[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 145 (Wednesday, September 18, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S6140]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO GILLIE HOPKINS

  Mr. WELCH. Mr. President, today I celebrate Rachel Gilbert Hopkins, a 
dedicated Vermonter who has worked to improve our State's adoption 
system and connect children to a loving family.
  Vermont's team within the Department for Children and Families, 
Family Services Division (FSD) is critically important and does life-
changing work every day for children in need. Rachel Gilbert Hopkins, 
or ``Gillie'' as she is known by all, has made an incredible impact. As 
codirector of Project Family, a partnership between Lund and DCF, 
Gillie has overseen the completion of more than 2,260 adoptions, 
advancing child welfare and permanency in our State and changing the 
lives of children and families.
  For this reason alone, she is an excellent nominee for the 
Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute's Angels in Adoption 
honor. But it is also Gillie's far-reaching impact beyond adoption and 
permanency that has inspired this honor, and at the recommendation of 
her friends and peers who have witnessed her dedication, I submit her 
name and this honor to the Record today.
  As her peers say, Gillie has an ``unwavering commitment to 
prioritizing the best interests of every child.'' She conducts 
trainings to empower her colleagues with the tools to advocate for 
children. She also works with the regional offices and the judiciary to 
address the barriers to permanency, using research to establish 
procedures that cultivate efficiency and smoother processes. Gillie has 
created inclusive spaces, groups, and supportive environments for 
people to live authentically and has worked on actions that enhance 
adoption competence among FSD staff.
  Gillie Hopkins is champion for children, families, and Vermont 
communities and is well-deserving of the Angels in Adoption honor 
because of her extraordinary work and dedicated commitment to our 
State.

                          ____________________