Jaclyn & Dan

When it comes to making promises, we recognize that there are a lot of things in life that cannot be promised. We joined Gladney with the very understanding that there is so much out of our control with the adoption process. However, we aren't focused on the things we don't know or can't know right now. What we are focused on are things that we do know and we can promise you. We know that we will strive everyday to be extraordinary parents. We know we come from colorful life experiences that have shaped us into resilient and open-minded adults and will pass along these things to our future child. We promise to provide every resource available to our child that we can. We want to set them up for success. We promise to love them unconditionally and support them through any social, emotional, or intellectual needs they may face. We promise a home and community that is accepting and welcoming of people from every walk of life. We promise a lot of laughter and to hold them when they are sad. We promise to encourage them when they are challenged and encourage them when they are proud. We promise they will be loved by 40 family members who have already volunteered to babysit. We promise they will be loved by another 20 friends, who have children, We promise to raise our families together. We promise your child will have many first cousins that will be an important part of your child's life. While we can't promise that your child will be a leader, or activist or philanthropist, we can promise that they will be encouraged to be kind, honest, openminded, passionate and grateful. Lastly, we promise they will know you. To whatever extent we are all comfortable with. They will know their story and of the greatness you possess.

Jaclyn: I love living in the city. I love being surrounded by diversity and the sense of community a city holds. I love music and the arts, especially contemporary and modern art. I dream about going back to the art museums in Paris. Which is also a favorite of mine... traveling. I love immersing myself in new cultures. On a daily basis I love a relaxing morning, cooking, having coffee with girlfriends, doing yoga, and taking care of my house plants . I also love teaching my students as I am a special education teacher. Dan: I am an avid music lover, sports fan, and reader. My favorite sports teams are the 76ers and the Phillies. I try to see live music and sporting events at least one a month. Another thing I really enjoy is cooking, brewing beer, and trying new foods. I have been an associate board member for a local non-profit for the past five years and also like to volunteer in my free time.

Our home is a row home, located south of the city. Our home has 3 bedrooms (one currently as an office) and 1.5 bathrooms. It is cozy and has an "at home" feel that we find comforting after a long day at work. Our favorite spot is our very open first floor. It's perfect for entertaining guests, whether for the holidays or a fun game night. This area also has an awesome bay window that sees out to the street, which gets the perfect amount of light for plants to grow endlessly. We would fill this whole area with plants if we could! We have multiple parks within walking distance of our house and all of the amenities that a big city offers. Within minutes, we can be at the sports stadiums, a 5 star restaurant, or a museum. We also love how diverse our city is. We can try things outside of our comfort zone every day, and we take advantage of that as often as we can.

We want to adopt because we believe we are in a place to provide a foundation that will allow a child to flourish to their highest potential. We truly do not have a preference about our future child's gender, race, or ethnic background. A child is a child and we will love them unconditionally, regardless of their personhood. We are ready and eager to support our future child through any social, emotional, or intellectual needs they may face. We will raise a child with unquestionable love, commitment, presence and patience. We will be actively engaged in the child's life, seeing life from their eyes and showing them life from others eyes. We will expose them to right and wrong through teachable moments. We will teach them that life can and will be tough at times, but with intention and integrity they will be able to move forward stronger than before. We will raise them to feel safe and unashamed to express their emotions and fears. We will encourage them to explore their endless interests so they discover their passions and dreams. We will raise them to understand their power in the world, both good and bad, to feel confident and worthy and to have empathy and passion for humankind and the environment.