CARY PLT. — Senator Susan Collins will celebrate John and Gail Neher of Cary Plantation as 2016 Angels in Adoption awardees for their outstanding advocacy of adoption and foster care issues.
The Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI), which orchestrates the Angels in Adoption program, will honor the couple at an awards ceremony on Sept. 20 and a gala on Sept. 21 in Washington, D.C.
The Nehers have adopted 11 Maine teenage girls for a total of 15 children. Their latest adoption was on Aug. 3. They provide a foster home for girls who have failed in other foster homes or are involved in the justice system.
The Nehers’ commitment to their children is extraordinary. They have driven long distances to help these young ladies continue connections with their birth families and to seek specialized services which are not available in northern Maine.
The Nehers are strong advocates for adoption, having worked with Adoptive and Foster Families of Maine for many years in connecting families considering adoption in Aroostook County with adoption organizations which are primarily located in southern and central Maine.
Gail Neher has served on AFFM’s Board of Directors and has taught a fundamentals training program for new adoptive, kinship and foster families. She has traveled twice to Washington D.C. to advocate on a national level for Maine’s young people in state custody.
The Angels in Adoption Program is CCAI’s signature public awareness event and provides an opportunity for Congress to honor the good work of their constituents who have enriched the lives of foster children and orphans in the United States and abroad. This year, more than 140 “Angels” are being honored.
“The Angels in Adoption Program is a unique annual opportunity in the nation’s capital to shine a well-deserved spotlight on the power of adoption and the unspoken heroes who have made the dream of a family a reality for children,” said Becky Weichhand, Executive Director at CCAI.
Since the program’s inception, over 2,500 Angels have come to Washington to share their firsthand adoption experiences with Members of Congress, highlighting its joys, as well as the barriers encountered in the process”Members of Congress are then able to use their new experiential understanding of these issues to create policy improvements that better support these children and the families that open their hearts and homes to them.”
In addition to the more than 150 Angels from around the country, National Angels in Adoption honorees will be recognized at the gala for their dedication and commitment nationally and internationally to child welfare on a grand scale. This year’s National Angels in Adoption honoree is the Minnesota Vikings. Former National Angels include Korie and Willie Robertson, Shonda Rhimes, Deborra-Lee Furness Jackman, First Lady Laura Bush, Patti LaBelle, Jane Seymour, Muhammad Ali, the late Dave Thomas, Steven Curtis Chapman, Bruce Willis, Alonzo Mourning, Rhea Perlman and Kristin Chenoweth.
CCAI is a 501(c)3 nonpartisan organization created in 2001 by the co-chairs of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption. It is dedicated to raising awareness about orphans and foster children in the United States and around the world in need of permanent, safe and loving homes through adoption. The organization receives no government funding but relies on support of foundations, corporations and individuals.
The Angels in Adoption Program was established in 1999 as a congressional press conference to honor outstanding individuals. Since then, the program has developed into a yearlong public awareness campaign, culminating in an extraordinary awards gala and celebration in Washington, D.C.
