Lauren, to start, could you introduce yourself and your role at The Giving Jean. Please share the heart behind your work serving birth parents in Texas for our Texas Adoption Center readers.
Hi! I’m Lauren Lafayette, one of the founders of The Giving Jean, along with my husband Travis.
Several years ago we worked with Texas Adoption Center as we grew our family through adoption. Along with the incredible joy of welcoming our daughter, the experience gave us new eyes into the world of birth parents. Our hearts were gripped with a desire to serve these brave individuals in a meaningful way.
Reading through the profiles and stories, it became clear that no two situations were the same, yet at the core of every decision is a profound, selfless love for their child. In a world with various options for unplanned pregnancies, these birth parents stand out to us as the unsung heroes. Taking this mission to heart, we eventually formalized it by starting The Giving Jean.
Our goal is to meet birth parents and families right where they are in life with meaningful, practical support — encouraging them and showing them they are seen, loved, and not alone. We do this through various giving campaigns throughout the year and during the holiday seasons by loving on, supporting, and serving birth parents beyond placement. We remind them that their sacrifice is honored and their choice is creating and growing families.
What path led you to your role in this space, and which pivotal experiences most shaped your philosophy on supporting birth families?
After adopting our daughter through Texas Adoption Center, we couldn’t forget the powerful stories of the birth mothers we read about during the process. Their courage and selfless love stayed with us long after placement.
That year at Christmas, we reached out to our adoption specialist and worked together to coordinated gifts for several local birth mothers who had placed their child for adoption around the holidays. Many were already parenting other children, so we overwhelmed them with practical love — everything from toilet paper and clothing to groceries and furniture. Our goal was simple, lighten their load and give them a meaningful stepping stone into the next season of life.
That experience changed everything. We knew we couldn’t stop with one Christmas — we had to do more. That’s how The Giving Jean was began.
What inspired you to create an organization that focuses on meeting each family’s unique needs rather than offering a one-size-fits-all approach?
We had gained a new realization that every birth mother’s story is completely unique. Through the profiles we read, we saw single women, career women, young mothers, and older mothers — each at very different stages of life with very different needs.
We set out to truly meet each birth mom where she was — whether that’s additional emotional support and counseling after placement, help with interview clothes for a young mom entering the workforce, or practical needs like a bed to sleep in or books and toys for the children she is parenting. Our desire is to offer personalized, meaningful support that truly makes a difference for each birth family.
Every family’s situation is different. How do you determine what support will have the greatest impact for each individual? Could you walk us through a recent (anonymized) giving plan—from first conversation to delivery—and what made it uniquely effective for that birth family?
Many women facing an unplanned pregnancy are overwhelmed by uncertainty. What would you want them to know about asking for help?
Asking for help during an unplanned pregnancy is one of the bravest things a woman can do. In that moment of humility and courage, she is choosing her child’s well-being above her own comfort and current circumstances — one of the most selfless acts of love a mother can make.
Placing a child for adoption is never easy. It carries a deep emotional and physical toll. But through that difficult choice, she is also creating and growing families in a beautiful way.
If I could speak directly to any birth mother reading this, I would tell her: You are not alone, and asking for help does not make you weak — it makes you strong. The love you have for your child is powerful, and it will always be part of one of the greatest love stories I get to tell my own daughter about her birth mom.
From food to furniture, what operational systems, vendor relationships, or community partnerships let you move essentials quickly and responsibly across Texas?
We rely on a mix of vendor relationships, online platforms, and local partners to move support quickly and responsibly across Texas (and beyond).
Our major campaigns and partners include:
Mother’s Day Flowers: We partner with 1-800-Flowers for beautiful deliveries no matter where the birth mother lives
Back(pack) to School: We fulfill each child’s exact school supply list (for the children the birth mothers are currently parenting) and send everything — including a new backpack — directly to their home. This is handled primarily through Amazon and Walmart for fast, reliable shipping.
ThanksGiving Jean: We team up with Omaha Steaks to deliver high-quality Thanksgiving meals that arrive right on time for the holiday.
Christmas Giving: We fulfill personalized wish lists using a variety of vendors including Walmart, Old Navy, H-E-B, and Wayfair. We also include H-E-B gift cards for grocery needs.
One of our favorite touches is including a beautiful Bible for each birth mom (with a Bible study from The Daily Grace Co.) and an age-appropriate Bible for the children in the home.
We are so blessed by these partnerships and look forward to growing them even more. We’ve been blown away by how generously vendors and companies are willing to help nonprofits when we simply ask.
How do you measure whether a birth family feels more secure and confident after receiving support—what indicators or stories tell you the approach is working?
We don’t use formal measurements or metrics to evaluate success. Instead, we rely on the organic and genuine thank yous we receive from the birth mothers themselves.
We kindly ask (if they’re comfortable) for photos and notes after receiving support. The smiles on their faces and the heartfelt messages they share are invaluable — often bringing tears to our eyes and reminding us of the real difference being made.
During our Christmas deliveries, we also do many in person with a team of volunteers. The tight hugs, tearful eyes, and expressions of joy — especially when moms see how happy their children are — tell us everything we need to know. Those authentic moments confirm that the support is helping them feel seen, loved, and a little less burdened.
Where do agencies like Texas Adoption Center fit into your model, and what’s one practical way caseworkers can collaborate with The Giving Jean to remove friction for birth parents?
Agencies like Texas Adoption Center are at the very heart of our model. They know the birth mothers personally and understand their unique situations, so they’re able to identify who would benefit most from each upcoming campaign.
Over time, as caseworkers become familiar with our mission, they also reach out to us directly for any out-of-cycle needs that arise. They help collect wish lists, coordinate delivery timing, and make in-person deliveries smoother.
Quite simply, the strong relationships we’ve built with agencies like Texas Adoption Center are the reason we’re able to connect meaningfully with birth mothers. We couldn’t do this work without them.
Looking ahead, what is your next big priority for strengthening support to birth families, and how can readers—donors, partners, or volunteers—plug in most meaningfully right now?
Our focus for the rest of this year is expanding our footprint and building greater recognition among adoptive families and anyone touched by adoption. We want others to come alongside us in this mission—supporting our events, helping us grow our internal team, and forming partnerships nationwide to provide effective, compassionate support to birth mothers.
Right now, the most meaningful way to support The Giving Jean right now is simple but powerful: Follow us, share us, and help spread the word. Tell birth mothers about The Giving Jean. Tell adoptive families about The Giving Jean. The more people who know our name and mission, the more birth mothers we can reach with the practical, emotional, and meaningful support they need. Every share, every conversation, and every introduction multiplies our ability to serve.
We’re grateful for every person who helps us make this ministry more visible and impactful.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge and expertise. Is there anything else you’d like to add?
We love sharing the story of how we came up with the name The Giving Jean…
After adopting we felt deeply compelled to pour love, support, and resources into birth moms — it became part of us, like a gene. That passion took on even deeper meaning when we realized the beautiful connection to our own family.
Our sweet daughter’s middle name is Jean — chosen by her birth mother, who picked it out of a hat in the hospital. That name became a precious reminder of the incredible gift we had received and the life-changing sacrifice one brave young woman made for our family.
So when it came time to name this ministry, “The Giving Jean” felt like the perfect fit — a joyful twist that honors our daughter’s birth mother while celebrating every birth mom who changes lives every single day through her courage and love.
We want to express our deepest gratitude to Texas Adoption Center for believing in our ministry and partnering with us to make it a reality.
Thank you for trusting us, for walking alongside birth moms, and for helping us support them with compassion and care — one brave mother at a time. Your partnership means so much and we are truly grateful to serve alongside you.
