[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 135 (Saturday, November 20, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2126-E2127]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   RECOGNIZING NATIONAL ADOPTION DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JIM COOPER

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                      Saturday, November 20, 2004

  Mr. COOPER. Mr. Speaker, on this Saturday, National Adoption Day, 
courts across the country will be finalizing the adoptions of 
approximately 3,000 former foster care children, including several 
dozen children in my home state of Tennessee. I rise today in 
celebration of National Adoption Day and in honor of these newly-
adopted children and their families.
  This year marks the fifth National Adoption Day, which was founded in 
part by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute. I am proud 
to be a member of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption, and I have 
made it one of my priorities in Congress to ensure that all children in 
foster care are placed in loving, permanent homes.
  Many children in foster care face long odds for adoption. In 2001, 
only about 50,000 children were adopted out of foster care, while as 
many as 129,000 children were left waiting. While the number of 
children being adopted out of foster care has been increasing, it is 
obvious that we have a long way to go.
  I believe that our churches and communities must come together with 
government to help end this crisis, and that is why I've introduced 
H.R. 4431, the One Church, One Child Act of 2004.
  This bill is based on a highly successful adoption ministry begun by 
a Catholic priest in

[[Page E2127]]

Chicago, Fr. George Clements, more than two decades ago. The concept of 
One Church, One Child is simple: it is a challenge to every faith 
community and congregation to adopt or foster one child. If every 
church, synagogue and mosque in America took up this challenge, the 
nation's foster care problem would be virtually erased overnight. My 
bill would provide grant funding for community and faith based 
organizations to recruit and train new foster and adoptive parents and 
to involve faith communities in building better lives for abused and 
neglected children in need of loving homes.
  On this National Adoption Day, I am proud to honor the thousands of 
families across the nation who have opened their homes and their hearts 
to a foster child. And I look forward to the day when every child in 
foster care can count on finding a loving and permanent home.

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