Congressional Award: Angels in Adoption

I haven't had time to write, but I'm in Washington, D.C. accepting a congressional award for adoption.

I wish I had more time to write right now, but I am too exhausted. I heard some amazing stories, and one day soon I hope to share them with you.

We were told to act as "lobbyists" and lobby for our causes. We had a "Hill Day" to do so. That was yesterday (Tuesday.) We were placed in groups and then taken to various offices of lawmakers to talk about the plight of the orphan, essentially.

For once, I had the least amount to say. The two couples in my group were extremely passionate about open records and recognizing Fetal Alcohol Syndrome as a diagnosis. Again, more to come later.

Today, we were given our "angel" pins... and wrapped up the three-day-event with a gala. I shook hands with Kristin Chenoweth and sat a few tables behind Rhea Perlman and Danny DeVito. It was pretty incredible. I cried through half of the gala... it was that inspirational!

In the meantime, here are some pictures from today:

Angels in Adoption, Thank you Mr. Blunt

I posted this on my Facebook page a while back, but I guess I've been neglecting my blog. I recently received a great honor, and I wanted to share it here.

I will be traveling to Washington, D.C. early next month to accept a Congressional award for my volunteer work in adoption. As many of you know, I've been a huge advocate for adoption for several years. The Wednesday's Child segments on KSPR have been going well, but I would like to see more participation from the community. We'll get there.

I loved, loved, loved being an escort for Korean adoptees. There's nothing better than flying halfway across the world to bring a baby home to the United States. The first time I did it was in 1998, and I remember that's when families could still go right up to the gate. That baby cried all the way from Seoul to Tulsa, but I was the one crying when we gave him to his parents.

I've never said this on my blog, but I would probably leave TV news if I thought I could work with Korean adoptees or for an international adoption agency... but what would I do? I admire social workers, but the work is too exhausting.

I once thought I could be a social worker in 1998. I was at KU. I took my first social work class-- it would also be my last. I thought I'd go to the class and automatically learn about my interest, international adoption. However, I learned about poverty, mental illness and the sacrifices social workers make. One day, I was sitting in a huge lecture hall, and my professor started crying. She had just learned one of her former students had been murdered in New York. The former student was now a social worker and had been killed as a result of being mugged.

So... although I am thrilled and honored to be accepting a Congressional award for my volunteerism, it does not even compare to the daily contributions our social workers make. They should be honored every day!
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On a side note, I should thank Congressman Roy Blunt. He is the one who nominated me for this honor. As many people know, Mr. Blunt adopted a boy from Russia a few years ago, and Charlie is so cute!