Thursday, October 21, 2010

Old (and New) Home Week at Hope Cottage


Old Home Week - I grew up hearing that term used, but often wondered the origin.  Must be a Southern term, right?  I did what every one in the world does - I "googled" it.  Here is what Wikipedia had to say:

"Old Home Week is a practice that originated in the New England region of the United States similar to a holiday or festival. In its beginning in the 19th-20th century it involved a municipal effort to invite former residents of a village, town, or city - usually individuals who grew up in the municipality as children and moved elsewhere in adulthood - to visit the "Old Home", the parental household and home town."

We may not have had a physical Old/New Home Week at Hope Cottage over the past seven days, but we had a spiritual one of sorts. 

It all began last Friday when we had a placement at our office.  Placement is the word used by adoption agencies to define the time when the child is "placed" in the arms of his/her (adoptive) parents.  For many  parents, it is the very first time they see their child in the flesh.  Most placements occur at the hospital, so when one takes place at Hope Cottage it is a treasured event.  I got lucky - the little girl arrived before the parents did, so I was able to spend about 20 minutes rocking and singing to her.  My boys are grown and there are no grandbabies on the horizon, so opportunities to get a "baby fix" are few and far between.  I relish the chance when it comes! 


The staff at Hope Cottage is honored to be able to be a part of such a wonderful, intimate time.  Every single one of the 7,000 placements that has occurred since Hope Cottage began in 1918 is a special occasion.  Each one is unique and we cherish being part of a new family.  There are tears shed on all sides:  parents, birthmothers and yes, staff.  The birthmother was at this placement and it was touching to see how the parents honored her, cherished her, appreciated her and loved her.  Wow!  It was a New Home moment.   This little one month old girl with skin like velvet and the softest black hair you have ever seen had brought together two entities and formed a new family and we got to be a witness to that momentous time.  Doesn't get any better than that!


Hope Watson Rohr before her hair cut
(read previous blog for

the whole story)
Earlier this week, we found out that the oldest living Hope Baby, Hope Watson Rohr, went home at the age of 92.  It turns out that I shared a couple of stories about Hope in an earlier blog and always wondered if she was still living. 

Hope was born in June 1918 and her mother died shortly after giving birth.  As Hope Cottage opened on June 27, 1918, Hope was one of our first residents.  I like to imagine that Hope slept in the baby bed that sits in my office.  It is one of two beds that are from the original Hope Cottage.  I keep it in my office to remind me of the children, past, present and future that we serve at Hope Cottage.  Hope, named by our founder Emma Wylie Ballard after Hope Cottage and for the hope that the baby would survive after the death of her mother, was adopted at the age of 6 months and spent her entire life in Weslaco, TX.  She married and had 3 children, 2 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren.  Her son George says this about his mother, "She was very proud of the fact that she was a Hope Baby and had a special place in her heart for any adoptee she met.  She attended the birthday reunion in 1988 and had the time of her life while there."  What a legacy!


Earlier today I spoke to a group of AT and T/CWA employees as part of the United Way Metro Dallas campaign.  Did you know that Hope Cottage has been a United Way agency from the very beginning - back when the United Way was called the Community Chest?  We are proud that the citizens of our city have been helping Hope Families through the United Way since 1928!  After we finished the presentation a man came up and asked me if Hope Cottage still had the big Christmas party every year (told him yes) and did we still have it out at Fair Park?  No, I answered.  I didn't realize that we had ever had it at Fair Park.  He proceeded to tell me about the party in such detail that I just knew he had to have some kind of connection to Hope Cottage.  I thought maybe his mother volunteered for us, so I asked him what his connection was.  He looked at me with a twinkle in his eye and said "I was adopted from Hope Cottage."  Much squealing and jumping up and down ensued (on my part, not his), hugs were exchanged and contact info given.  Wyndal said at first he wasn't going to "fess up", even went so far to return to his desk and sit down.  "No", he said, "I am going back in there and tell her who I am."  I am so glad he did. 

