Gladney Blog

What is International Adoption?
International adoption is the process of adopting a child from another country and bringing them into your family to provide a loving, permanent home. It offers families the chance to grow while giving children from around the world the opportunity to thrive in a supportive and nurturing environment. Children all over the world are waiting to be matched with their forever families, and international adoption is one pathway to make that dream a reality.

Hosting & Camp Program, July 13-20 Fort Worth

In 2024, our international hosting program aims to provide a cultural experience by bringing international children who are eligible for adoption to the United States from June 28 - July 14. This unique experience transforms the lives of these vulnerable children and leaves a lasting impact on the hosting families.

With over 153 million children in alternative care worldwide, the need for loving families is more pressing than ever. In 2024, our hosting program aims to bridge this gap by bringing international children who are eligible for adoption to the United States from June 28 - July 14. This unique experience transforms the lives of these vulnerable children and leaves a lasting impact on the hosting families.

1. Gladney's Humanitarian Aid efforts began in 1996, when Gladney began providing the funding for a "baby home" in Can Tho, Vietnam.  Gladney placed our first baby from the orphanage in October 1996.
2. The movie, 'Blossoms In The Dust', was in the Top Ten films in 1941. 
3. At the first Gladney fundraiser hosted by the Houston Auxiliary (nka the Houston GFA), adoptive parents gave Mrs. Gladney a platinum ring with five diamonds in honor of her twenty-fifth anniversary as superintendent of the Home. For once in her life, Edna, a fighter with such a tender heart, got up to the microphone to make a speech. Instead, she cried. 
4. Actress Greer Garson, who played Edna Gladney in the movie Blossoms in the Dust, died in 1996. Shortly thereafter, the E.E. Fogelson and Greer Garson Fogelson Charitable Foundation in Dallas gave $500,000 to The Gladney Fund in support of endowment.  
5. I.Z.T. Morris was among the first adoption advocates to focus on the interests of the child. He traveled and sought out children in need, interviewed prospective parents and raised money.  Today, Gladney continues that legacy of helping children in need. In our International Adoption program, we find families for children ready to be adopted in Colombia and Taiwan.  Learn more about some of these children.
6. The Gladney Center for Adoption has relocated five times since founded in 1887.
7. The child who portrayed Tony in the movie 'Blossoms in the Dust' was a 4-year-old named Pat Barker. It was only when Pat came to Fort Worth to celebrate the movie's premiere that the world discovered that Pat was actually Patricia. 
8. Prior to its former site at 2300 Hemphill Street, Gladney was located two blocks North at 2110 Hemphill Street. The Board of Directors purchased two old apartment houses in the early 1960s, which were converted into apartments and a recreation center. Administrative offices were housed in an adjoining home. 
9. Gladney fought two important legislative battles on behalf of adoption. Thanks to her efforts, in 1936 Texas legislators passed a bill that made Texas the first state in the Southwest to legally remove the stigma of illegitimacy from birth records. 
10. When the first dormitory opened in 1948 at 2110 Hemphill St., furniture was purchased from the Army Surplus Store. Tables and dressers cost $3 each and chairs were 50 cents!  
11. Edna Kahly married Sam Gladney in 1906, and they honeymooned in Havana, Cuba, for one year where Sam also had business interests.  

November is a month full of warmth and gratitude, and it's also a great time to shine a spotlight on the journey of adoption. National Adoption Month is a reminder of the power of love and compassion, as families across the United States come together to acknowledge the many emotions that adoption brings.

As we are getting ready to leave for Taiwan in just a couple of days, we wanted to share one last post about our how we’ll spend our time in Taiwan during this Superkids trip.

As we are preparing to head out for our Superkids trip at the end of this week, we thought it would be fun to share about a few of the children we are expecting to meet with each day of our trip! If you’ve been following our Superkids blog for a while, these may be some familiar faces.