Gladney Blog

Dear Gladney Family,

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.  

You are an important part of our strategy as we strive to make adoption better now … and in the future. 

For 136 years, the Gladney Center for Adoption has never wavered on one thing: our steadfast belief that every child deserves a loving and caring family.  

Adoption has evolved over the past century, and friends like you have enabled Gladney to adapt the ways we support those whose lives are connected to adoption. Thank you.

 As a Gladney supporter, you’ve helped make life-changing opportunities possible for hundreds of children and their families.   

We simply could not do our work without the support of friends like you. Your generosity bridges the gap to help us meet the needs of all of our clients, regardless of fees. 

Your monthly gift will make an incredible impact for Gladney all year, helping us create more bright futures through adoption. 

Jolie is a sweet, smiley, cuddly little girl who is almost 6. She had everyone in the room smiling and giggling with her as she enjoyed the time we spent with her.

Your gift today offers hope and healing for children, families, and birth parents.  I’m inspired by how far Gladney has come in 136 years, thanks to loyal supporters like you. And now we’re expanding our work to meet the needs of our clients, all while staying true to our steadfast belief: every child deserves a loving and caring family. 

I wish we could sit down for a cup of coffee with every supporter and Gladney family, so I could share all the exciting things happening at Gladney. I’d like to use this blog to update you on how our work is expanding.