[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Page 13535]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  TRIBUTE TO KENNETH AND VANESE CEDAR

 Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, every year I have the honor, 
as a member of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, to 
recognize a West Virginia family for its efforts to promote adoption 
and provide homes for our Nation's vulnerable children. It is a 
wonderful program that highlights the change one couple can make in the 
life of a child.
  Throughout my career, I have been a strong advocate of legislation 
that supports adoption and other permanency efforts. I am inspired by 
the men and women who devote their lives to caring for these children. 
Today, I would like to recognize one such West Virginian family: 
Kenneth and Vanese Cedar, who are truly angels in adoption.
  Kenneth and Vanese have cared for 57 children over the years, 
including two biological sons of their own. Currently, they have 
adopted three children and serve as guardians for two teenagers. They 
also care for a foster child. They have raised their children in a 
close and devoted family, taking them to church, teaching them 
gardening and cooking, and playing sports together.
  Even when challenges have arisen, Kenneth and Vanese have remained 
dedicated to helping their own family and other children in need. In 
2009, Kenneth lost his job. Yet the couple took the obstacle as an 
opportunity to go back to school and earn regents bachelor of arts 
degrees, which they hope to use in social work and child protective 
services. When one of their sons nearly passed away from acute 
respiratory disease syndrome, they stood together as a family until he 
recovered, and he recently welcomed a child of his own.
  Kenneth and Vanese Cedar are a selfless and giving couple who deserve 
our respect and admiration. They have provided so many children with 
not simply a home but a family. I would like to thank these angels in 
adoption for the love and care they have provided to so many. They are 
truly an inspiration.

                          ____________________