Pat Lee

I am a Fairhope native. I was born in Fairhope and am so blessed to have lived here almost my entire life. My husband Jim and I had ten children. Four were homemade, five internationally adopted, and one who came to spend the night and lived with us until she left for college. God called me to adoption in 1973. We completed our first two adoptions from Vietnam in 1975 shortly after Vietnam fell. After learning so much about children who would probably never know the joy of a forever family, I began doing relief work in South America and India. It was during this time that God called me to step out and open an agency. I thank Him, that He allowed me this opportunity to help couples and single moms build their families through adoption. I now have over 2,000 beloved grandchildren through Children of the World. To God be the Glory!

Teresa Boone

I began completing home studies for Children of the World over 15 years ago and became Executive Director in 2009. I am constantly impressed with the dedication of this staff and the quality of adoptive parents that we have the privilege to assist in their adoption journeys. As a social worker, I have the privilege of following up with many of our families after they come home with their children. It is an absolute blessing to see how the children adjust, grow and thrive in loving families.

In our spare time, my husband of 52 years, Rodney, and I enjoy our two grandchildren, gardening and rock hounding all over this great country.
 

Terri Thompson

I am the oldest daughter of Pat Lee, Children of the World’s founder. I am married, have two children, and two grandchildren. My entire life has revolved around adoption. Our large international family has always been in the spotlight in our small Fairhope community, educating thousands about the true love of family. I have worked with Children of the World since 1999 with an amazing front row seat to the many miracles that God has accomplished through adoptive families and our agency.
 

Tonya Fistein

It has always been a dream of mine to work with children and families, which is why I left the finance world 17 years ago to study psychology. I began my second career in the mental health field as a crisis intervention specialist in 2009. I began working with Children of the World, Inc. in 2018. I have 5 adopted siblings myself and have lived the beauty and heartache of adoption my entire life. I married Daniel almost 24 years ago, and we have 3 amazing children by birth and so many more through blessings and fostering over the years. My favorite hobbies are mothering, cooking, history, and traveling. I consider it a true blessing to be a part of helping bring together forever families, assisting birth mother’s in their beautiful choice of placement and continuing to support them all along their journey.

Amber Mofield

I began working for Children of the World in 2017 as an Adoption Coordinator.  I am still amazed and blessed that I get to play a small part in bringing families together.  I currently reside in Silverhill with my husband and two children.  I am a member of Silverhill First Baptist Church, a Cub Scout and Scouts BSA leader, and a board member of several local committees and foundations. I love spending time with my family, fishing, camping, and reading.

Mary Beth Nelson

I was adopted from Kolkata, India and grew up in a family were adoption was always front and center. I am also one of Pat Lee’s daughters. I live in Fairhope with my husband (also adopted) and my 3 wonderful children.  I have been working off and on in adoption since I was about 16 years old. After high school I went to school for Early Childhood and Elementary Education, but seemed to always find my way back to COTW. In 2017, we adopted our youngest daughter from India and I came back on board at Children of the World. I am blessed to be able to work with children all day and help build families at night. Adoption is something I have lived since the moment I was born and I am blessed to get to be part of Children of the World. Without adoption I wouldn’t be ME! God is so good!

Cierra Foster

I have had an unexplainable passion for adoption ever since I was old enough to grasp the concept of what it was. This passion stayed with me as I grew up, and I ended up going to college for Social Work because of it.  After getting my BSW and MSW, my husband and I moved to Mobile in 2022. I started doing research about adoption agencies in the area, and I quickly discovered that Children of the World had a wonderful reputation of successfully guiding families through their adoption journeys. I immediately knew that I wanted to be a part of their mission. I soon started completing home studies for Children of the World, and now, I have been hired as an official part of the team.  I feel so blessed to say that working in adoption is a lifelong dream come true!