[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 17]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 24039]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING THE MARINO-CAPPELLO FAMILY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. SCOTT GARRETT

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 3, 2008

  Mr. GARRETT of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I am pleased that this week 
the Senate has followed the House in passing the Fostering Connections 
to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008, H.R. 6893. This 
landmark legislation will make significant improvements to child 
welfare through numerous provisions, including reauthorizing the 
Adoption Incentive Program and increasing education oversight for youth 
in foster care.
  I would also like to recognize Voice for Adoption, an organization 
that works to improve our adoption policies. There are 129,000 children 
in foster care who are waiting to be adopted, and many families who 
wish to adopt. These numbers may sound daunting, but Voice for Adoption 
positively illustrates the need to adopt through the Adoptive Family 
Portrait Project. This program promotes adoption by matching Members of 
Congress with a photo of an adoptive family from their district or 
State.
  It has been my privilege to participate in this project for the 
second year in a row and I have decided to display the photo in my DC 
office for an entire year. The 2008 theme emphasizes the importance of 
sibling connections for youth in foster care and adoptive placements.
  I am honored to recognize the Marino-Cappello family. Sandy Marino 
and her husband Sam Cappello were moved when they learned about the 
many waiting children in the New Jersey foster care system. Five 
adoptions later, they have been blessed with Kirby, who was adopted as 
an infant from South Korea; Percy, Maya and Violet, who are birth 
siblings adopted separately as infants; and Helena, adopted at seven 
months. Caring for medically-fragile, drug-affected infants has 
stretched the Marino-Cappello family to new limits. They deserve praise 
for their willingness to provide permanent, loving homes for children 
in foster care, despite challenges.
  H.R. 6893 will help families like the Marino-Cappellos to better 
provide for the special needs of children adopted from foster care. I 
applaud the passage of this much-needed legislation.

                          ____________________