Through the Gladney Home, we are uniquely combining foster care, adoption advocacy, and adoption services. Our objectives are to provide security, nurture, and normalcy for the girls, with the ultimate goal of finding an adoptive family for each of them or helping them transition to adulthood.Thanks to the generosity of Gladney Families and Friends, we have been able to upgrade the security system, replace the cooling tower, upgrade storage and organizational systems, provide holiday gifts, and expose the girls to new activities and hobbies. We will be creating a sensory room soon.
Recent celebrations have included:
- One young lady’s Sweet 16 birthday
- Girls participating in choir, track, and the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps
- Girls taking Driver’s Education
- One young lady achieved straight As on her report card
- Girls making holiday traditions of viewing ice sculptures, roller skating, and cookie decorating
Gladney’s biggest lesson from the past year is that we need to be aggressive advocates to find adoptive families for the girls. Because they are in a safe and stable placement in the Gladney Home, it is easy for them to fall through the cracks in the foster care system and to not find permanency through adoption. Several of the girls’ photos and information have been featured at local match events, where prospective adoptive families are able to see children who are in foster care and available for adoption. We are continuing to look for ways to advocate for them.
By having the girls in our care, we know them and have more information about them, which will lead to better outcomes while in the Gladney Home and a better transition to placement within an adoptive family. The girls are active participants in the process—they are empowered to use their voices and make choices about what they want and need. Our goal is for the Gladney Home to be their last stop—when a young lady enters our program, we want her to know we believe in her and will fight for her to have the forever family she deserves.
