MARYWOOD ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2009:


Dear Special Friends of Marywood,

We believe in happy endings. I would like to share some stories that will warm your heart and make you feel good about your valued contributions to Marywood.

In the following newsletter and annual report, you will note that it is abbreviated and the format is different from years past. We want to keep you informed of Marywood’s work and finances and chose this method to achieve that goal at a reduced cost to the agency.

We struggled last year but at last found our footing in our new location. We are proud to note that in 2008, Marywood was named the “Best Adoption Agency in Austin” by the US Local Business Association.

As for our Adoption program, the children we are placing are primarily those in state foster care who would have difficulty finding permanent homes without our diligent efforts. More than 20,000 children across the country leave foster care each year without having been adopted. Of the 26 children we placed in 2008, five were 12 years and older.

We are seeing more and more clients in the Lifeline pregnancy case management program. Our Lifeline services extend to immediate family members and to issues beyond the pregnancy that may impact the health and welfare of the mothers. Our Lifeline clients develop a special bond with their case managers, and we provide support and services for up to a year and a half after delivery.


Lifeline statistics for 2008:

  • 257 Lifeline clients were seen
  • 79 births were reported.
  • Case managers facilitated 751 client sessions
  •  98 home visits
  •  23 hospital visits
  • Food assistance for 117 families

The staff assisted the majority of clients with baby clothes, formula, strollers, diapers and basic infant needs.  The economic downturn is having a dramatic impact on our Lifeline clients. This year we saw more clients who were experiencing family violence, pregnancy complications and serious health issues with their babies. One client was even the victim of human trafficking which is becoming more prevalent in our area.
Lifeline recently opened a small satellite office in northeast Austin to help women in that part of the community who are unable to reach our south Austin location.

New opportunities: As a licensed child placing agency, with an 87 year history of service in central Texas, Marywood was selected by the State of Texas to do all the home studies of families who were adopting children from Child Protective Services (CPS) in our region. This region encompasses 33 counties and more than 1,500 home studies of prospective adoptive families are required each year. While it is a daunting task, the state contract produces vitally needed operating revenue. It also helps us to fulfill our commitment to finding homes for the thousands of children in Texas who wait for permanent homes.

We did have to close our last residential program, Stepping Stones, for homeless pregnant young women and their children. After a decade as a “model program”, the federal grant for this program was not renewed. We were sad to see the end of an era of supervised residential care. However, we continue to focus, through Lifeline, on providing prenatal education, connection to resources, and child development to help ensure healthier pregnancies and positive parenting experiences.

Marywood’s Post Adoption program continues to be as active as ever, with more reunions and exchanges of gifts and letters than ever before. One indicator of the level of service required for this vital program was the 1,100 emails the program manager responded to from members of the adoption triad.

To our loyal donors: All of this could not have been achieved without the support of so many individuals, church groups such as the St. Mary’s Ladies Guild of Wimberley, the young women from UT’s Catholic sorority, foundation grants, the Zonta Club and a small cadre of volunteer seamstresses from Linus Blankets who lovingly create quilts for our newborns.

I wish we had space to name all the kind and caring folks who have helped us. From a golf tournament hosted by St. John Neumann’s Knights of Columbus to a young boy’s personal gift of stuffed animals for our children, we are truly blessed by the love and goodwill of others. On behalf of all of us at Marywood, we offer our thanks and sincere appreciation for your dedication to our mission.

I respectively submit the following financial data with some additional program highlights.

To illustrate the value of our post adoption services, we would like to share a story about one of our clients. She recently gave a gift in memory of her birth mother whom she didn’t meet until late in life. In the note that accompanied her gift, she wrote, “Mom was a beautiful person and that beauty radiated from inside her to touch all of those around her.  She is gone now. The circle has been completed.” Similar sentiments were reflected in several honorary and memorial gifts we received this past year in celebration of birthmothers.

As for happy endings in adoption, one of the more unusual but no less endearing stories involved the formal adoption of a woman who was 36 years old. One of our adoption coalition partners facilitated this successful outcome for an adult who still yearned for “a family of her own.”
This story received a lot of media attention because of the unique circumstances, but for us at Marywood, it just reinforced our vision “to ensure that every child has a loving family and a brighter future,” no matter their age.  

Marywood was the focal point for a documentary, “Sunshine”, which had its world premiere at the South by Southwest film festival in March. The director of the film was adopted from Marywood 23 years ago. Her story, her birthmother and adoptive family’s stories showcase the changes in society regarding unplanned pregnancy. The birthmother’s tour of Marywood with her daughter, after two decades, exposed powerful feelings of time and place.


MAJOR DONORS IN 2008 ($5,000+)

Foundations:
Topfer Family Foundation - $30,000
Hilbert Family Fund – Cleveland Foundation - $7,500
Journey Foundation - $5,000
Brown Foundation - $30,000
Scanlan Foundation - $15,000
Stephen & Mary Birch Foundation - $25,000

Private:
Tolleson Family Fund - $25,000
Anonymous  - $10,000
Pastor Family - $7,000

SPECIAL EVENTS
St. John Neumann Knights of Columbus golf tournament - $20,000
Grape Cluster Wine Tasting benefit - $22,300

As you can see from this brief summary of activities and client stories, Marywood continues to meet vital needs and fulfill our mission to provide programs that protect and support children and families. We count on your personal assistance, prayers and financial support to see that children are protected, that young women find hope and that families find the resources to survive during these tough economic times.  We have enclosed an envelope in the hope that you will help us continue to bring about happy endings.

Warmest regards,
Jean Henry, Executive Director

DOWNLOAD AUDITED FINANCIAL DATA FOR 2008 (click here)