Adoption Awards to Honor Delilah, Mayor Muriel Bowser, and Others

ALEXANDRIA, Va., November 7, 2018 (Newswire.com) - ​​​​​​National Council For Adoption (NCFA) is proud to induct nationally syndicated radio host Delilah into the 2018 Adoption Hall of Fame at a ceremony the evening of Thursday, November 8th in Washington, DC. Honorees receiving the Friend of Adoption Award include Mayor Muriel Bowser, Gregory A. Castanias, and Stan Collender.

“As a beloved radio host with a massive following, Delilah has been an inspiration to millions of people, serving as a friendly voice for callers to chat with throughout life's ups and downs,” says NCFA president and CEO Chuck Johnson. “With a loving heart, Delilah has made a home for the 10 children she has adopted. She is an incredible advocate for children to have loving, permanent families. Through her work at Point Hope—a non-profit organization she founded over a decade ago—Delilah is committed to advocating for children in foster care and providing resources that reduce the burden on foster parents and let kids in care know they are not forgotten. We thank Delilah for being a voice for children in need, and we are proud to induct her into our Adoption Hall of Fame this year.”

With a loving heart, Delilah has made a home for the 10 children she has adopted. She is an incredible advocate for children to have loving, permanent families. Through her work at Point Hope—a non-profit organization she founded over a decade ago—Delilah is committed to advocating for children in foster care and providing resources that reduce the burden on foster parents and let kids in care know they are not forgotten. We thank Delilah for being a voice for children in need, and we are proud to induct her into our Adoption Hall of Fame this year.

Chuck Johnson, President and CEO

NCFA is also pleased to honor Washington, DC’s Mayor Muriel Bowser with the Friend of Adoption Award. This week, Mayor Bowser became the first DC Mayor to win reelection since 2002. Says Ryan Hanlon, Vice President of Education, Research, and Constituent Services, “As a non-profit advocacy organization, National Council For Adoption educates policymakers across the political spectrum about needs within the adoption community. We’ve often found that adoption is a uniting cause—one that both sides of the aisle are proud to support. Mayor Bowser’s adoption of her baby girl was met with overwhelming support across Washington, reminding us that we all share a common interest in helping children thrive in permanent, loving families.”

The Adoption Hall of Fame event will be opened by Chairman of the Board of Directors Wayne W. Sharp, Ph.D., and will feature presenters Jane Castanias, Nathan Gwilliam (Adoption.com), and Joseph Firschein. Sponsors and supporters include: Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, America’s Christian Credit Union, Gladney Center for Adoption, Haefele-Flanagan, The Meltzer Group/NFP, The Russell Group, and United Bank.

A full list of past honorees is available at AdoptionCouncil.org/Awards.

About Delilah

National Council For Adoption’s 2018 Adoption Hall of Fame inductee is nationally syndicated radio personality Delilah Rene (known professionally simply as “Delilah”). As an adoptive mother and advocate, she has demonstrated a decades-long commitment to children in need of a family and has used her radio platform to celebrate adoption and raise awareness of children waiting to be adopted from the U.S. foster care system.

Delilah, the most-listened-to-woman on radio in North America, fell in love with radio as a fifth-grader in her hometown of Reedsport, Oregon. Today, her soothing voice, open heart, and love of music has expanded her audience from the folks in Reedsport to more than eight million people on over 200 radio stations in the U.S. and Canada.

Delilah is the mother of 13 children, two of whom now reside in Heaven. Also the step-mother to five wonderful young adults and married to Paul, her life is full beyond measure. Ten of her children are adopted; four of them were from the foster care system in Washington State, two of them were orphans from Ghana, West Africa (Sammy, her son who passed away from Sickle Cell Anemia complications, was one of these children), and three of them were Liberian refugees also living in Ghana. She advocates for reform in the foster care system and lives the belief of finding forever families for as many children as there are available to adopt.

Delilah founded Point Hope, a non-profit organization, in 2005. Point Hope's mission is to raise awareness and champion the cause for forgotten children. The organization serves children in Ghana and in U.S. foster care, providing hope and care in the form of programs, individual attention, and the creation of self-sustainable programs that benefit families and persons domestically and worldwide.

About Mayor Bowser

Muriel Bowser is a proud fifth generation Washingtonian and has served as Washington, DC’s Mayor since 2015. As Mayor, she is focused on building pathways to the middle class, making the city’s prosperity more inclusive, and fostering a culture of inclusion, transparency, and action. Previously, Mayor Bowser served as the Ward 4 councilmember on the Council of the District of Columbia—first elected in a special election in 2007, and re-elected in 2008 and 2012.

National Council For Adoption is proud to extend the Friend of Adoption Award to Mayor Bowser in recognition of her openness to share her personal adoption story with Washington, DC and the entire nation. Saying that she was “thrilled, nervous, and looking forward to each and every stage,” Mayor Bowser’s joy in adopting baby Miranda is something that many families can relate to. Her experience has not only increased awareness of adoption, but has also fostered good will across a broad spectrum of political views—showing once again that adoption brings people together.

# # #

About National Council For Adoption

Founded in 1980, National Council For Adoption (NCFA) is a global adoption advocacy nonprofit that promotes a culture of adoption through education, research, legislative action, and collaboration. As the authoritative voice for adoption, NCFA’s areas of focus include domestic infant adoption, adoption and permanency outcomes for youth in foster care, and intercountry adoption. Passionately committed to the belief that every child deserves to thrive in a nurturing, permanent family, NCFA serves children, birth parents, adopted individuals, adoptive families, and adoption professionals. In addition, we work tirelessly to educate U.S. and foreign government officials and policymakers, members of the media, and all those in the general public with an interest in adoption.

​Media Contact

​Chuck Johnson
​[email protected]

Source: National Council For Adoption