Gladney Blog

The excitement builds as you anticipate that special day … the day you meet your child. 

After years of discussion, my wife and I decided to adopt. Because I work for Gladney, the seed was already planted, but it took us a while to take that next step. Our daughters were a little older, so we thought introducing a new child, a son, into the mix probably wouldn’t be too distressing. We completed all the trainings that parents go through when adopting from foster care, and we sat through many discussions with other parents sharing how rewarding and how challenging adoption can be. My wife and I smiled at each other thinking, “Of course, there will be challenging days, but we’re super parents … just look at our two perfect daughters.” 

Hear From Our Team

We asked our team questions about how they've managed the last year in a pandemic.

Hear From Our Team

We asked our team questions about how they've managed the last year in a pandemic.

Hear From Our Team

We asked our team questions about how they've managed the last year in a pandemic.

Hear From Our Team

We asked our team questions about how they've managed the last year in a pandemic.

Hear From Our Team

We asked our team questions about how they've managed the last year in a pandemic.

Lessons Learned & New Implementations

Within 24 hours of Texas’ governor’s order to stay at home in March 2020, Gladney was able to ensure that 95% of our employees who could work remotely were set up to do so in their homes. Microsoft Teams (which Gladney had had in place for over a year, though not used consistently) and other platforms, such as Zoom, quickly became commonplace and allowed us to maintain connection with our staff and teams somewhat seamlessly during the stay-at-home order. Gladney has had a business continuity plan on the shelf for some time, but this was the first real test of how it worked in practice. 

My name is Heather Beasley, and I lead our Human Resources efforts at the Gladney Center for Adoption. My 15 years at Gladney have flown by, and I can truly say I have enjoyed every minute. Gladney is unlike any other place I have worked. Our staff are so passionate and driven toward the work they do, and that is not something you see often in the field of human resources. I have had the privilege of working on several initiatives here at Gladney, such as becoming a Blue Zone Approved Workplace, planning and implementing the Disney Institute's quality standards into the foundation of Gladney culture, being named one of the best places to work in Fort Worth, and now, helping to facilitate the efforts of Gladney's I.D.E.A. Corps.

During the last few months, the Gladney Team has been challenged to find new ways to continue to provide premier adoption education and training to our clients and community. One of these trainings includes Pathways.  This is a two-day training program offered in person at Gladney's Fort Worth campus. This training is facilitated by our clinical Post Adoption team and is designed to prepare and empower adoptive parents with new insights and research-based treatment models on how to engage children from hard places.

“______ lives matter!” If you’ve paid attention to anything going on in our world today, you’ve seen this statement. You’ve seen the division. From television to social media to our smart phone and emails, it’s hard to ignore what’s happening in our world. I find it downright insane that we have to remind people in 2020 of whose life matters. These times we’re experiencing aren’t new. We just so happen to live a world that’s so technologically savvy that most people have the ability to film at the drop of a hat. From cellphones to dash cams and beyond, we are able to essentially document the world around us, and while mostly beautiful, we are reminded of the ugly, the terrible, and the downright ignorant.