[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Page 20254]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                        ANGELS IN ADOPTION AWARD

  Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, as a member of the Congressional 
Coalition on Adoption, I would like to commend Senators Mary Landrieu 
and Larry Craig for their leadership in creating the Angels in Adoption 
program. I am happy to join in this initiative to honor the special 
families that open their hearts and homes when they adopt a child. This 
year I want to recognize a special family from Falling Waters, West 
Virginia as our very own angels in adoption. The Merryman family has 
been nominated for the Angels in Adoption Award by Steve Wiseman, 
Executive Director of West Virginia Developmental Disability Council, 
for being outstanding examples of adoptive parents.
  Scott and Faith Merryman have been happily married for 32 years and 
live in Berkeley County, West Virginia. They both work in the 
disability field, Scott as a supervisory mentor at the Autism Center 
and Faith at the West Virginia Parent Training Information Center, a 
resource center for parents of children with special needs.
  They have 6 children, 8 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. Two 
of their children, Richard and Hope, are adopted and they are in the 
process of adopting another foster child, Charity Megan.
  Richard, who has cerebral palsy, is 26 years old, and now lives in 
his own apartment. Richard is a member of the West Virginia Team of the 
President's Committee on Mental Retardation and attended the 
International Academy in 1999. He is also a member of the West Virginia 
Developmental Disabilities Council and a self-directed activist on 
accessibility and other disability issues.
  Hope was adopted at 13 days old because her birth parents were unable 
to take care of her. She is now 19 years old and enjoys working as an 
Assistant Manager in a local restaurant as well as spending time with 
her family.
  Charity Megan came to the Merryman family when she was 14 months old 
from an institution. She is now 17 years old, and has severe 
disabilities including facial deformities, stunted growth, mental 
retardation, and a seizure disorder.
  Despite the long hours of care and trips to the doctor, Scott and 
Faith say that they have learned a lot about the kind of things money 
can't buy--like love and laughter.
  I am proud to honor the Merrymans for the love that they show their 
family, and to the commitment they share in promoting adoption. In my 
own state of West Virginia, we have had a 51 percent increase in the 
number of adoptions since 1995 because of caring families like the 
Merrymans.
  We as a Nation need to continue to offer our support to these special 
families. As a member of Congress I will continue to introduce 
legislation that will build on the foundation of the 1997 Adoption and 
Safe Families Act to ensure our children a safe and stable home.

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