Skip to main content

The Gladney Center for Adoption 2012 Service Awards

On Wednesday, February 22 I was fortunate enough to attend the 2012 Service Awards and Appreciation Luncheon. Since this is my first year at Gladney, this was my first time to attend. The luncheon was an amazing experience, and not just because it was catered by Joe T's. :) The day started with recognition of the fabulous Gladney volunteers. 26 men and women were recognized, myself included. After the volunteers, Tanya Houk presented the Transitional Care Parents. All of these families have the biggest hearts and are essential to the service that Gladney provides. Peggy Jones is a Transitional Care Parent who was honored for her 5+ years of service. She got behind the podium and told the room what being a Transitional Care Parent meant to her and how much she loves Gladney. Following Peggy's moving speech, Frank Garrott began presenting the Service Awards for the Gladney Employees. 6 people were honored for 5 years of service, 3 for 15 years of service and 1 for 20 years of service. All 10 of these employees have impacted many peoples lives and dedicated their time and energy to making Gladney successful. Judy Hayes was honored for her 20 years of service - You rock Judy!!


Emily Silva, Marketing Intern

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Adoption Review Committee

This week I went to Austin with Heidi Bruegel Cox for a two-day meeting of the Adoption Review Committee , which was appointed by the governor. The Committee is charged with identifying barriers to adopting out of foster care and creating legislative proposals to overcome those obstacles so that children in the foster care system can find permanency more quickly. On Wednesday the Committee heard testimony from individuals and families who had fostered or sought to adopt children from CPS ( Child Protective Services ) but felt that CPS created barriers to the adoption that was damaging to their family and to the children. A common theme throughout their testimonies was that the current foster care reimbursement system disincentivizes adoption. Parents who had been fostering medically fragile children – some of whom suffered from degenerative conditions that weaken and deteriorate their bodies and who required treatment from multiple specialists – find themselves financially unable to a

My Farewells to Interning and Tying it All Together

Today I walked into my cubicle--my second one--I have been in two cubicles this semester--in between International and Marketing--and low and behold there was a present on my desk.  Now, I should tell you about me--I have been told stoic is a good adjective for myself.  I do not become emotional easily.  Actually--hardley ever.  I found myself close to tears several times, starting with that present today. I have interned both semester for Gladney--as a student obtaining a BSW from UTA--that meant 240 hours per semester--one Spring and one Summer for me.  This has been a stressful, fun and memorable ride for me.  I believe that most important reason is because I, too, was a Gladney Birth Mother .  It was nine years ago, but I remember the first time walking back in to the doors, and just completely busting out into tears--thankfully, I had this wonderful woman (who is still with Gladney) talk to me and completely make me feel better. There are so many stories--ones from the amazin
Yesterday I had the chance to attend the monthly staff meeting and learn more about Gladney – both about its internal traditions and about where the organization stands. The staff meeting had several cute traditions – they announced the birthdays and anniversaries this month at Gladney; they had cake to celebrate the birthdays; and they read aloud the “stars” of the month. Gladney seems to go above-and-beyond in building an internal community and making it an enjoyable work environment. It was also interesting to hear Frank Garrott (Gladney’s President and CEO) give an update on where Gladney stands financially this month. He talked about development plans as well as a future endowment campaign. It will be exciting to see how Gladney grows.