[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 19]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 27052-27053]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 ON THE 2007 ANGELS IN ADOPTION PROGRAM

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. NANCY E. BOYDA

                               of kansas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 10, 2007

  Mrs. BOYDA of Kansas. Madam Speaker, on October 4, 2007, I had the 
great pleasure of seeing one of the finest constituents of the Second 
District of Kansas honored as an Angel in Adoption. This award was 
given by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption, of which I am proud 
to be a member. The story of the Second District's Angel in Adoption, 
Stuart Griffiths, is a story of hard work, commitment, and humility. It 
is a story that I am proud to share today.
  Stuart started working with children during college when he was a 
wrestling coach. He gave rides to and from practice to a young man 
living in a group home and decided there was more that he could do to 
help. He began volunteering at the young man's group home--helping with 
homework, playing ball, whatever was needed--until he was asked to 
become the assistant director. After working in public schools in 
Lawrence, Kansas, he returned to his hometown of Clay Center and became 
a foster parent. Over the years Stuart has hosted 32 foster children. 
Eventually he was told by a caseworker, ``You ought to become a social 
worker because you're already doing it so you might as well get paid 
for it.'' So Stuart returned to school and earned a degree in social 
work. He jokes that he made this decision before anyone told him how 
much social workers earn. All joking aside, he has devoted the last 8 
years of his life to working in child protective services.
  Part of what makes Stuart's story unique is that he has made a 
conscious effort to help children with special needs. He told 
caseworkers he ``wanted the kids nobody else wants,'' and they 
listened. He was contacted by social workers from surrounding 
communities to help children who needed extra care and attention. Over 
the years, he has helped children who were victims of abuse or had 
behavioral problems grow and mature into successful and talented 
adults.

[[Page 27053]]

  Stuart now has 5 adopted sons, ranging in age from 14 to 19. Another 
remarkable aspect of his story is that he is a single parent. In 
addition to his job and responsibilities as a parent, Stuart also runs 
the football little league in his community and coaches his own team. 
He is the epitome of a public servant. Despite his tremendous 
contribution to the community, Stuart is incredibly humble. In his 
stories he continually talks about the many accomplishments of his 
sons. When asked about the incredible commitment he has made, he simply 
says, ``I wanted to take the next step.''
  I was thrilled to meet with Stuart and his 5 sons in Washington on 
Thursday. I know we both hope that this award and Stuart's recognition 
will raise awareness about the importance of adoption and foster care. 
Stuart has been able to create a stable, brighter future for his 
children, who might otherwise have drifted from family to family in the 
foster care system, never really having someone to call ``Dad.'' For 
me, Stuart's words have the most resonance--``I just hope this 
encourages other folks to adopt.''

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