A Day in the Life of a Gladney Intern

The holiday season is in full swing! Christmas lights are up and everyone is doing their holiday shopping. If you are looking for a unique gift for someone this year I have an idea for you! Christopher Radko designed the very first Gladney holiday ornament and it's not too late to order yours! The limited edition "Cozy Cottage" ornament was designed specially for Gladney, and features the Gladney logo. The ornament is available for just $50.  Place your order while supplies last by contacting Gladney's GFA at gfa@gladney.org . Gladney has created a new program called "Healthy for Life" which will help families create lifestyles that promote healthy eating, physical activity, and overall well being. Gladney is thrilled to collaborate on this initiative with expert nutritionists Tammy and Elysse Lakatos, also k nown as the "Nutrition Twins." The mission is to provide families with information that will empower them to make healthy food choices at ...

Today is the first day of December, I can't believe it! Let the Christmas music play :) I spent some time in Photoshop today removing the background behind an adorable little girl. I always appreciate the time I get to spend using the programs I've learned in school to help Gladney. Recently, I've been reminded of the encouraging environment at Gladney. E-mails about placements always thank everyone involved and anytime exciting news is shared, several positive responses follow. The best part is that this encouragement isn't seasonal! Appreciation, excitement and joy can be seen at Gladney all 12 months of the year. Gladney Center for Adoption helps create forever families for many and has a very loving family of its own.

The holidays are here! Thanksgiving is tomorrow, even though the temperature is in the 80s here in Texas, and Christmas will be here before we know it. Gladney has several exciting things for the holidays including a Christopher Radko holiday ornament designed specifically for Gladney. There is an exciting opportunity to give back when shopping for gifts this season. Just go to GoodShop.com , designate Gladney Center for Adoption as the cause you support and then click over to your favorite store and shop away! For more information throughout the holidays be sure to visit Gladney's facebook page . We will keep you updated on ways to give back, National Adoption Month tips, exciting news, and fun at the office (like Waffles this morning!). We have also been voting on Holiday Traditions cards. Check out some pictures of entries shown below. Happy Holidays!

November is National Adoption Month (NAM)! Gladney will be giving tips throughout the month about how to spread the positives about adoption and specific ways you can get involved with Gladney. You can also visit orphansunday.org  for more information about Orphan Sunday on November 7th. Text NAM to 43648 to receive ideas on how to get involved. Msg & data rates may apply. Text HELP for help, STOP to stop. Visit Gladney's facebook page  and click on the NAM tab to see more tips as the month goes on! NAM Activity #1 : In election times, learn candidates' views on issues realted to adoption and child welfare. Make your views known to the candidates. NAM Activity #2: Encourage your social network to join the various Gladney pages on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. NAM Activity # 3: Have local government issue proclamation recognizing "November as National Adoption Month" http://ht.ly/33hk9 NAM Activity #4: Contact PTA President to see ...

The other interns and I have been working on publishing the Fall 2010 newsletter for Gladney. There are so many adorable children and their families getting ready for the new school year. The newsletter has pictures, stories, and articles about how to handle difficult conversations that may arise with teachers and peers each school year. Any adoptive parent with school aged children should definitly check it out!

I've been slacking on my blogging skills because I have been so busy writing columns for Gladney's website ! Recently, I have had the experience to read stories, e-mails, and powerpoints in order to reformat them into articles. But, these are no small stories. The staff at Gladney is so well-rounded and diverse that I have been reading a range of subjects from child psychological development to the adverse effects the rain has on adoption in Ethiopia . One of the other articles I worked on was about how to cope with the emotions from infertility . It's about how to answer questions your friends and family may confront you with. The articles are all very interesting, and I'm not saying that because I wrote them, the articles are helpful at any stage of adoption you may be at. It is important for us all to be aware of other factors that may not effect us directly. For example, the article on infertility may help you empathize with a friend experiencing this change in li...

It has been a while since my last post partly due to an illness, school starting again, and trying to get back into a regular routine. When the summer ended I was not sure if I would be able to keep interning at Gladney. Luckily, my schedule worked out so I can come in once a week! For those first few weeks of school, I missed the Gladney work environment and getting to read the sweet placement stories that are shared throughout the week. Now that I'm back it's great to see everyone and work on projects that ultimately help create forever families. Be sure to check out the  Gladney facebook page for relevant information and opportunities to get involved with Gladney. Each country has a facebook page, so be sure to 'like' those and receive updates! Here are links to the different pages: Bulgaria , China , Colombia , Costa Rica , Nepal , Russia , Rwanda , Taiwan . Last week I spent time archiving photos. This will speed up the...