First Christmas Home!

George is home for the holidays with his parents this year!

Congratulations first time parents Violet and Kostas!

Kai and Santa!

Kai and Santa talked about his "list" this year as Santa offered Kai a cookie and milk! Kai has been home with his family since October 2008.

Drew's 2nd Christmas Home...

From Drew's mom- "These are the 1st "brother" photos with the boys. Drew has been home with us for two years on December 2nd. His "gotcha day" was Dec. 2, 2008. It has been a wonderful 2 years and Drew has just blossomed. He loves the Christmas tree and points the star out every time he sees it by saying, "my star". He sat on Santa's lap without being scared but was very serious when he asked him to bring him a present. He gets so excited to see Christmas lights. He will just start yelling in the car, "look, look, Christmas lights!" It should be an exciting Christmas indeed!"

Picking Out the Tree and Meeting Santa

Naveia helping daddy cut down the tree.

Kai and Naveia with Zane and Zarra on November 25th

picking out the Christmas tree.

Naveia and Santa on November 27th!

Report from Naveia's mom- With each new season and holiday brings with it new words and first experiences. For example Naveia has always asked if she can pet any animal she sees in a book. So when she saw an ornament of Santa petting a reindeer she said, "Why can Santa pet a reindeer and not us?" I realized at that point she doesn't even know that the reindeer pull Santa's sleigh. That night we read The Night Before Christmas and she experienced the special connection Santa has with his reindeer.

Christmas Photos

Linsey and her siblings show their beautiful smiles for their Christmas photo.

Linsey was welcomed into the family November 2009!

Riley with chop sticks

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Riley's Firsts

This year is indeed a special year for Riley as she celebrates many firsts-

Halloween, riding on a tractor, planting with her papa,

and getting her hair styled at a salon. Welcome Home Riley!

GFA Black & White Ball- October 16, 2010

Nearly 10 months after completing their adoption- Wei-Hung & mother Cristy meet Gladney's Taiwan Caseworker- Lindsay Hatcher for the first time while attending GFA's First Annual Black & White Ball in NYC!

Adoption Awareness Month

Adoption Awareness Month:

November is Adoption Awareness Month and there will be numerous events throughout the country for adoptive families to attend. A list of events by state can be found on Adoptive Families Magazine's website.


In New York, the Adoptive Parents Committee (APC) will be holding their 30th Annual Adoption Conference on November 21st at St. Francis College in Brooklyn. Gladney will have a table at the event and several of our staff will present on a few of the panel discussions throughout the day. This year's keynote speaker will be Dr. Jane Aronson - a speaker you won't want to miss! Please visit APC's website for more information about the conference.


In New Jersey the 29th Annual Let's Talk Adoption Conference will be held on November 6th at Rutgers University. There will be breakout sessions and panels throughout the day for parents to attend. For more information on the conference please visit the official website.

In Dallas on November 13th the local chapter of Families with Children from China (FCC) will hold their Annual Culture Day to celebrate Chinese culture. Visit FCC's website for more information.

Cruise Into Fall with the Gladney Black and White Ball

Gladney looks forward to an evening cruise on the Hudson River under the stars and amidst the impressive nighttime cityscape. For those of you who may not have received the announcement and invitation from the Gladney Family Association - we would like to share this invitation with all of you. To receive the full invitation announcing a NYC Hudson River Dinner & Dining cruise/fundraiser on Sunday, October 16th from 6-10pm, along with a RSVP card, please email or call Wendy Lee, GFA Director, wendy.lee@gladney.org or 817-922-5947.

Asia Program staff, Wendy Stanley and Lindsay Hatcher, will be joining for this event.

Celebrating Tessa's First Gotcha Day!

Adding Tessa to our family was like adding the cherry on top. We had two beautiful children (both adopted from Colombia) and a rock solid marriage, but yet, a little something was missing. That something was Tessa. She is absolutely amazing. We couldn't have asked for a better child, or a better experience.

Tessa and Parents (Taiwan- August 2009) Taiwan is an amazing country. Before we traveled and studied Taiwan history and culture, I always assumed it was a country of manufacturing plants and congestion. While this may be true in parts of the island it is definitely not true for much of it. The entire east side is one lush tropical mountain range. The scenery was stunning. And the people of Taiwan...they were incredibly accommodating and hospitable.

Tessa is our dream come true...she bonded completely and passionately, and has stolen each of our hearts. We can't thank you enough for helping us complete our family.

