Wendy’s Wonderful Kids
Greenlight Family Services provides adoption recruiting through Wendy’s Wonderful Kids, a signature program of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption.
The Foundation provides funding to adoption agencies to support the hiring of recruiters who use an evidence-based, child-focused model to find permanent families for the longest-waiting children in foster care. That includes teenagers, children with special needs and siblings. A rigorous, five-year national evaluation revealed that children referred to the program are up to 3x more likely to be adopted.
Wendy’s Wonderful Kids recruiters work with smaller caseloads of 12-15 children to ensure every child is given the time, resources and support they deserve. These recruiters begin their search within a child’s familiar circles of family, friends and neighbors and then reach out to the communities in which they live. Learn more at davethomasfoundation.org/wwk.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Who Does Wendy’s Wonderful Kids Support?
The program serves children and youth in foster care who face a greater risk of aging out without a permanent home. This includes:
- Children ages 9 and older
- Sibling groups who need to stay together
- Youth with medical, developmental, or behavioral challenges
- Children who have experienced multiple placements or long stays in care
2. How Does Wendy’s Wonderful Kids Differ From General Adoption Recruitment?
Unlike general adoption recruitment, Wendy’s Wonderful Kids recruiters use an evidence-based, child-focused approach. They take time to get to know each child individually, explore their history, and reconnect them with potential adoptive families including relatives, mentors, and other trusted adults.
3. Can Wendy’s Wonderful Kids Be Used In Addition To General Adoption Recruitment?
Yes! This program is designed to complement general adoption recruitment efforts. While general recruitment casts a wide net to find adoptive families, Wendy’s Wonderful Kids takes a deeply personalized approach, focusing on one child or sibling group at a time. When used together, these methods increase the chances of finding the right family by expanding outreach and strengthening the connections that matter most.
CONTACT
Program Supervisor | Felicia Stratten, MSW, LSW
fstratten@greenlightfamilyservices.org
WWK Recruiters
Beth Carlson | bcarlson@greenlightfamilyservices.org
Gloria Thompson | gthompson@greenlightfamilyservices.org