Today we’d like to introduce you to Denise Kendrick.
Hi Denise, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My dad was adopted at birth (as were his siblings), so the concept of adoption always felt warm and familiar to me. My dad would say he was “chosen,” and that his family was simply his family. He was adored by his parents and doted on by his older sisters. As a kid, I thought that was what adoption always looked like—eager parents joyfully welcoming a child. That view started to shift around age nine, thanks to Gloria Campos.
Every afternoon, I’d sit on a kitchen barstool chatting with my mom while she made dinner (she’s an incredible cook and educator, by the way). The WFAA evening news played in the background, and I remember Gloria’s “Wednesday’s Child” segments. As clips of kids visiting a zoo or park rolled, Gloria shared how little Austin dreamed of being a cowboy, and prayed that he and his sister would be adopted together. I couldn’t reconcile my dad’s adoption story with these children’s situation. Where were their waiting parents?
I’d ask myself that question again 15 years later as a foster parent. My husband (my high school sweetheart, by the way) and I started fostering after our first daughter was born—not to adopt, but to be a safe, loving stop along the way. Over several years, dozens of children came through our home while I gave birth to two more of my own. Strangely, not one child became available for adoption. Most left for relatives; a few returned home. It felt like confirmation that “just” fostering was our calling—until I stumbled onto the Texas Adoption Resource Exchange (TARE) website.
TARE features photos of children in foster care waiting for adoption. Scrolling through page after page of kids—many who’d entered care as toddlers and were now teens—was gut-wrenching. After much prayer and reflection, we decided to adopt a teenage boy. Our biological children were 2, 4, and 6 when he joined our family as a big brother, and a year later we finalized his adoption. Despite everything he’d been through, our sone was brave enough to open his heart to new parents, siblings, and a community that embraced him. Over time, we had the privilege of discovering the funny, tender boy beneath the tough exterior he’d walked in with.
There were highs, lows, heartbreaks, and joys. But the fact that we went on to foster and adopt again says a lot. We later welcomed a teenage daughter and a sibling group of three into our forever family. Add one more biological baby, and that brings us to nine kids—five girls and four boys, spanning 21 years in age difference. Our family is big, beautiful, sometimes chaotic, and full of love. Each child, whether by birth or adoption, brings something unique to our story.
Foster care and adoption didn’t just shape our family—they’ve also become my life’s work. What began as a volunteer effort at our church has grown into Embrace, a thriving nonprofit in McKinney providing life-changing services to abused and neglected children and their caregivers. As a Founder, and now Executive Director, I get to lead an incredible team, and shape an organization that helps families like mine thrive.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Growing a little grass-roots effort into a stable, sustainable nonprofit organization hasn’t always been a smooth road. A few years after inception, Embrace was faced with growing needs in the community and far too few resources to meet them. We were heartbroken to regularly turn families away from events and programs they so desperately needed. It became clear we were at a crossroads — we could either stay small and do what we could with what we had, or we could take a big leap of faith and grow.
We chose the leap.
It was a defining moment for our little staff. We had (and have) a dedicated Board of Directors at our back who believed we could achieve the goals we laid out before them. We started laying the groundwork for growth — planning development events like a golf tournament and gala, attending grant-writing workshops, and taking our first serious steps into fundraising. We were nervous, hopeful, and deeply aware that God was calling us to something bigger.
Almost immediately, though, we hit a new and unexpected wall. Our faith — the very heart of why we exist — had become an obstacle.
Embrace was founded to reflect God’s heart for vulnerable, neglected, marginalized, abused, and abandoned children. While our beginnings were in a small Baptist church, our services have always been open to everyone. We don’t require participation in religious activities or adherence to specific beliefs. Yet, despite that openness, many foundations and grants excluded us before we could even apply — simply because of our faith-based identity.
It was discouraging, and at times disheartening, to realize that the same faith that fuels our compassion and excellence could also close doors to much-needed funding. But it also forced us to dig deeper.
During that season, our team gathered for what would become one of the most important exercises in our organization’s history: rewriting our core values.
