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January/February 2001Vol. 2, No. 1HHS Announces Winners of Adoption 2002 Excellence Awards

States, organizations, businesses, individuals, and families were recognized by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as "Adoption 2002" Excellence Award recipients on November 20, 2000.

Given annually since 1997, the awards honor those who help abandoned, neglected, or abused children find permanent, loving families. The awards are part of President Clinton's "Adoption 2002" initiative, which seeks to double by 2002 the number of children in foster care who are adopted or otherwise permanently placed.

"It is gratifying to once again confer this honor on a group of people who really are making a difference for children," said Olivia A. Golden, HHS assistant secretary for children and families. "They stand as examples of the many thousands of others across the country who are also involved in helping foster children move to permanent, stable, and loving homes."

A committee representing non-profit agencies, child welfare and adoption advocates, adoptive parents, foundations, the business community, and State and Federal offices chose the award winners. The 12 winners and the categories that they were selected from were:

  • Increased Adoptions--Maine Department of Human Services, Bureau of Child and Family Services, Augusta, Maine.
  • Increased Permanency for Children with Special Needs--Florida Department of Children and Families, Division of Family Safety, District 11 Adoptions Team, Miami
  • Support for Adoptive Families--AFTER (Adoptive Family Therapeutic and Educational Resources), Monterey, CA; Georgia Department of Human Resources, Office of Adoptions, Atlanta; New York State Citizens' Coalition for Children, Inc., Ithaca, NY.
  • Public Awareness--Larry Whiteside, Franklin County Children's Services, Columbus, Ohio.
  • Individual Contributions--Kaaren Hebert, Department of Social Services, Lafayette, LA; Carolyn E. Smith, Massachusetts Adoptions Resource Exchange, Inc., Boston.
  • Family--Carmelo and Nydia Sanchez, foster parents, Chicago.
  • Applied Scholarship and/or Research--Jeanne A. Howard and Susan Livingston Smith, Illinois State University, Normal, IL.
  • Philanthropy--Illinois Hospital and Health Systems Association, Naperville, IL.
  • Decrease in the time children in foster care wait for permanency--Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services, Conservatorship/Adoption Programs of Cameron and Hidalgo Counties, Edinburg, Texas.

For full descriptions of each winner's accomplishments, download a copy of the HHS press release at: http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2000pres/20001120.html.

Related Item

See "HHS Awards Adoption Bonuses and Grants" in the November 2000 issue of the CB Express for information about other adoption bonuses and grants awarded by the Department of Health and Human Services.