[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 122 (Tuesday, September 24, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Page S9111]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING ANNA MARIE O'LOUGHLIN

 Mr. CORZINE. Mr. President, I rise today to honor Anna Marie 
O'Loughlin, a woman who has dedicated more than a decade of her life to 
advocating and caring for children in the foster care and adoption 
system. Her boundless energy, courage, and commitment to children make 
her an outstanding parent and an asset to the State of New Jersey. I 
congratulate her on recieving of the 2002 Congressional Angel in 
Adoption Award.
  In 1991, Anna Marie O'Loughlin and her husband, Frank, adopted their 
first child from the New Jersey Division of Youth and Family Services, 
DYFS. Jason, a toddler born drug and alcohol addicted, suffered 
multiple learning disabilities as a result of his unfortunate start in 
life.
  Five years later, Anna Marie and Frank adopted another child, a 10-
year-old boy with an attachment disorder. Later that same year, the 
O'Loughlins volunteered to serve as foster parents, receiving their 
first foster child, an infant girl, in January of 1997. Seven months 
later the infant girl's biological sister joined the family. Anna Marie 
and Frank adopted both girls in December 2000.
  In January 2001, Anna Marie left a thenty-year career in order to be 
more consistently available to her children, and opened her home and 
heart, this time as an emergency placement foster home for older 
children and teenagers. Children aged 2 to 17 passed through her home, 
some in the middle of the night, and moved on when DYFS found a foster 
home. Anna Marie established a particularly special relationship with 
one of these children, a 16-year-old boy who had been in multiple homes 
and treatment facilities. He would soon be forced to leave the foster 
care system due to his age, and would have been left to face an 
uncertain future on his own. However, Anna Marie stepped in with her 
characteristic determination to change that outcome, and in January 
2002, the O'Loughlin home became a permanent foster home for this young 
man.
  Over the course of these years, Anna Marie also became an outspoken 
advocate for children in the foster care and adoption system. She has 
served on the board of Concerned Parents for Adoption in a variety of 
positions, including president from 1996 to 2000. Currently, Anna Marie 
works as a co-trainer for adoptive and foster parent applicants. She 
presents workshops at the Concerned Parents for Adoption conference on 
older child adoption and teenage issues, offering a wealth of 
experience and practical knowledge.
  Anna Marie has said that she cannot help feeling that her work is 
making a difference. Indeed, she has reached out to children in 
desperate need to offer them a better life. As our nation reaffirms its 
commitment to service, Anna Maria is a shining example. Again, I 
congratulate Anna Marie on her well-deserved recognition, and I thank 
her for her tireless efforts on behalf of children.

                          ____________________