GREENVILLE BUSINESSMAN RECEIVES "ANGEL IN ADOPTION" AWARD
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:Somer Flowers, SC Heart Gallery Foundation Board Member 864-256-0618 SomerLFlowers@gmail.com GREENVILLE BUSINESSMAN RECEIVES "ANGEL IN ADOPTION" AWARD
The Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI), which orchestrates the Angels in Adoption® Program, will honor Greenvillian Clark Smith at an awards ceremony on September 26 and gala on September 27 in Washington, D.C.
Congressman Trey Gowdy (SC-04) congratulated Mr. Smith for his outstanding advocacy as Chairman of South Carolina Heart Gallery Foundation.
“Congratulations to our Angel in Adoption, Clark Smith, Chairman of the South Carolina Heart Gallery Foundation. Through his passion for video production and his heart for foster children, he has opened the door for hundreds of families looking into adoption. His impact on the lives of South Carolina’s foster care community is immeasurable."
“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. Since the program’s inception, over 2,600 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,” said Becky Weichhand, Executive Director at CCAI.
Clark Smith is being honored because his extensive background in video production, business development, and marketing has made an incredible impact on children in foster care who are waiting to be adopted. Clark has chaired the South Carolina Heart Gallery Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, since January 2009. The Foundation provides media and marketing support for the South Carolina Heart Gallery, which recruits adoptive families for children in foster care. In 2014, Clark began filming live interviews with the children who attended Heart Gallery photo shoots. The ability to virtually meet the children led to a significant increase in child-specific inquiries, as well as to hundreds more potential families applying to adopt. Many foster children have been matched with their forever family simply as a result of the video interview Clark facilitated.
The Angels in Adoption® Program is CCAI’s signature public awareness event 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. This year, more than 120 “Angels” are being honored through the Angels in Adoption® Program.
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.
CCAI does not receive any government funding and relies on the generous support of foundations, corporations, and individuals to accomplish this mission. For more information, visit www.ccainstitute.org.
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