Holt International is celebrating 55 years of service at their annual international forum held here in Washington, DC this weekend.  Holt began their work as an adoption agency operating in Korea as a response to the many orphaned children that needed families following the Korean war.  This organization helped to pioneer international adoption as we know it, while continuing to evaluate and improve the practice over the past 55 years.  Holt now operates in over 10 countries and has place more than 40,000 children with loving families through intercountry adoption.

CCAI joined Holt at a reception this afternoon as part of their forum to share congratulatory remarks and highlight their good work:

We have found that there is no shortage of passion on the issues of adoption here on Capitol Hill – federal policymakers care deeply about finding families for every child in the world – what they sometimes lack are the “roadmaps” to making that possible. And that is where organizations like Holt step in.

CCAI has not only counted on Holt International to be a leader in our effort to raise awareness of the millions of children around the world living without a safe, loving and permanent family and to eliminate the legal and policy barriers that prevent these children from realizing that basic right,  but to a great extent we know that it is because of Holt’s  leadership that these efforts are even possible.  In particular, I would like to acknowledge the skilled advocacy and unmistakable passion of Susan Soon-keum Cox who many on the Hill know to be a voice for adopted children everywhere.

Now more than ever we must stand together and defend children’s right to a family — be it the right to stay in the family to which they are born; be it the right to live forever with their grandparents, aunt or uncle; be it the right to live in an adoptive family in their own country; or be it the right to live in a family here in the United States. 

CCAI was pleased to present Kim Brown, Holt International’s CEO, a congratulatory letter signed by the co-chairs of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption caucus, Sen. Mary Landrieu, Sen. Jim Inhofe, Rep. Karen Bass, and Rep. Michele Bachmann.