Tessa (August 2010)

OVERSEAS VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY

Gladney Center for Adoption is a non-profit organization providing domestic and international adoption services to children and families. Gladney Center also provides international humanitarian aid to benefit the lives of children without families throughout the world. Our mission is to create brighter futures for children.

We are seeking an overseas volunteer to fill the position of: Taiwan Adoption Advocate.

The primary responsibility of the volunteer Taiwan Adoption Advocate will be to assist and support Gladney’s Taiwan adoption program by acting as an advocate/liaison providing information about the Gladney Center organization during adoptive families’ adoption court proceedings. From time-to-time other opportunities to volunteer may also present themselves.

Requirements:
- Excellent English communication skills; both verbal and written
- Computer proficiency
- Public Speaking experience

The ideal volunteer applicant will also have:
- A Masters degree in human services
- Work / volunteer experience with a nonprofit organization
- An interest in, and willingness to learn about, intercountry adoption

Start date: When filled – preferably late summer/ early fall 2010
Duration: 6-9 months with possibility to extend.

This is a volunteer position with no stipend or salary.
Ideally we are looking for an American citizen currently residing in Taiwan, or planning to relocate there, for personal reasons.

How to Apply:
Please send your short motivation letter, resume, and picture to: wendy.stanley@gladney.org

Emily and Brady Take a Break From Their Day Jobs!

Emily and Brady vacation with their parents in Florida!

They took a break from their day jobs to spend some time soaking up the sun on the beach!

Alec Enjoying Summer Vacation!

Alec has been home a little over a year! His parents report

that he had a great time recently while at the beach!

Adoption Reunion with Benjamin and Linsey!

Benjamin and Linsey's families first met in Taiwan in 2009. They decided to met up again for a 16 month post adoption reunion. It is amazing to see how much the two kiddos have grown since placement with their forever families!

Welcome Baby George!

Violet and Kostas welcome their first child, baby George, into their family!

Double Takes!

Experienced parents Mark and Ann from Ohio add 4 little girls from Taiwan, under age six, to their family! These little girls are welcomed by three big sisters and a brother-in-law! Congratulations to this wonderful and blessed family!

From the Family- "I cannot tell you the number of double-takes we've gotten from people when they see us with all these little girls- probably 50 a day. Maybe 8 or 10 times a day, someone will do a quick count and their eyes get big and their mouths kind of fall open, and they start to comment on our 4 little girls, and then notice the 5th one who was being carried or who was standing behind one of us and have the same reaction all over again! It is really comical. When we went to the zoo, people were ignoring the animals and taking pictures of us! We are having a blast!" Mark and Ann

Welcome Home!

Chuck & Chris, from Wisconsin, bring home two happy kiddos, Isaiah and Isaac!

Earlier this week, Isaiah & Issac met their three older siblings & many farm animals.

Congratulations to this big happy family!

Gladney Center for Adoption's Humanitarian Aid Program

Evan's Big Golf Outing!

Evan, age 20 months, gathers his clubs

and ejoys a day out on the greens!

We hope you came in under-par big guy!

Trey and Tessa

We have been home with Tessa YiLing for almost three years now! She was adopted as an infant from Taiwan in July 2007. She is perfect, vivacious, beautiful and just our little doodlebug.

Trey JingLai has been home almost 9 months! He was adopted at 5 years in age from the Chung Yi adoption program. He transitioned into our family of 4 other children quickly and started school 2 weeks later. He does well in school and if full of life!

Older child adoption is truly a blessing for our family. We could not have asked for a sweeter and more loving little boy. We feel lucky to have Five Fabulous Children now in our family!

Cuddled Up Together!

Alec- Suited Up for the Beach!

Alec was ready to hit the beach after packing all of his beach necessities!

Taiwan Festival in NYC!

PASSPORT to TAIWAN 2010!

May 30, 2010 from 12-5 pm

at Union Square Park North in NYC

The "Passport to Taiwan" festival began in 2002 and has become the most important event for the Taiwanese American and the Mandarin Speaking community in the New York Tri-State area. The festival is reported to be the largest outdoor Taiwanese event in the entire United States. We hope your family will be able to make it out to this wonderful celebration!!



For more details please visit the event website: http://p2tw.org/default.aspx.

Taiwan Adoption Well Worth the Wait

A Gladney Center for Adoption couple traveled more than 7,000 miles last month to complete their family of six through Taiwan Adoption Program.

Read the Story

A Big Happy Family!

Congratulations to John, Mandy, big sister Zarra

and big brother Zane on the adoption of little sister

Naviea and little brother Kai!