Announcing 2017 Adoption Hall of Fame Honorees Senators Blunt and Klobuchar, Representatives Bass and Franks

Media Contact:
Chuck Johnson
(301) 751-3750 cjohnson@adoptioncouncil.org

Announcing 2017 Adoption Hall of Fame Honorees Senators Blunt and Klobuchar, Representatives Bass and Franks

October 30, 2017 – Alexandria, VA – National Council For Adoption is proud to induct Senator Roy Blunt (MO), Senator Amy Klobuchar (MN), Representative Karen Bass (CA), and Representative Trent Franks (AZ) into the 2017 Adoption Hall of Fame. This award is given in recognition of outstanding commitment, service, and sacrifice for the cause of adoption by an individual or organization who has positively impacted the practice of adoption. The 2017 awardees will be honored at a ceremony on November 8th at 5:30–7:00pm at the Business Roundtable in Washington, DC.

This year’s honorees have all served as co-chairs of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption (CCA). For the past 27 years, Members of the CCA—which is the largest bicameral, bipartisan caucus in Congress—have introduced and supported legislation that has made an incredible impact on the lives of children and families. The CCA engages Members of Congress on issues pertaining to children in need of permanency, children in the foster care system, and domestic and international child welfare, and also advocates for every child’s right to a safe, stable, and loving family.

Rep. Karen Bass served as co-chair of the CCA for five years beginning in 2011, and also founded the Congressional Coalition on Foster Youth during her freshman term. Sen. Blunt, Sen. Klobuchar, and Rep. Franks became co-chairs of the CCA on March 24, 2015. Under the leadership of these Members of Congress, the following bills became law, with provisions that have an impact on countless American children, families, and caregivers:

• S.1300 - Adoptive Family Relief Act
• S.184 - Native American Children's Safety Act
• S.192 - Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2016
• S.178 - Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015
• S.524 - Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016
• H.R.4980 - Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act
• H.R.6655 - Protect our Kids Act of 2012

The Adoption Hall of Fame honorees have also supported several bills and resolutions related to foster care and adoption in the 115th Congress, including:

• S.1178 - Vulnerable Children and Families Act of 2017
• S.937 and H.R. 2476 - Adoption Tax Credit Refundability Act of 2017
• H.R.3491 - Protecting Adopted Children Act
• H.R.3418 - FAIR Act
• Senate and House Resolutions recognizing National Foster Care Month
• House Resolution recognizing National Kinship Month 

“After working alongside them for years, I am proud to induct Senators Blunt and Klobuchar and Representatives Bass and Franks into our Adoption Hall of Fame. In fact, no awards or accolades can adequately thank these Members of Congress for the impact they have on families and children, not just here in the United States, but all over the world,” says NCFA president and CEO Chuck Johnson. “These Members and their staff have welcomed the insights of their constituents and child welfare advocates to make children and families a national priority. They’re passionately committed to improving the lives of adopted children and their families, as well as children in foster care and institutional care abroad whose voices deserve to be heard. As co-chairs of the CCA, these Members have gone above and beyond to educate and garner the support of their peers on important adoption issues. On behalf of National Council For Adoption, thank you for your continued service.”

NBC4Washington journalist Barbara Harrison will receive the Warren and Mary Alice Babineaux Award in recognition of extraordinary commitment to creating positive change in the lives of children in foster care who need permanent families. Ms. Harrison created the Wednesday’s Child franchise, which is credited with helping find permanent homes for more than a thousand children in the Washington, DC, area. It has been the model for similar programs in major cities across the nation. Wednesday’s Child, produced and hosted by Ms. Harrison, has run every week for more than 25 years.

NCFA will present the Friend of Adoption Award to Lauren McCormack, Policy Advisor for the office of Senator Roy Blunt, and Bethany Haley, Legislative Assistant for the office of Representative Trent Franks. The Friend of Adoption Award is given in recognition of significant contributions made to the field of adoption by an individual or organization. Ms. McCormack and Ms. Haley have served the CCA’s Senate and House Members by researching adoption and foster care-related policy issues, creating educational materials for policymakers and the public, and facilitating Congressional conversations about adoption.

NCFA will also present the Friend of Adoption Award to Charles and Esther Mully for their commitment to providing safe, permanent homes to more than 23,000 children in Kenya and Tanzania. The public is invited to attend a free private screening of the film MULLY, which spotlights the incredible life of Charles Mully and his family, on November 8th at 8pm at the Navy Memorial’s Burke Theater. Following the screening will be a catered reception with a Q&A with Mr. Mully, his son Dickson, and the filmmakers.

The Adoption Hall of Fame awards ceremony is by invitation only. For a media pass, contact Chuck Johnson at cjohnson@adoptioncouncil.org. Learn more at adoptioncouncil.org/ahof/.

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ABOUT NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR ADOPTION

Founded in 1980, National Council For Adoption (NCFA) is a global adoption advocacy nonprofit that promotes a culture of adoption through education, research, legislative action, and collaboration. As the authoritative voice for adoption, NCFA’s areas of focus include domestic infant adoption, adoption and permanency outcomes for youth in foster care, and intercountry adoption. Passionately committed to the belief that every child deserves to thrive in a nurturing, permanent family, NCFA serves children, birth parents, adoptees, adoptive families, and adoption professionals. In addition, we work tirelessly to educate U.S. and foreign government officials and policymakers, members of the media, and all those in the general public with an interest in adoption.

For more information, visit www.AdoptionCouncil.org.