at Temple Terrace, Florida, where they met while attending Florida College. From that point the nonprofit has grown through word-of-mouth, the work of volunteers, and donations from across the country.
This weekend they will celebrate with about 150 of the 400+ families they helped create. Now living in Murfreesboro, the Carrozzas are holding this reunion of families at Brier Hill Farm in Ethridge, where they also celebrated Sacred Selections’ 10th anniversary.
The location is ideal, a beautiful place with a creek and pond and lots of space for families arriving from 16 states. Another family connection keeps the Carrozzas coming to Lawrence County: their daughter Nicole is married to Nicholas Grinnell, son of Brier Hill Farm owners Lisa and Steve Grigsby. Nicholas and Nicole also met at Florida College.
