[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 123 (Wednesday, September 25, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1650-E1651]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           HONORING LAURAN HOWARD AS AN ``ANGEL IN ADOPTION''

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOE KNOLLENBERG

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 24, 2002

  Mr. KNOLLENBERG. Mr. Speaker, I would like to salute Lauran Howard, 
who will be one of the 277 Angels in Adoption honored tonight at a 
banquet organized by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute 
(CCAI).
  CCAI is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization raising awareness about 
the tens of thousands of foster children in this country and the 
millions of orphans around the world in need of permanent, safe and 
loving homes; and eliminating the barriers that hinder these children 
from realizing their basic need of a family.
  I was proud to nominate Lauran because her work has made a 
significant difference in the lives of children and adoptive families 
in our community. Since graduating from Marygrove College in Detroit, 
MI, Howard has been actively involved in ensuring that children are 
placed with loving families in a timely manner. After working with the 
Michigan Department of Social Services (now the Family Independence 
Agency) as a social worker, she began working as a caseworker for the 
Honorable James Lincoln at the Wayne County Juvenile Court. Later, as a 
shareholder in the firm of Kemp, Klein, Umphrey and Endelman in Troy, 
MI, she concentrated her practice in the adoption and family law areas. 
Lauran is a member of the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys 
(AAAA), having practiced as counsel in hundreds of adoptions.
  Since January 2, 2000, she has been a court administrator in 
adoptions and juvenile support for Oakland County, MI. In that 
position, Lauran attempts to ensure that adoptions are processed 
quickly and in accordance with the Michigan adoption code and court 
rules. Lauran's efforts have helped reduce the time that children spend 
in foster care and guarantee the system is used as a temporary answer 
instead of a permanent solution. The

[[Page E1651]]

swift placement of children in permanent homes is essential to their 
positive development and well-being.
  Adoption allows people the opportunity to extend their homes and 
their hearts to people in need. I commend Lauran Howard for her work to 
break down the barriers that stand between foster children and their 
adoptive families. She is truly worthy of the Angels in Adoption 
recognition.

                          ____________________