A Day in the Life of a Gladney Intern

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 ser...

JORDAN ADAIR’s BLOG: I love my internship. I am a graduate student from the University of Texas at Arlington where I am currently perusing my Master’s degree in the field of Social Work. For my degree, I am required to complete a total of 400 hours in a placement of my school’s choosing.   Honestly, I was skeptical at first about the “potluck-style” placement of my internship but once I learned I had the opportunity to work at Gladney Center for Adoption I was ecstatic.   I felt an initial connection to this placement because adoption has had a huge part in my life. I was adopted by my parents when I was 6 days old from an agency in San Antonio and for as long as I can remember, I have heard from my family how beautiful and precious adoption is. I’ve heard it described as so many things; a miracle, a prayer answered, a blessing for adoptive parents (especially for those who may not be able to conceive children of their own) …and yet none of those words completely descr...

Earlier this month we had International Pathways Training . This is a required training session to help prepare soon to be parents of children adopted internationally and between the ages of 2-16. The international program at Gladney is pretty amazing, they help children from all over the world find homes. I came away from Pathways with a better understanding of children and their needs and fears (especially children who have been through a tough experience in early childhood). I am not a mother and am not planning to become one any time soon, but after this training I felt prepared enough to!   The couples who came sat through the two-day training session full of activities, movie clips, professional speakers, child rearing techniques, and even left with a parenting tool box filled with more useful information. I was really lucky to start my internship when I did because I was able to attend the Pathways, I enjoyed it so much! -Jordan Adair Family Services Intern

I spent all week creating online profiles for our hopeful adoptive parents. We use three different sites, Facebook, Pregnancy Hotline and Parent Profiles. On these profiles we post the parents stories and pictures for birthmothers to see. Katye Tankersley likes to call this "Stylin' Profilin'"! Creating parent profiles is definitely the best part of my job! I love creating them & learning about all of our awesome adoptive families! Here are some active profiles! Conrad & Lisa Facebook Parent Profiles Pregnancy Hotline Gwen & Stephen Facebook Pregnancy Hotline Parent Profiles Amy & Bart Facebook Pregnancy Hotline Parent Profiles Lisa & Chris Facebook Pregnancy Hotline Parent Profiles Ryan & Brandi Facebook Pregn ancy Hotli ne Parent Profiles

I am a graduate student from the University of Texas at Arlington where I am currently perusing my Master’s degree in the field of Social Work. For my degree, I am required to complete a total of 400 hours in a placement of my school’s choosing.   Honestly, I was skeptical at first about the “potluck-style” placement of my internship but once I learned I had the opportunity to work at GladneyCenter for Adoption I was ecstatic.   I felt an initial connection to this placement because adoption has had a huge part in my life. I was adopted by my parents when I was 6 days old from an agency in San Antonio and for as long as I can remember, I have heard from my family how beautiful and precious adoption is. I’ve heard it described as so many things; a miracle, a prayer answered, a blessing for adoptive parents (especially for those who may not be able to conceive children of their own) …and yet none of those words completely describe what it feels like to actually be one of thos...