Angels In Our Community
One of the most basic needs of a child is to have a safe and loving home, with a family to cherish them and support them. But for hundreds of thousands of children in America—50 million worldwide—unfortunate circumstances have robbed them of the love, support and stability of a family. But among us are "Angels," who are eager to provide loving homes for some of these children.
Some of these angels live in Maine, and one Bangor family was recently honored for their commitment to children.
Each year, Members of Congress have the privilege of recognizing members of the community who have truly made a difference in children's lives through adoption with "Angels in Adoption" awards. As a member of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption, I proudly nominated two of this year's recipients, Shawn and Rita Yardley of Bangor, for their continued efforts on behalf of child welfare and adoption. When the Yardleys came to Washington, D.C. for the "Angels in Adoption" awards ceremony, I congratulated them for all they have done for Maine children.
Shawn and Rita Yardley's commitment to their family and community is truly remarkable. At a time when most families are thinking about what they will do with their free time after their children have left for college, the Yardleys decided to adopt three young sisters who had been in the foster care system. In January, they graciously opened their home to eight-year old Kiana, six-year old Kira, and five-year old Tessa. The girls are a welcome addition to a home that already includes four biological children: Josh, a 2004 graduate of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) who is entering the Peace Corps, twins Shane, a junior at the University of Maine and Jeremy, a junior at Brown University, and Megan, a senior at Bangor High School.
While raising seven children, Shawn and Rita have found a way to devote time to helping others in the community. Shawn has over seventeen years of child welfare management experience with the Maine Department of Human Services, The River Coalition, and as a Faculty Associate in the Social Work Department at the University of Maine. Rita dedicates her time to providing service in schools and has worked for eight years as an educator for special-needs students in the Bangor School Department. Shawn and Rita are also heavily involved in community-based work. Shawn serves on the boards of numerous organizations throughout the state, including the Adoptive and Foster Families of Maine, Catholic Charities of Maine, Maine Mentoring Partnership, United Way of Eastern Maine, and Communities for Children Advisory Council. Rita has also served as the facilitator for the Youth Ministry program at St Mary''s Parish in Bangor for the past 10 years.
And while it is clear that the Yardley family has made a difference in the lives of their three new daughters, they will also tell you that their daughters have touched them in an equally remarkable manner. Shawn said, "Everybody says that the girls are lucky, but we really feel like we are the lucky ones. They have been such a blessing. It's great that these three sisters can be raised together, but it's even greater that they are being raised in our family."
Shawn and Rita truly have been an inspiration to other families in their community. Rita shared that a family in their neighborhood is in the process of adopting a child, after seeing the Yardleys' experience with the girls. She said that even more families have said that they are now considering the option of adoption.
It gives me great pleasure to provide such well-deserved recognition to this exceptional couple. It is extraordinary people like the Yardleys who are making a difference to a growing number of foster children. There are currently more than 535,000 children in the foster care system at any given time in the United States and an estimated 50 million orphans worldwide.
It is for this reason that I was pleased to be a cosponsor of the Adoption Promotion Act of 2003 which was signed into law in December. This legislation reauthorized and improved the Adoption Incentive Program, created as part of the 1997 Adoption and Safe Families Act. The Adoption Incentives Program, which rewards states for their efforts to unite foster children with permanent, loving families, has been a great success. Since the program's inception seven years ago, adoptions in our country have increased by 64 percent. There are, however, still thousands of children nationwide, including 218 children in Maine, in the foster care system who are eligible for adoption but are still waiting for permanent homes. Many older children wait for years to be placed with an adoptive family, if they are adopted at all. I was therefore pleased that the Adoption Promotion Act included a new incentive to encourage the adoption of older children. Older children also need a stable and loving environment so that they can grow up to be happy, healthy, and productive adults.
It is efforts such as those being made by the "Angels in Adoption" program and the Adoption Promotion Act that are raising public awareness of the ways that committed individuals can help children through adoption and foster care. And it is the example set by people like Shawn and Rita that will inspire others to think about adopting.
