Congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge Honors Bernadette Kerrigan as an Angel in Adoption™

Center for Families and Children's Chief Operating Officer To Be Recognized at National Event in Washington, D.C.

CLEVELAND, Oct. 5, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge has selected Bernadette Kerrigan as a 2011 Angels in Adoption™ awardee for her outstanding advocacy of adoption and foster care issues. The Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI), which orchestrates the Angels in Adoption™ program, will honor Ms. Kerrigan, along with more than 190 Angels, this week at an awards ceremony and gala event in Washington, D.C.

Ms. Kerrigan, who was officially nominated by the Adoption Network of Greater Cleveland, is being honored for her life-long commitment to children in need which began with a career as a medical social worker at Rainbow, Babies and Children Hospital of Cleveland. Ms. Kerrigan joined United Way of Cleveland in 1989 where she led a community process to invest over $300 million into local health and human services agencies. She has been recognized nationally and locally for her work in launching outcomes measurements for United Way in Cuyahoga, Medina and Geauga counties. After 17 years at United Way, Kerrigan then accepted the Chief Operating Officer position at Center for Families and Children in 2006 and has been instrumental in the organization's growth plan and continuing to develop its role as a safe haven for families, children and adults dealing with poverty in the community. Kerrigan credits being a single, adoptive parent of her two children, ages 7 and 6, as her biggest accomplishment.

"I am extremely humbled to be recognized by an outstanding organization that embodies the same beliefs that so many of us fight for everyday," said Kerrigan. "The clients that I work with and my own two children deserve to be reared in a loving and safe environment. I can't imagine my life without my two daughters and CCAI's work to help other children find a loving and safe home is critical to every community around the world."

The Angels in Adoption™ program is CCAI's signature public awareness campaign and provides an opportunity for all members of the U.S. 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.

"The Angels in Adoption program is a unique and rewarding program. Through this effort, over 1700 'Angels' have descended on our Nation's Capitol to share their adoption experience and left with a renewed excitement of all that adoption makes possible," said Congresswoman Fudge. "Bernadette Kerrigan has earned our community's thanks for her tireless efforts on behalf of children in need. I fully support the mission of Angels in Adoption. This program and our caring 'angels' help to expand awareness among Members of Congress and encourage them to use the power they have toward making the dream of a family a reality for every child. "

In addition to the more than 190 local angels from around the country, several "National Angels" will also be recognized at the ceremony and gala for their dedication and commitment nationally and internationally to child welfare on a grand scale. This year's National Angels are Academy Award nominated actor and screenwriter, Nia Vardalos, NFL Linebacker Scott Fujita, and the Emmy nominated television program Freddie Mac's Wednesday's Child. Former National Angels include 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.

The Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI) is a 501(c)3 nonpartisan organization dedicated to raising awareness about the tens of thousands of orphans and foster children in the United States and the millions of orphans around the world in need of permanent, safe, and loving homes through adoption. CCAI's goal is the elimination of the barriers that hinder these children from realizing their basic right of a family.

CCAI was created in 2001 by the active co-chairs of the bicameral, bipartisan Congressional Coalition on Adoption (CCA) to more effectively raise Congressional and public awareness about the issue of adoption.

CCAI does not receive any government funding and they rely on the generous support of foundations, corporations, and individuals to accomplish their mission. For more information visit http://www.ccainstitute.org/.

For more information about Center for Families and Children, please visit www.c4fc.org.

SOURCE Center for Families and Children