NASHVILLE—U.S. Representative Jim Cooper has
selected Josh and Katrina Hildabrand of Mt.
Juliet as the 2009 Angels in Adoption
from Tennessee’s
5th District for their outstanding advocacy of foster care issues. Cooper, who serves on the advisory board of
the Congressional Coalition of Adoption Institute, has chosen the Hildabrands because
of their extensive involvement with the foster care system and their dedication
to improving the lives of foster youth.
The Hildabrands
first became foster parents in 2002 and have since served over 30 children in
their home, in addition to raising their own daughter and adopting a son. The third
generation in her family to become involved with adoption or foster care,
Katrina also worked with foster children while pursuing her Bachelor’s degree
in social work, an experience that she credits as the beginning of her passion
for helping children of the foster care system.
“The Hildabrands are exceptional people whose compassion and commitment deserve
to be recognized, and I am honored to nominate them for the Angels in Adoption program,” Cooper
said. “Their life story is remarkable
and their love for foster youth is contagious.”
The Hildabrands
will travel to Washington
to receive their award. They will
continue to encourage others to become involved and say any efforts to help the
lives of youth will never be wasted. “No
matter the magnitude of your gestures, you will be touching lives and helping
to change the future,” said Katrina Hildabrand.
Sponsored by the
Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, The Angels in Adoption
program was established in 1999 as a way for Congress to recognize individuals
who have enriched the lives of
foster children and orphans in the United States and abroad. The program strives to raise public awareness
about the issue of adoption and concludes in an awards gala for its honorees in
Washington, D.C. For more information, visit http://www.ccainstitute.org/.