We may not have had an actual "Old Home Week", but in the past seven days, we had two reunions and  a "New Home" event.  Pretty good week at Hope Cottage and here's looking at more to come!

P.S.  If you are a Hope Family, mark your calendar and plan to attend our Annual Holiday Party, December 5th from 2-4 pm at Hope Cottage.  We will be excited to see you and I  will try not to squeal and jump up and down when you walk in the doors! 


Hope Cottage is the oldest nonprofit, non sectarian adoption agency in Dallas. Since 1918 Hope Cottage has been building and nurturing strong families through counseling, education and adoption services.


If you have questions about adoption, please call Hope Cottage at 214.526.8721.

If you are a woman facing a crises pregnancy and would like to talk to someone about adoption, please call Hope Cottage at 1.800.944.4464 or 214.404.4546. 

Monday, October 11, 2010

Golf, Glorious Golf


Team Surgical Associates of North Texas. 
We should have had an award for
Best Dressed!
This past Friday (October 8, 2010) 87 golfers gathered at Coyote Ridge Golf Club as part of the 2nd Annual Friends of deVille Golf Tournament:  Another Shot FORE Children, presented by Surgical Associates of North Texas, benefiting Dallas Adoption agency Hope Cottage.  The weather was superb, the greens called and more people turned out than we were expecting.  Best of all, we doubled the income raised over last year's tournament.  All the monies raised benefited the programs at Hope Cottage which include domestic adoption, foster-to-adopt, adoption education , services to birth mothers, family counseling and post adoption services

The tournament was started by one of our own Hope Babies, Todd deVilleneuve.  He called us last year and said he wanted to do something for the agency that has meant so much to his family.  His friends call him "deVille", hence the name of the tournament - Friends of deVille.  Scott's father, Allan deVilleneuve, MD is a local pediatrician who stills sees Hope Babies as part of his practice.  Brother Scott deVilleneuve, MD of Surgical Associates of North Texas was also adopted from Hope Cottage.  Mom Virginia rounds out the deVilleneuve clan and they pull out all the stops recruiting family and longtime friends to make the tournament a rousing success. 

Third place, with a score of 62, went to The Davis Team.  2nd place was taken by Surgical Associates of North Texas Team #1 with a score of 60 and First Place was grabbed by Joe Coursy, Mike Doeden, Patel Pranay and Kyle Stevens. 
First Place Winners with the Traveling Trophy

Scott Meyer won for Closest to the Pin and Anthony Saitta won the Longest Drive.
Anthony Saitta



Team GEICO

















We would like to thank Surgical Associates of North Texas for being our Title Sponsor and GEICO for being our Lunch Sponsor.  Other Sponsors include: 
We had some GREAT raffle prizes and door prizes thanks to Avid Media Ventures, Larry Bisno, Coyote Ridge Golf Club, Diz & Janis Dizdar, Floss Dental, Sonyia and Mike Hartwell, Healthcare Chiropractic, Vince Pellman/Rolling Hills Country Club, PGA Tour Superstore, BarryRay/Armstong Office Concepts, Sigel's Elite, Salum'sTGI Friday's,  Ron Keene and Mark Cuban.

Another big thank you goes to John Sommers and Graphic Solutions Group for signage. 

To see our entire photo album, visit the Hope Cottage Fanpage on Facebook or Flickr

Hope Baby Golf Trio
John Dickey, Todd deVilleneuve, Scott deVilleneuve
Not all golfers are the two legged kind!

Golfers register



Hope Cottage Staff Members
Susan Mathews and  Brooks Quinlan

Putting Contest Volunteers
Lori Crider, Krista Hartman and Mark Neace


Allen and Todd deVilleneuve


Hope Cottage is the oldest nonprofit, non sectarian adoption agency in Dallas. Since 1918 Hope Cottage has been building and nurturing strong families through counseling, education and adoption services.


If you have questions about adoption, please call Hope Cottage at 214.526.8721.

If you are a woman facing a crises pregnancy and would like to talk to someone about adoption, please call Hope Cottage at 1.800.944.4464 or 214.404.4546.