During our journey to have a family, we came across Adoption Advocates. We originally searched for…read moreadoption agencies in Texas on Reddit and were curious who would be recommended. When we saw a post that mentioned Adoption Advocates, we knew we had to check them out. We made arrangements to join the training sessions and meet the team. After meeting Rory and her team, we knew the agency was a great fit for us! Everyone was so thoughtful, kind, and informative. They helped us get everything together from paperwork to helping us getting our profile book just right. They take extra time to ensure adoptive parents understand what this process means on a deep emotional level. They connected us with other adoptive parents as well as mothers on the other end of the adoption, so we could better understand what this means for everyone involved. When our time came and our little one was born, Rory and her team made the process so easy. They were there to explain what everything meant and did so in a clear way that was so helpful. It allowed us to put our focus on our newborn and take in everything that was happening. We are so grateful for our experience with Adoption Advocates. They really care about not only this little bundle's future, but the future of everyone else involved. We were lucky to work with such a wonderful team.

Nine years ago, we began our adoption journey. We were drawn to this agency because they provided a…read morelot of psychoeducation for intended parents as well as expectant mothers, which allows everyone involved to make the best, most informed decisions for their life. Their openness to serving diverse people was very important to us. We felt like the support given to our daughter's birth mother was extensive. We adopted our daughter at birth and she's eight years old now. As a psychologist who specializes in infertility counseling and reproductive trauma, I continue to recommend adoption advocates as I believe that their support and services are superior to other local Texas agencies.

Adoption can be one of the longest, most stressful and uncertain journeys but when we partnered…read morewith Texas Adoption Center and their INCREDIBLE team that all changed. Our match was with birth parents who unexpectedly went into labor early and were wanting to find an adoptive family for their baby before being discharged. From Stacey Manning and Kenna Hamm sprang into action and took care of everything. Our initial communication with Stacey was honest and factual, she gave us all the ins and outs along with the honest truth of the situation. She was kind and patient and excited for a positive outcome. Once we were picked as the adoptive family our communication with Kenna began and can I just say wow. Kenna was more incredible than we could have imagined. She was an answer to prayer, in abundance! Her communication was frequent, her care for both the birth parents and us, the adoptive parents was full of love and patience. She was genuinely there for all of us. Her honesty and joy brought us so much confidence and clarity through our super fast-moving placement. She never kept us in the dark about a thing, answered every question we had and if she didn't know the answer to something, she found it. The way she navigated the hospital protocol with dept of family services and even CPS in our case was a work of art. It was very apparent everyone liked working with her and she was extremely professional in all of her work. During our one-on-one time with the birth parents Kenna kept what could have been a lot of awkward silences a conversation that flowed without pause. She brought up things we both wanted to know about one another but didn't know how to ask. She was always five steps ahead of all of us and it was such a blessing. During out time at the hospital with the baby Kenna advocated for us and kindly kept on the hospital staff to keep our check-out process moving forward. We honestly could not have imagined navigating any of it without her. Our post placement has been a breeze! Kenna set us up with a specialized app so we could keep in touch with the birth parents and has been available via call or text for any crazy questions we've had. She checks in with us regularly and T.A.C. has made the post placement process clear and easy. The law firm they partner with for finalization has been on top of things from day one. Not once have we had to follow up or track anyone down, they are in touch with us and on top of every detail making it the easiest finalization process we've ever heard of. We could not recommend Texas Adoption Center and Kenna Hamm more. If you are on the fence on who to work with, make it T.A.C. you won't regret it!

My husband and I were matched via Texas Adoption Center with a wonderful birth mother and her son…read morein 2018. Everyone at TAC was wonderful to work with and made the adoption process very smooth from the time we met our son at the hospital till the time we finalized his adoption six months later and beyond. We can tell that the staff at TAC really care about both birth families and adoptive families and check in regularly to see how we are doing. My husband and I decided in late 2020 that we wanted to provide our son with a sibling via adoption and based on the wonderful experience we had with TAC in 2018 we chose to become a waiting family with them for our second adoption. They have once again been great to work with and have worked hard to make the sometimes confusing and stressful process of adoption as smooth as possible.

