'Angels' honored for work in adoption field

By Katie Brown, Journal staff | Tuesday, February 19, 2008

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Audrey Kirkpatrick of Catholic Social Services in Rapid City said, in her 30 years guiding families through the adoption process, her most rewarding experience has been seeing the growth of the biological parents.

She said pregnant girls or women come into her office and, regardless of their decision to give the baby up for adoption or keep the baby, they mature and become more responsible.

“She learns that it’s not negative to ask for help,” Kirkpatrick said. “For me, that was the most rewarding thing: Watching that growth.”

Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., announced Monday that Kirkpatrick was selected as an “Angel in Adoption” for 2007.

Kirkpatrick has helped with hundreds of adoptions since 1977, Johnson said.

“Unless you’ve experienced placing an adopted child in a family’s arms, you have no idea the joy it can bring,” Kirkpatrick said.

She said adoption is positive even for the biological parents.

“There’s pain,” she said. “But there is pain in anything we do.”

The Angels in Adoption program was established in 1999 by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute to raise awareness of the importance of adoption.

Johnson and his wife, Barbara, have two grandchildren adopted from Ethiopia by their son, Brendan, and daughter-in-law, Jena.

Johnson said Brendan and Jena traveled to Ethiopia last year to adopt daughter Trualem, 10, and son Peneal, 8.

“We are now proud grandparents of five,” Johnson said.

Johnson said adoption is a mutual benefit in his family and others.

“The quality of all the lives have improved,” he said. “Not only the kids, but us.”

Kirkpatrick said she believes domestic adoptions are down slightly from past years, but that may be in part that there are fewer children available for adoption.

Johnson said international adoption numbers are up nationwide.

He said his son and daughter-in-law decided to adopt from Ethiopia because his daughter-in-law spent some time in Africa during college and had ties to the area.

Johnson also honored 2006 Angels in Adoption: Thomas Cook and Shazalle Simmons of Hot Springs, who have adopted five special-needs children, all younger than 10 years old.

“Adoptions are as unique as the children and families involved in the process,” Johnson said. “These award-winners have shown love and patience throughout the adoption process, and their stories are an example to all of us what amazing blessings adoption can bring.”

Contact Katie Brown at 394-8318 or katie.brown@rapidcityjournal.com