Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption and Community Partners Celebrate 600 Adoptions from Foster Care in Texas
Columbus, Ohio — The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is proud to announce it has reached 600 adoptions from foster care in the state of Texas through its Wendy’s Wonderful Kids® program.
The Foundation partners with child welfare agencies and community-based organizations to serve older children, teenagers, siblings and children with special needs who have waited the longest. Since inception, the program has helped find safe, loving and permanent homes for more than 16,500 children across the United States and Canada.
The Foundation provides philanthropic funding, specialized training, technical assistance and ongoing programmatic support, while its Texas partners employ dedicated recruiters who work directly with children, families and child welfare professionals to help achieve legal permanency. This includes adoption, legal guardianship and family reunification when it is a safe option.
“This milestone illustrates the profound impact of working together toward a shared goal in child welfare,” said Rita Soronen, President & CEO of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. “By cultivating deep partnerships with local care and state agencies, we can remain truly responsive to local needs and implement best practices to ensure every child lingering in foster care has the lifelong stability and sense of belonging that a permanent family provides.”
In Texas, the Foundation partners with a network of local providers who can serve children in their communities.
Arrow Child and Family Services provides foster care and adoption services across nearly the entire state. 4Kids4Families, a division of Arrow Child & Family Ministries, serves as the community-based care lead contractor for Wendy’s Wonderful Kids program in the East Texas Piney Woods region.
“Every child has the right to grow up within a secure, nurturing, and permanent household,” stated Scott Lundy, CEO of Arrow Child and Family Services. “Evidence and experience both show that children achieve the best outcomes when they remain integrated within their family and community networks, which is why our partnership with the Foundation’s Wendy’s Wonderful Kids program is so essential.”
Texas Family Care Network provides community-based care for 15 counties in the Deep East Texas region, including Beaumont and Nacogdoches, and the Dallas County region.
“Every child deserves more than a place to live. They deserve a place to belong, people they can count on and hope for their future,” said Rocky Hensarling, CEO of Texas Family Care Network. “These 600 adoptions represent 600 opportunities for children and youth to build lasting connections with families and communities that will support them throughout their lives. We’re proud to partner with the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption in helping make those connections possible.”
Using the Foundation’s evidence-based, child-focused recruitment model, professionals, known as recruiters, begin the diligent search for a permanent family within the child’s known network of adults, including extended family members and others who can meet their needs. A rigorous, national five-year evaluation by Child Trends in the U.S. revealed that youth served by Wendy’s Wonderful Kids are up to three times more likely to be adopted.
Belong is the implementation partner of the Wendy’s Wonderful Kids program in the South Central and Hill Country region, and all of Bexar County. Belong CEO Tara Roussett is a believer in the strength of the partnerships and the model at its heart.
“Reaching 600 adoptions across Texas is a powerful testament to what happens when we align evidence-based tools and experts with local support,” said Roussett. “This evidence-based approach helps our youth gain a permanent, loving home and a supportive community for life.”
The Foundation began partnering with organizations in Texas in 2006 and announced an effort to expand the program statewide in 2022. Today, Wendy’s Wonderful Kids serve children across multiple regions of the state through partnerships with community-based care organizations, child welfare agencies and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.
The voices of youth like Abby, who was adopted at age 14, demonstrate the life-changing impact this work makes. “I pictured a family just like the one I have now. A caring, loving mom and dad and siblings. I hoped for the exact family I have now,” said Abby. “After I was adopted, I felt like I wasn’t alone, and I could actually see my future ahead.”
About the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption
The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is a national, nonprofit public charity dedicated to finding permanent homes for the more than 130,000 children waiting in North America’s foster care systems. Created by Wendy’s® founder Dave Thomas who was adopted, the Foundation implements evidence-based, results-driven national service programs, foster care adoption awareness campaigns and innovative grantmaking. To learn more, visit davethomasfoundation.org.