We adopted two little boys through Silver Spoon and had a great experience with them. Lisa was very…read morehelpful. Our little boys are 3 and almost 5, if we would do it again it would be through Silver Spoon, they are the cheapest we have found. I highly recommend them to anyone, I love working directly with the birth mothers and building a relationship with them as we have with our boys birth mothers, they are so sweet. We can only imagine the pain they went through to make this tough choice, and love and support them through it. MM of PA

The people at Silver Spoon Adoptions are professional, compassionate and knowledgable. They only…read morework with pregnant women, but i referred a friend to them and we feklt that she was very well taken care of. They helped make a negative situation into a very positive one .Highly recommend.

Having worked with Children of All Nations, I can honestly say that it is an organization to avoid…read more Leadership is unethical and treats staff poorly, the work environment is unhealthy and clients do not receive the care they deserve due to overwhelmed case workers. Adoption is difficult. This is not the agency to help you through it.

My husband and I had a very poor experience with CAN, which caused us to lose a year of time, a lot…read moreof emotions, and a large loss of funds that we had paid for our adoptions fees. After being in contract with CAN for a year, payment of almost $20k, which specific desires to adopt two children (siblings) between the ages of 0-3 from Haiti, we were told that this was not possible and we must amend our age requirements. If we had been told this information up front, and not been misled that this was possible, we could have prepared ourselves for those changes. BUT this agency chose to inform us AFTER we made a large payment and then REFUSED to refund it based on the "contract" that we had signed. The contract SPECIFICALLY stated we were asking for siblings between the ages of 0-3 (which is technically 3 yrs 11 months), CAN had agreed to, and NEVER made mention of it until our third and largest payment to them. We chose to sever ties with them due to the mistrust and poor customer service provided. CAN will look at you as a pocketbook and not take into consideration the emotions associated with the process. This has been a huge financial blow to our family and our dream of adoption has suffered because of it.

AMAZING!! Suzanne's office made our adoption process a breeze from beginning to end. Taunts and…read moreSuzanne are a great team! They informed us of exactly how everything would go from beginning to end. They stayed by our side and supported us through it all. I would recommend making this office your first option! Thank you so much for assisting my family! You all are a blessing honestly !

Suzanne and her office assistant Tanya were awesome. Suzanne made sure we understood the process…read moreand easily walked us through our adoption process. Suzanne is a true warrior in the fight for equality. She has helped so many families become forever families. Whenever we had question or sent emails she was quick to respond. When we went to court for the final step in the adoption she made it very simple. We are grateful for her services and highly recommend her to any LGBT family looking to adopt.

We adopted Doodlebug (now known as Mabel!!) from this rescue and couldn't be happier. She was very…read moreloved and well taken care of Trina in foster care. They really made sure we were a good fit and have checked in on her to make sure the transition was going smoothly. I'd recommend this rescue highly. We are so happy with our new girl!!

From the owner: Abby's Little Friends Rescue is a not-for-profit (501(c)(3)), no-kill organization that is…read morededicated to rescuing pets and giving them a second chance in life. These pets have been abandoned, lost, abused or for other reasons given away. We give them the health care and love that they may need, evaluating them for behavior and temperament, and placing them in the loving homes they deserve.

I had seen Nadia work in several different legal cases and had admired her legal knowledge and…read moreabilities. I've seen her fight tirelessly for other clients to a successful outcome. I would be in awe of how humble she was after she had beaten much larger groups in court. Anyone in her position should have been screaming to the world about how awesome they were. Nadia would just act like what she just pulled off was an everyday event. So when it came time for me to find a lawyer, Nadia was the first person I called. Divorce is never easy, even if it's a mutual, amicable divorce. It was at this moment I learned that not only did Nadia have a great legal mind, but she was extremely compassionate to her clients as well. She's able to fight for what was right, while also showing how much she truly cares. I honestly don't think I could have made it through this difficult time without her guidance. Thanks Nadia.