We filled sticky notes with words and phrases that captured who we are at our best — what makes Embrace distinct, valuable, and effective. As the notes piled up, patterns began to emerge. Six themes rose to the surface, spanning every part of our work and how our team functions. Together, they formed the foundation of a new set of core values that truly reflect our identity and purpose.
We abandoned the one-word “poster values” that were gathering dust in our staff handbook such as “integrity” and “accountability”. Not because those traits aren’t important, but because they’re a given expectations. We wanted values that sound like us, that remind us who we are when the work gets hard and why we keep showing up.
Our six core values are simple, but powerful. Each value starts with, “At Embrace,”
We let our hearts be broken.
We are rooted.
We invite people into the story.
We can do.
We rally.
We are in it for the long haul.
Each phrase carries meaning that’s woven into our daily work. They remind us that empathy matters more than efficiency, that faith keeps us grounded, that community is built through shared stories, that we’re capable and resourceful, that we show up for each other, and that this mission is a marathon, not a sprint.
When the going gets tough — and in child welfare, it often does — these values hold us steady. They help us share the burden, grieve the disappointments, and celebrate the victories, big and small. They don’t guarantee perfect culture or instant success, but they give us a shared language and compass for how we navigate both hardship and growth.
Ironically, it was in that season of rejection and reevaluation that we saw God’s provision most clearly. When doors closed, others opened in unexpected ways — through individuals, churches, local businesses, and donors who believed in our mission and in the way we serve. Every challenge pushed us to trust God more deeply and to operate with excellence, even when the path forward wasn’t clear.
We learned that being a faith-based organization may sometimes limit who funds us, but it also shapes how we serve — with compassion, integrity, and perseverance that come from something much deeper than strategy or structure. Our faith is not a barrier to our mission; it’s the fuel behind it.
Looking back, we’re grateful for the obstacles. They forced us to define who we are, what we value, and how we want to show up for the children and families we serve. Each new challenge was a stark reminder that faith doesn’t guarantee an easy path.
Today, we’re proud to remain rooted in that faith and continually amazed by God’s provision. Every need met, every story redeemed, every bit of growth we’ve seen, it all points back to Him.
We’re still learning, still growing, and still trusting. But we’ve never been more certain of our “why.”
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Embrace?
At Embrace, our vision is simple but powerful: a loving, stable home for every child. For nearly twenty years, we’ve had the privilege of walking alongside children and families through some of their hardest—and most joyful—moments. As the needs in our community have grown and changed, so has Embrace. But one thing has never changed: our commitment to children who have experienced abuse or neglect, and to the families who care for them.
When caregivers are supported, children thrive. That’s why much of our work focuses on building strong communities around foster, adoptive, and kinship families. We delight in seeing families connect and build new friendships and support systems through programs like our support groups, retreats, and family outings. Of all of our events, the most galvanizing [and fun!] is our Foster Family Campout. What started just four years ago as a modest gathering of 90 attendees at a state park will welcome nearly 400 children and families in 2026! Watching these families laugh, rest, and explore creation reminds us that healing happens best in community. Scaling our events to reach more families has required more financial resources and partnerships but the “secret sauce” behind Embrace is it’s people. Incredibly, with just 6 people on staff, Embrace will provide direct services to 800 children this year. I’m proud of our team’s grit, grace, and determination. The diverse talents and experiences of our staff are vital, but this kind of impact couldn’t happen without Embrace’s incredible network of volunteers. Each year hundreds of volunteers roll up their sleeves to help carry out Embrace’s programming. Some work directly with children in plethora of ways such as; face painting, serving meals, welcoming guests, and functioning as “buddies” to support children with special needs. Many more volunteer work behind the scenes by hosting donation drives, preparing food, organizing craft kits, and helping maintain the landscaping and property at our McKinney campus. Whether serving for a few hours at an event or one day a week at our office, the value of these volunteers’ time is incalculable.
Our name—Embrace—is more than a brand; it’s a promise. We embrace children who feel unseen, families who feel unsupported, and churches who feel unequipped. We embrace change, growth, and opportunity—helping families become more resilient, helping children find belonging, and helping communities rally together.
There’s room in this story for everyone. Whether you volunteer, give, or simply share our mission, you can be part of creating a future where every child knows what it means to belong.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://EmbraceTexas.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/embracetx/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/embracetexas
