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The Caring Adoptions Vision: We believe in children and in creating families through adoption. About Caring Adoptions Caring Adoptions is a full service adoption agency that has been finding families for children since 1991. The Agency is licensed by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services and designated by the Internal Revenue Service as a Section 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Although located in Houston, Caring Adoptions works with Birthmothers throughout Texas, and Adoptive Parents throughout Texas and the United States. All of our social workers have 20 or more years' adoption placement experience. These credentials enable Caring Adoptions to work with all members of the adoption "triad" – the Birth Family, Adoptive Family, and the Child – to ensure a successful adoption placement. Services include, but are not limited to:
Learn More about Caring Adoptions by selecting one of the links below: Agency Mission & Support Activities Caring Adoptions was founded as Caring Choices, Inc. by social worker and humanitarian Jo Ann Caldwell in 1990. “Aunt Jo” had a heart big enough for everyone and dedicated her life to serving parents and children—35 years in adoption and over 50 God-Children from hundreds of domestic placements. Supporting her in this endeavor were Pat and Jerry Bridges, Patrick and Susan Waindel and Jody Vick—all still active as Staff or Executive Board Members. Working out of “Aunt Jo’s” home, the focus of this group was on the placement of adoptable children with loving parents. A secondary objective was the development of a lower cost and more efficient way to complete the adoption process. These objectives led Caring Adoptions to expand its horizons from Houston to all of Texas and to orphanages through out the world. In 1992 tragedy struck “Aunt Jo,” while conducting Caring Adoptions business, in the form of a massive heart attack which resulted in her death. Shortly thereafter, the Caring Adoptions Board of Directors and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services approved the assumption of her responsibilities by Patricia Bridges, Susan Waindel and Jody Vick. The office of Caring Adoptions was moved to the Bridges home. In April, 1993, in recognition of the quality of Caring Adoptions’ services, the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services removed the temporary license status and granted Caring Adoptions a non-expiring license as a child-placing agency. Growth necessitated moving into our first commercial office at 1438 Campbell Road. Caring Adoptions began a substantial International Adoption program in 1993 when it was registered to facilitate adoptions by the nations of Viet Nam and Krygyzstan. The program was expanded in 1994 with registration in the nation of Romania. That same year the Campbell Road Office was doubled in size. In 1995, the Internal Revenue service replaced the temporary recognition as a 501 ( c ) 3 charitable organization with a permanent status. In 1997 Caring Adoptions again moved to larger offices at 10301 Northwest Freeway. Another period of rapid growth created the need in the fall of 2000 to move to our present offices at 11601 Katy Freeway. Since the beginning, Caring Adoptions has fostered charitable assistance for orphanages, birthparents and for children not eligible for adoption. Services include counseling for birthparents, children and adoptive parents; peer interaction through special events; educational seminars, and initial home and post placement studies. While registered in Viet Nam and Romania orphanages and social centers were supported by donation of medicines, clothing, educational toys, blankets, office machinery, heaters, medical equipment and financial assistance. Domestically, through charity funds and materials provided by agency supporters, Caring Adoptions provides assistance to Birthmothers and their children not available for adoption. Tires, batteries, toys, food, clothing, school supplies, medicine and special needs have been provided. Caring Adoptions Staff, family members and supporters have cleaned apartments, fixed appliances, washed clothing, obtained furniture, provided transportation and obtained religious and social agency support for Birthmothers.
Agency Mission & Support Activities Our Vision Statement: “We believe in children and in creating families through adoption.” Our Mission Statement:
Caring Adoptions supports our Birthmother families and humanitarian projects locally and in the countries where international adoptions are facilitated. Clothes, vitamins, medicine, medical equipment and toys have been furnished to the orphanages and programs in the countries from which Caring Adoptions families adopt, to local community programs improving the plight of children, and to our birthmothers’ children not available for adoption. Family fellowship and peer interaction is also a part of Caring Adoptions' Mission. A spring event for families, "Put Kids First" is held each year at a location geared toward kids, such as the Houston Children’s Museum. The winter brings our annual "Adopted Child's Holiday Event" which includes many activities such as the children designing our annual holiday card, face painting, train rides, petting zoo and of course, a visit from the Jolly Man in Red himself, delivered by a Memorial area Village Fire Department fire truck. Patricia R. Bridges, MA, LCPA; Executive Director Patricia R. Bridges has been active with Caring Adoptions since inception and Executive Director for 15 years. A native Houstonian, she brings to Caring Adoptions over 30 years adoption experience. Her education was focused on family and individual function and interaction. Pat also has over 30 years as a mother to three adopted children, six years of foster parenting, five years coordination of foster care services including care of special needs children for a large adoption agency, and over 15 years of working with birthparents. She has served on the Board of Directors of Wesley Community Center in the fourth ward of Houston, and the administrative board of her church and its mission committees. Pat earned a Texas Teachers Certificate and has volunteered in public schools, especially in the area of deaf education, and as an adoption advocate speaker.
Jody Vick, LCSW, LMFT; Director of Adoption Jody Vick completes home study assessments for prospective adoptive families and counsels with adoptive parents. She has worked for over 30 years with prospective adoptive families and has been associated with Caring Adoptions for 15 years. In addition, she has been a consultant and supervisor of social work students for Baylor College of Medicine. Presently, she is President of the Woodlands Group, a private psychotherapist group. Jody is a proud mother and grandmother and is well known throughout the community as an adoption advocate.
Susan L. Waindel, Director of Documentation and Resources; Cradle Care Coordination Susan L. Waindel updates, documents and maintains agency forms, assists with agency events, and provides support services for the agency. She was a founding Director of the agency, served as President of the Board of Directors and for several years served as Administrator. Susan also coordinates the agency’s Cradle Care and is a foster mother for pre-adopt infants. She and her husband Patrick have fostered for more than 75 infants in their home. She is the designer of the annual Caring Adoptions Angel pins sold as a fundraiser during the Christmas/New Year Holiday period. Susan has served as director of Camp Rainbow for 2 years for the American Diabetes Association and chairperson for the ADA Monsters at the Museum for two years. She is the mother of four domestically adopted children including twins, and is nanny for her two grand-daughters.
Charla Smith, LMFT; Birthparent Counselor Charla Smith is our works with birthmothers and birthfathers before and after delivery to help them process their decision and help them prepare for the emotional aspects of adoption. She works with them to help them understand the adoption process and its possible impacts post-placement. Her experience includes work as a psychotherapist with children and adolescents, and marriage, individual and family therapy. She is on the executive board of the Houston Association for Marriage and Family Therapy..
The Directors of Caring Adoptions include C.E.O.s, CPAs, salespersons, teachers, accountants, attorneys, financial counselors, financial analysts, engineers and IT specialists. They are also biological parents, foster parents, adoptive parents, birth parents and adult adoptees. All have a love for children and the desire to find them families. |
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