I can't say enough good things about Nadia and Rosie ! They worked tirelessly to help me get…read morethrough my divorce ! Nadia made the entire process much more relaxing when it came to settling everything. She fought for me and got me the absolute best deal that could be had in my situation ! She didn't overcharge or drag my case out and waste my time or my money ! I received a receipt from them every month stating what I was being charged for even ! If you need a great firm to represent you that won't drag you through the mud and will be upfront and honest, then Stewart & Gretch are the ones you want ! Thanks again Nadia and Rosie !

I recently attended one of the free spay and neuter clinics hosted by Austin Animal Free Spay and…read moreNeuter Clinic and greater good charities for my puppy, and overall, I had a great experience with just a few things to keep in mind if you're planning to attend. The clinic was scheduled from 7:30 AM to 10:00 AM. I arrived around 8:30, and as expected for a free event, the lines were long--but honestly, that's understandable when such valuable services are offered at no cost. One of the great things was that there was no limit to the number of animals you could bring. Once I got there, I was greeted by friendly staff who gave me paperwork to complete. A staff member kindly informed me that the process could take a while, which I appreciated. I ended up waiting in line for about four hours. If I had known ahead of time, I definitely would have brought snacks and water to help pass the time--but I was fine overall. Before they took my puppy back, they thoroughly explained the procedure and all the services included: the spay/neuter surgery, vaccines, microchipping, and preventative medications. Talk about saving money! They promised to take great care of him, and I felt reassured as they carried him back. Around 4:30 PM, I received a call to pick him up. He looked good at first, but as I drove down the highway, I noticed some bleeding. I turned around and rushed back to the clinic. The staff explained that male dogs can be a little more sensitive due to the number of blood vessels involved, and it wasn't unusual. They immediately took him back, cleaned him up, and made sure he was okay. One of the amazing volunteers even helped me clean the blood off my car and blankets--who knew peroxide worked so well? Once home, I noticed his microchip had started to migrate out. I texted the number they provided, and they told me to bring him back in for a check-up. I did just that two days later, and he was given a clean bill of health. They were quick, responsive, and made sure everything was taken care of. They also mentioned that they host these events frequently. If you're considering getting your pets spayed or neutered, I absolutely recommend bringing them here. The wait can be long, but the care and services are worth it. They treat your fur babies with love and compassion, and you leave knowing your pet got the attention they needed. Thank you to the entire team for your patience, hard work, and dedication. Look out for more free spay and neuter clinics it will save you tons

They do horrible things to their animals. They throw animals with illnesses on you and REFUSE to…read morehelp you out or give your new baby medicine in the meantime while waiting for their first vet appointment. My baby had worms that they just "didn't notice" from March... it's MAY and they REFUSE to give him $20 dewormer. They're stingy and horrible people that don't care for the health of their animals. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS SHELTER FOR ADOPTING, THEY WILL NOT HELP YOU CURE THINGS THEY GOT IN THE SHELTER. THEIR 311 NUMBER KNOWS NOTHING. IDIOTS. Thank god I rescued my angel from that horrible place. 1/10. Only not 0 because I found my angel there.

I volunteered at Inside Book Project tonight and it was a great experience! IBP is a volunteer led…read morenon profit organization that provides free books to people incarcerated in the state of Texas. All of the books provided are free of charge! You read letters for book request, curate a small package of books found in IBPs library and write a letter to send back to each person. This is a really awesome way to provide support to all kinds of humans, who've been through all kinds of challenges. The 30 minute volunteer orientation was thorough and informative! They have volunteer time slots on Sundays and Thursday starting at 6pm! I hope you consider volunteering! I'll definitely be back to volunteer again.

I just started volunteering with IBP and have loved the experience so far! My boyfriend and I found…read moreIBP at an event at Meanwhile Brewing Co maybe a month ago and immediately signed up for an orientation training session. IBP is located in East Austin, housed inside of a church (although IBP is NOT a religiously affiliated organization). They have a huge library built on donations from the community. Every Thursday and Sunday evening, volunteers come to read letters from people incarcerated all over Texas, match them with books, and write handwritten letters back to them. It's truly such a wonderful initiative. People who are incarcerated have the opportunity to request books every 2-3 months and get books sent to them completely free of charge. IBP received around 1500 letters requesting books per month, which is so incredible. If you are someone who enjoys volunteering, this is the place for you! If you don't have the time to volunteer, consider donating to IBP!