Earlier this week Actress Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding and Connie and Carla) discussed her experience adopting from the Foster Care System on CBS' The Talk. Click here to see the interview.
More than 7,000 children are part of the Foster Care system in North Texas and many, many, many of them are looking for a permanent home, what we call a "forever family". Thanks to you and your financial support, Hope Cottage finds homes for many of these children. But... with your help, we can do more.
If you are interested in learning more about changing the life of a child and adopting from foster care, contact Linda Pouncy at Hope Cottage at 214.526.8721, ext 242 or visit our webpage. To donate to help support Hope Cottage's efforts to find these children the home they deserve, you can make your gift through our webpage.
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.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Thursday, November 11, 2010
National Adoption Month Presidential Proclamation
President Barack Obama has proclaimed November 2010 National Adoption Month. Below is the proclamaton in its entirety. Thank you President Obama.
Giving a child a strong foundation -- a home, a family to love, and a safe place to grow -- is one of life's greatest and most generous gifts. Through adoption, both domestic and international, Americans from across our country have provided secure environments for children who need them, and these families have benefited from the joy an adopted child can bring. Thanks to their nurturing and care, more young people have been able to realize their potential and lead full, happy lives. This year, we celebrate National Adoption Month to recognize adoption as a positive and powerful force in countless American lives, and to encourage the adoption of children from foster care.
Currently, thousands of children await adoption or are in foster care, looking forward to permanent homes. These children can thrive, reach their full potential, and spread their wings when given the loving and firm foundation of family. Adoptive families come in many forms, and choose to adopt for different reasons: a desire to grow their family when conceiving a child is not possible, an expression of compassion for a child who would otherwise not have a permanent family, or simply because adoption has personally touched their lives. For many Americans, adoption has brought boundless purpose and joy to their lives. We must do all we can to break down barriers to ensure that all qualified caregivers have the ability to serve as adoptive families.
This year, on November 20, families, adoption advocates, policymakers, judges, and volunteers will celebrate the 11th annual National Adoption Day in communities large and small. National Adoption Day is a day of hope and happiness when courthouses finalize the adoptions of children out of foster care. Last year, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius was honored to preside over a ceremony celebrating two foster care adoptions as part of my Administration's support for this important day.
Adoptive families are shining examples of the care and concern that define our great Nation. To support adoption in our communities, my Administration is working with States to support families eager to provide for children in need of a place to call home. The landmark Affordable Care Act increases and improves the Adoption Tax Credit, enabling adoption to be more affordable and accessible. As part of the Adoption
Incentives program, States can also receive awards for increasing adoptions and the number of children adopted from foster care. AdoptUsKids, a project of the Department of Health and Human Services, offers technical support to States, territories, and tribes to recruit and retain foster and adoptive families; provides information and assistance to families considering adoption; and supports parents already on that journey. I encourage all Americans to visit AdoptUsKids.org or ChildWelfare.gov/Adoption for information and resources on adoption, including adoption from foster care.
As we observe National Adoption Month, we honor the loving embrace of adoptive families and the affirming role of adoption in the lives of American families and our country. Let us all commit to supporting our children in any way that we are able -- whether opening our hearts and homes through adoption, becoming foster parents to provide quality temporary care to children in crisis, supporting foster and adoptive families in our communities and places of worship, mentoring young people in need of guidance, or donating time to helping children in need. Working together, we can shape a future of hope and promise for all of our Nation's children.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim November 2010 as National Adoption Month. I call upon all Americans to observe this month by answering the call to find homes for every child in America in need of a permanent and caring family, as well as to support the families who care for them.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fifth.
BARACK OBAMA
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.
Presidential Proclamation--National Adoption Month
Giving a child a strong foundation -- a home, a family to love, and a safe place to grow -- is one of life's greatest and most generous gifts. Through adoption, both domestic and international, Americans from across our country have provided secure environments for children who need them, and these families have benefited from the joy an adopted child can bring. Thanks to their nurturing and care, more young people have been able to realize their potential and lead full, happy lives. This year, we celebrate National Adoption Month to recognize adoption as a positive and powerful force in countless American lives, and to encourage the adoption of children from foster care.
Currently, thousands of children await adoption or are in foster care, looking forward to permanent homes. These children can thrive, reach their full potential, and spread their wings when given the loving and firm foundation of family. Adoptive families come in many forms, and choose to adopt for different reasons: a desire to grow their family when conceiving a child is not possible, an expression of compassion for a child who would otherwise not have a permanent family, or simply because adoption has personally touched their lives. For many Americans, adoption has brought boundless purpose and joy to their lives. We must do all we can to break down barriers to ensure that all qualified caregivers have the ability to serve as adoptive families.
This year, on November 20, families, adoption advocates, policymakers, judges, and volunteers will celebrate the 11th annual National Adoption Day in communities large and small. National Adoption Day is a day of hope and happiness when courthouses finalize the adoptions of children out of foster care. Last year, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius was honored to preside over a ceremony celebrating two foster care adoptions as part of my Administration's support for this important day.
