Senator David Perdue Honors Amanda Smith Alexander as an Angel in Adoption™
To Be Recognized at National Event in Washington, D.C.
Congratulations to Amanda Alexander! Amanda will be awarded the 2015 Angels In Adoption awardee for outstanding advocacy in adoption issues. It has been a privilege to walk alongside Bryan and Amanda through the last several years as they have advocated for Anna as well as many other children. Congratulations, Amanda!
Chickamauga, Georgia – August 24, 2015 – Senator David Perdue has selected Mrs. Amanda Smith Alexander as a 2015 Angels in Adoption™ awardee for her outstanding advocacy of adoption issues. The Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI), which orchestrates the Angels in Adoption™ Program, will honor Mrs. Alexander at an awards ceremony on October 6 and gala on October 7 in Washington, D.C.
Amanda Alexander, originally from Fort Payne, Alabama, and husband, Bryan, adopted a little girl from Russia in 2008. Anna‘s diagnoses include severe RAD and FAS. Amanda has sought out therapies and treatments all over the country for Anna, while raising their biological daughters, Sara and Lucy. Amanda is also Stepmother to twin boys, Tyler and Tanner.
Amanda, who is originally from Fort Payne, AL, is a graduate of both the University of Alabama and Freed-Hardeman University, retired early from her career with Tennessee Valley Authority to be a full time advocate for Anna.
Amanda’s heart has reached out to so many other adoptive parents who are experiencing the ups and downs of adoption and disabilities. She set up a closed Facebook group to support parents through the special needs journey. She deals with helping our children with VERY special needs such as RAD, FAS/ TBI, ODD, Autism, DID/ dissociation, etc. It’s a great place to talk to other parents going through similar issues and challenges. To Amanda, it’s about support and loving our children.
With a husband, new baby, a 4 year old daughter, a child with severe RAD and FASD, her mother (who was diagnosed with breast cancer this year), Amanda still makes the time to support other parents on their adoption journeys.
The Angels in Adoption™ Program is CCAI’s signature public awareness campaign and provides an opportunity for all members of the U.S. Congress to honor the good work of their constituents who have enriched the lives of foster children and orphans in the United States and abroad. This year, more than 150 “Angels” are being honored through the Angels in Adoption™ program.
“The Angels in Adoption™ Program is a unique annual opportunity in the nation’s Capital to shine a well-deserved spotlight on the power of adoption and the unspoken heroes who have made the dream of a family a reality for children. Since the program’s inception, over 2,200 Angels have come to Washington to share their firsthand adoption experiences with Members of Congress, highlighting its joys, as well as the barriers encountered in the process,” said Becky Weichhand, Executive Director at CCAI. “Members of Congress are then able to use their new experiential understanding of these issues to create policy improvements that better support these children and the families that open their hearts and homes to them.”
In addition to the more than 150 Angels from around the country, National Angels in Adoption™ honorees will be recognized at the gala for their dedication and commitment nationally and internationally to child welfare on a grand scale. This year’s National Angels in Adoption™ honoree is singer Rachel Crow. Former National Angels include Korie and Willie Robertson, Deborra-Lee Furness Jackman, First Lady Laura Bush, Patti LaBelle, Jane Seymour, Muhammad Ali, the late Dave Thomas, Steven Curtis Chapman, Bruce Willis, Alonzo Mourning, Rhea Perlman and Kristin Chenoweth.
CCAI is a 501(c)3 nonpartisan organization dedicated to raising awareness about the tens of thousands of orphans and foster children in the United States and the millions of orphans around the world in need of permanent, safe, and loving homes through adoption.
CCAI was created in 2001 by the active co-chairs of the bicameral, bipartisan Congressional Coalition on Adoption, one of Congress’ premiere caucuses. The goal of the caucus is to eliminate policy barriers that hinder these children from realizing their basic right of a family and more effectively raise Congressional and public awareness about adoption.
The Angels in Adoption™ Program was established in 1999 as a[ Congressional press conference to honor outstanding individuals. Since then, the program has developed into a yearlong public awareness campaign, culminating in an extraordinary awards gala and celebration in Washington, D.C.
CCAI does not receive any government funding and relies on the generous support of foundations, corporations, and individuals to accomplish this mission. For more information, visit www.ccainstitute.org or www.angelsinadoption.org.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Allison Coble, Senior Director of Programs
Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute
allison@ccainstitute.org
(p) 202-544-8500