I have had the opportunity to serve Gladney for portions of the last three decades. I began as a Financial Consultant, helping to organize the Gladney Fund in the early 1990s. I fell in love with the organization and its mission to build “Bright Futures Through Adoption.” As a young wife and mother myself, I was immersed in the culture of families and children, the broader “Gladney Family.” It has been my privilege to have been a part of this family and to see the positive impact an adoption agency in Fort Worth, Texas, has had on birth mothers, children, adoptive families, our country, and the world.

In addition to our Gladney Families, I have “grown up” with many of the staff of the organization, and we have raised our own families, who are all proud of the work of this 132-year-old institution.

My professional career has been enhanced by being allowed to walk alongside the Boards of the Gladney Center and the Gladney Fund and the dedicated volunteers that make up the Gladney Family Associations. Because of the wisdom, guidance, and hard work of these caring Boards and volunteers, Gladney is today, and will remain, a leader in the field of adoption.

Recently, Gladney has also directly impacted my family, and as a result, I am now a Gladney Grandmother and cannot think of a more important role in life. I welcome what the future will bring and have decided to devote my attention, full time, to this new role. Therefore, I have decided to take an early retirement and have begun working with Management and the Boards of Gladney to seek a replacement. These words still seem foreign to me, but I am thrilled to be able to be a daily part of the lives of my grandchildren.

Thank you for the many years of friendship and comradery. Please keep me and my family in your prayers. Every one of you, and Gladney, mean so much to me.

Please write a comment to Ellen thanking her for your years of service.