Adoptive families are shining examples of the care and concern that define our great Nation. To support adoption in our communities, my Administration is working with States to support families eager to provide for children in need of a place to call home. The landmark Affordable Care Act increases and improves the Adoption Tax Credit, enabling adoption to be more affordable and accessible. As part of the Adoption
Incentives program, States can also receive awards for increasing adoptions and the number of children adopted from foster care. AdoptUsKids, a project of the Department of Health and Human Services, offers technical support to States, territories, and tribes to recruit and retain foster and adoptive families; provides information and assistance to families considering adoption; and supports parents already on that journey. I encourage all Americans to visit AdoptUsKids.org or ChildWelfare.gov/Adoption for information and resources on adoption, including adoption from foster care.
As we observe National Adoption Month, we honor the loving embrace of adoptive families and the affirming role of adoption in the lives of American families and our country. Let us all commit to supporting our children in any way that we are able -- whether opening our hearts and homes through adoption, becoming foster parents to provide quality temporary care to children in crisis, supporting foster and adoptive families in our communities and places of worship, mentoring young people in need of guidance, or donating time to helping children in need. Working together, we can shape a future of hope and promise for all of our Nation's children.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim November 2010 as National Adoption Month. I call upon all Americans to observe this month by answering the call to find homes for every child in America in need of a permanent and caring family, as well as to support the families who care for them.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fifth.
BARACK OBAMA
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.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Hope Cottage is Decking Old Red
Hope Cottage is Decking the Halls at Old Red - the Old Red Museum and Courthouse in downtown Dallas that is!
Hope Cottage was one of a dozen non profits selected by Old Red to decorate a holiday tree that will celebrate our mission. The trees will be on display at the Old Red Museum in downtown Dallas from November 20, 2010 - January 2, 2011. Cast your vote for the winner (Hope Cottage of course) by placing your donation in the box next to your favorite tree (Hope Cottage). The tree with the most "votes" wins and the proceeds are split between the non profit (Old Red) and the agency.
I can guarantee you are going to LOVE our tree. Think history, babies and Hope Cottage!
Hope Cottage is the oldest nonprofit, nonsectarian 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.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Celebrations and Musings
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| Hope Cottage 1923-1978 |
And be sure and follow our tweets. Every day we will tweet the name of famous adoptees and adoptive parents. Our Twitter name is LeslieatHope.
In the midst of our celebrations, I read this blog post. It it moved me to tears and I felt compelled to share it with you. Steven Walker, former foster child, adoptee, and adoption advocate, has called us to "be the answer" for Jason and children like him. More than 7,000 children are in foster care in North Texas. Since 2006 Hope Cottage has been working to reduce that number through our Foster to Adopt program. When sharing about the wonderful work Hope Cottage has been doing since 1918, I like to close with this statement:
Thomas Jefferson said that as Americans we have three inalienable rights- the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. He forgot one very important right and that is the right for every child in this country to have a permanent, loving home.
Let's make sure that Jason's story doesn't happen to another child.
If you are interested in adopting a child from the foster care system, call Linda Pouncey at 214.526.8721, ext 216.
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.
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.
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!
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| 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
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.
Scott Meyer won for Closest to the Pin and Anthony Saitta won the Longest Drive.
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:
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.
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| Team Surgical Associates of North Texas. We should have had an award for Best Dressed! |
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.
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| First Place Winners with the Traveling Trophy |
Scott Meyer won for Closest to the Pin and Anthony Saitta won the Longest Drive.
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| Anthony Saitta |
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| 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:
- Linda and Franklin Casey, MD
- Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, LLP
- Chris Maberry/Bracewell and Giuliani LLP
- The Dickey Family
- Kyle Stevens
- Lynne and Bob Thompson
- Angie and Roger Wright
- DeVille Custom Homes
- Pilot's Building Maintenance
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.
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| Hope Baby Golf Trio John Dickey, Todd deVilleneuve, Scott deVilleneuve |
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| Not all golfers are the two legged kind! |
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| Golfers register |
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| Hope Cottage Staff Members Susan Mathews and Brooks Quinlan |
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| Putting Contest Volunteers Lori Crider, Krista Hartman and Mark Neace |
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| 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. |
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Pumpkin Baby
Dallas Adoption Agency, Hope Cottage, is now accepting entries for the Pumpkin Baby Photo Contest on Facebook. The rules are simple- Follow the theme - Pumpkin Baby which encompasses anything fall, pumpkin or Halloween related!
- Child depicted can be any age now, but in the picture submitted, must be age 3 or under.
- Post the photo on the Hope Cottage Fan page by 5 pm October 10, 2010
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| Mr. Professor |
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| Future Teacher |
P.S. For those of you in the Dallas area - the Arboretum is in the midst of their Great Pumpkin Festival - lots of photo ops!
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.
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